Turkey is slathered in a savory garlic and herb butter, stuffed with aromatics like onion, lemon, and herbs, then roasted until crispy on the outside and moist and tender inside. It’s perfect for your Thanksgiving or other holiday dinners!
This is one of my Turkey recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so I figured it was high time I share a recipe with you all for a whole turkey!
Normally I go for a turkey breast (either bone-in or boneless), since they’re easier to store in the freezer/refrigerator, and easier to cook.
But this year we’ll have more people over for the holiday dinner, and I think a whole bird would really hit the spot!
This turkey recipe is super easy, with no complicated brining process, no fancy equipment, and no hard to find ingredients.
The bird is slathered with a super flavorful savory garlic and herb butter, then roasted in the oven until it’s golden brown and moist and tender.
What do I need to make this recipe?
- Turkey – this recipe is for a whole turkey, roughly 10-12 lbs.
- Onion – you can use a white, yellow, or sweet onion. I haven’t tested this recipe with red onion, but I think that would also work.
- Lemon – this recipe uses both the whole lemon as an aromatic as the turkey roasts, and the zest, which is in the butter.
- Herbs – the herbs used in both the turkey and the butter are rosemary, thyme, and sage.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter for this recipe, but if you want to use salted, just omit part of the salt from the butter mixture.
- Garlic – if you’d prefer not to use fresh minced garlic, you can pick up a jar or squeeze tube of pre-minced garlic or garlic paste. Use about 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp.
- Salt and pepper – I use kosher salt and ground black pepper.
How to make garlic and herb roasted turkey:
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Make garlic herb butter. Combine all butter ingredients (butter, herbs, garlic, zest, salt, and pepper).
- Prep turkey. Remove neck and giblets from inside the turkey, then pat it very dry with paper towels.
- Add aromatics and butter. Add the onion, lemon, and herbs to the cavity of the turkey. Rub butter mixture both under the skin, and over the top of the turkey.
- Roast. Cook for around 13 minutes per pound, then let rest.
Helpful Tip!
As with any poultry recipe, I highly recommend using an internal thermometer to check whether the turkey is done. All poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
Variations of this recipe
- Larger turkey – this recipe calls for a modest 10-12 lb turkey, but I understand for larger families, you may need a larger turkey. You can use this recipe, you’ll just need to make more of the garlic herb butter (I would double it), and follow the instructions for how long to roast per pound.
- Turkey breast – conversely, if you don’t need, or don’t want, a whole turkey, this recipe will work with a bone in or boneless turkey breast as well. However, the cooking time will change, so please cook according to the butcher or package instructions, making sure to check that the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F.
- Salted butter – if you have salted butter, you can use that instead of the unsalted that’s called for. Just reduce the kosher salt in the butter by about half.
- Citrus – for some extra flavor, try adding some extra lemon zest, or try adding a little orange zest as well.
- Extra flavor boost – try adding about 1/2 cup dry white wine to the baking dish before roasting the turkey.
- Dried herbs – dried herbs are more potent than fresh, so if you’d like to use dried rosemary, sage, and thyme, use about 1/2 tsp of each.
FAQ’s
Absolutely! I didn’t write it into this recipe as brines can be intimidating to newer cooks (especially ones who’ve never roasted a turkey before), and I wanted this to be nice and simple. I really like this brine recipe from Inspired Taste, or you could buy a store-bought brine mix.
A roasting pan is definitely traditional, and what I use when making this recipe. However, if you don’t have one, don’t think you can’t oven roast a turkey. You can use an extra large rimmed baking sheet topped with an oven-safe cooling rack. This way the turkey is propped up a bit to allow for even heat circulation and cooking.
Making roasted turkey ahead of time
Turkey definitely tastes best when made fresh, so I don’t recommend making this recipe entirely ahead of time.
However, parts of this recipe can be made ahead.
- Butter – the garlic herb butter can be combined and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Let the butter sit out at room temperature until softened before using.
- Aromatics – the onion, lemon, and herbs can be cut/sliced and kept refrigerated for several days.
Storage
Leftover carved turkey should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 4-5 days.
These leftovers are great on a sandwich too!
Freezing
Carved turkey can also be frozen! Just add the slices to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 6 months.
Thaw in the refrigerator and enjoy (either hot or cold).
More Holiday Main Dish Recipes:
My Favorite Thermometer!
I love using this meat thermometer for making sure the meat is at 165 degrees! Easy for beginners & totally worth the small investment.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Garlic herb butter
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh sage
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Turkey
- 10 – 12 lb. whole turkey
- 1 white onion peeled and quartered
- 1 lemon quartered
- 3 – 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
Garnishes
- extra fresh herbs
- sliced lemons
- fresh cranberries
Instructions
Make garlic herb butter
- In a small mixing bowl, add all butter ingredients (butter, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper), and stir well to combine.
- Set aside for now.
Prepare turkey
- Move oven rack to the lower third position, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add a rack to a roasting pan (or you can use a large rimmed baking sheet topped with an oven-safe cooling rack).
- Remove the turkey neck and giblets from inside the turkey, and pat the turkey very dry with paper towels.
- Add turkey to roasting rack. To the turkey cavity, add the quartered onion, quartered lemon, and sprigs of rosemary, thyme, and sage.
- Use kitchen twine to tie the turkey legs together (this helps ensure even cooking), or you can use a piece of turkey skin to hold the legs together.
Combine
- Gently pull the skin away from the meat, loosening it so you can add the butter. Using a paper towel to grip the skin may help if it's slippery.
- Liberally slather the butter under the skin, then over the top as well. I like to use my hands for this so I can really get it everywhere.
Roast
- Carefully add roasting pan with turkey to the preheated oven and roast for approximately 13 minutes per pound, basting with the pan juices occasionally (I like to baste every 20-30 minutes).
- Please know that all ovens cook differently, so use the time as a guide and look for golden brown skin and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165°F.
- If the turkey skin is getting too dark for your liking, you can tent some aluminum foil over the top as it cooks.
Rest and serve
- Remove turkey from oven and tent some aluminum foil over the top to help seal in the juices.
- Let rest for 15-20 minutes, then discard the onion, lemon, and herbs from inside the turkey cavity. Carve and serve.
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Chef Tips
- This makes one 10-12 lb. turkey, which I’ve estimated will feed 10 people (with about a pound to pound and a quarter per person), but you’re free to divide into as many servings as you’d like.
- Use your best judgement with regards to rinsing your turkey after removing the neck and giblets. I personally don’t rinse it, but I know that’s a decision that will vary from person to person.
- For the best results, I highly recommend using an internal meat thermometer (clickable link) to check the internal temperature of the turkey breast. The cook time given is what it took for me, but all ovens cook a little differently.
- Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, and you’re looking for it to read 165°F.
Thawing a whole turkey:
- The safest way to thaw a frozen turkey is in the refrigerator – do NOT thaw a turkey at room temperature.
- A frozen turkey needs at least 1 day of thawing time per 4-5 lbs. So a 10 lb. turkey would need at least 2 full days in the refrigerator.
How long to cook a turkey:
- An unstuffed turkey (even though this turkey has aromatics inside, it’s not considered stuffed as there’s no stuffing) should be cooked for 13 minutes per pound.
- So a 10 lb. turkey would need to be cooked for approximately 2 hours 10 minutes.
How much turkey should I have for each person:
- It’s recommended to have about 1 – 1 1/2 lbs of turkey per person.
Gravy for turkey:
- I use my Classic Brown Gravy (clickable link) when we serve this turkey, using the pan drippings from the baking dish if you’d like (just substitute them for the beef and chicken broth called for in the gravy recipe). You don’t have to use the drippings though, if you’d rather not.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Vera says
Wow! Perfect timing! I’m cooking the Thanksgiving meal again this year. I wanted to switch things up a little bit with the turkey this year but wasn’t sure what to do. You have solved my dilemma. Thx!