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This roasted turkey recipe features an 18-pound whole turkey seasoned with rich herb butter and roasted in the oven until it is golden, crisp on the outside, and tender and juicy on the inside.
Preparing this classic dish is easier than it seems; simply season the turkey generously with fresh herbs and butter, then roast it slowly in the oven while basting it regularly until it’s perfectly tender and full of rich, aromatic flavor.
The even slow roasting process ensures a beautifully golden-brown crust while sealing in the roasted turkey’s natural juices for tender, flavorful meat in every slice.
This roast turkey recipe serves fourteen and is perfect for a Thanksgiving party, Christmas dinner, or even a quiet Sunday roast, turning an ordinary meal into a warm, memorable celebration.
Serving this dish feels like a true celebration, as the moment you carve the turkey, its golden, crispy skin and juicy, tender meat draw everyone together, filling the room with smiles and the irresistible aroma of a feast shared with love.
Pair your turkey roast with classic sides like roasted vegetables, cranberry sauce, or warm dinner rolls, and the meal becomes a feast that’s both timeless and comforting.
✅ Take a moment to read through the whole post for the ingredient list, expert tips, and equipment suggestions. The full recipe is right below.
Key Ingredients for This Easy Roast Turkey Recipe
This easy roasted turkey recipe is defined by a few core components that guarantee moisture, flavor, and that iconic, deep-golden crust.
1. Whole Turkey
- Choosing a large turkey, ideally 14 to 18 pounds, ensures you have enough meat to serve a sizeable gathering, making it the centerpiece of the feast.
- For best results, the turkey must be fully thawed, which can take several days in the refrigerator depending on its size, and thoroughly patted dry before seasoning.
- Removing excess moisture is crucial because it allows the skin to crisp beautifully during roasting while helping the herb butter and aromatics adhere evenly.
2. Unsalted Butter
- When applied generously under the skin, unsalted butter melts during roasting, continuously basting the meat and keeping the lean turkey breast moist.
- Using unsalted butter also gives you precise control over the sodium level, allowing the natural flavors of the turkey and herbs to stand out without being overpowered by salt.
3. Olive Oil
- Olive oil acts as a crucial binding agent in the herb butter mixture and helps keep the softened butter smooth and spreadable, making it easier when seasoning under the turkey skin.
- This ensures the herbs and fat coat the turkey evenly, promoting consistent flavor and moisture throughout the roast.
4. Fresh Garlic
- Fresh minced garlic delivers a robust, savory depth that penetrates the meat during roasting.
- Unlike garlic powder, fresh garlic maintains a bright, aromatic quality that enhances the turkey’s natural flavor, giving each bite a fragrant, slightly sweet, and savory note that defines a classic holiday roast.
5. Fresh Herbs
- The aromatic blend of rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley is a classic poultry seasoning that infuses the turkey with warm, earthy flavors.
- Sage and rosemary are particularly important, offering a complex fragrance that evokes traditional holiday roasts, while thyme and parsley add subtle herbal brightness.
- Rosemary, sage, and thyme are also used to fill the turkey cavity along with aromatics like onions, garlic, and lemon, releasing their flavors and creating a deeply savory, fragrant roast.
Essential Tools You’ll Need for This Oven Roasted Turkey Recipe
A few non-negotiable pieces of equipment ensure safety, accuracy, and professional results for your large oven roasted turkey.
- Instant-Read Meat Thermometer: Essential for roasting a large turkey, as cooking time alone isn’t reliable, ensuring the turkey breast reaches 170°F and the thigh 180°F, guaranteeing both food safety and perfectly cooked meat.
- Shallow Roasting Pan and Rack: A shallow roasting pan with low sides ensures even heat circulation, and the rack elevates the turkey so the bottom skin crisps instead of steaming in the drippings.
- Sharp Knife and Fork: Use a sharp knife and fork to carve the turkey carefully, ensuring clean, even slices and preserving the juicy, tender meat.
- Butcher’s Twine: Used to truss the turkey by securing the legs and tucking the wings, creating a compact, uniform shape that promotes even cooking.
- Large Cutting Board with Grooves: A large cutting board with deep juice grooves is essential for resting and carving the turkey, capturing juices, keeping the meat moist, and preventing spills.
- Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil: Used to create a loose tent over the turkey breast, protecting the browned white meat from direct heat while the darker meat finishes cooking without drying out.
Why You Will Love This Christmas Turkey Roast
This specific Christmas turkey recipe moves beyond mere functionality to deliver a genuinely superior culinary experience that you will want to repeat year after year:
- The Unrivaled Crispness: The skin roasts to a perfect golden brown, crisping beautifully while locking in the meat’s natural juices for tender, flavorful slices.
- An Aroma of Nostalgia: Fresh garlic, rosemary, and sage melting under the skin release a rich, complex fragrance that evokes the warmth and comfort of a Thanksgiving or traditional Christmas roast, setting the perfect festive mood.
- Guaranteed Moisture in the Breast: By applying herb butter under the skin, this technique creates an internal layer of moisture that keeps the turkey breast consistently juicy and flavorful, eliminating the common fear of dry white meat.
- Low in Fat (Skinless): Although the roast turkey recipe uses skin and butter for flavor, the turkey meat itself is naturally lean, making skinless roasted turkey breast a very low-fat, healthy option.
- Excellent Source of High-Quality Protein: Turkey is packed with protein, essential for muscle maintenance and keeping you full, with a 200g serving of turkey roast and stuffing providing about 38 grams of protein.
- Vitamins and Micronutrients: Turkey is rich in B vitamins and essential minerals like selenium and phosphorus, supporting energy metabolism and bone health.
What to Serve with This Thanksgiving Turkey Roast
The roast turkey demands classic sides that provide textural and flavor contrast, something creamy, something tart, something green, and something earthy.
- Mashed Potatoes: Silky, buttered mashed potatoes are the essential foundation for soaking up the pan juices and gravy.
- Sweet Potato Casserole: Provides a sweet counterpoint to the savory herbs on the turkey.
- Classic Bread Stuffing (or Dressing): While we recommend cooking it separately from the turkey, a savory stuffing featuring celery, onions, and herbs is non-negotiable for a complete turkey roast dinner.
- Roasted Root Vegetables: Brussels sprouts, carrots, and parsnips roasted with maple syrup and thyme add necessary texture and a caramelized sweetness.
- Cranberry Sauce: Whether homemade or store-bought, the sharp, tart acidity of cranberry sauce cuts through the richness of the herb butter and dark meat, refreshing the palate.
- Green Bean Almondine or Green Bean Casserole: Provides a crisp, fresh element (or a creamy, comforting one) to balance the heavy richness of the main course.
Pro Tips for Making the Best Roasted Turkey
These are the non-negotiable principles used by professional chefs to guarantee the moisture and flavor of the final turkey roast.
1. Embrace the Mandatory Rest
After removing the turkey from the oven, loosely cover it with foil and let it rest for at least 30 minutes, ideally 1 to 2 hours. Never carve the turkey before the rest is complete.
This resting period allows the meat fibers to relax and reabsorb the flavorful juices pushed out during cooking, ensuring every carved slice is incredibly moist.
2. Season Under the Skin
Instead of just rubbing butter on the surface, gently separate the skin from the breast and spread the herb butter mixture directly onto the meat.
This internal layer effectively infuses flavor and helps retain moisture throughout the entire cooking process.
3. Control Basting
While some roasted turkey recipes discourage frequent basting, occasional basting every 45 minutes is fine.
Open the oven briefly to spoon or brush the pan juices over the turkey, but avoid over-basting, as each opening lowers the oven temperature and slows cooking.
The herb butter under the skin continues to baste the meat internally, keeping it juicy even between basting sessions.
4. Foil the Turkey Breast
Since turkey breasts cook faster than the thighs, once the breast is golden brown (about two-thirds of the way through cooking), loosely cover it with foil.
This shields the white meat from direct heat, preventing scorching while allowing the darker, denser meat to finish cooking to 180°F without drying out the breast.
Final Remarks
This easy turkey roast recipe delivers a perfectly golden, juicy, and flavorful centerpiece that’s sure to impress your family and guests.
With the herb butter under the skin, fresh aromatics in the cavity, and careful roasting techniques, every slice of meat is tender and packed with holiday-seasoned flavor.
Feel free to add your favorite herbs, citrus, or a simple stuffing of aromatics to make it uniquely yours.
Pair it with roasted vegetables, cranberry sauce, or a crisp green salad for a complete festive meal that will delight every guest.
If you try this roasted turkey recipe, we’d love to hear how it turned out. Share your version or drop your thoughts in the comments.
You’ll find the full recipe and step-by-step instructions just below.
Oven Roasted Turkey Recipe for Festive Holidays
This easy roasted turkey recipe serves fourteen and features a juicy, golden-brown whole turkey brushed with herb butter and stuffed with fresh aromatics, perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any family dinner.
Ingredients
For the Turkey
For the Herb Butter Rub
For Basting
How to Roast a Turkey (Step-By-Step Instructions)
Thaw the Turkey
- If your turkey is frozen, make sure it’s completely thawed before cooking.
- Place it in the refrigerator on a tray to catch any drips, about 24 hours of thawing time for every 4 to 5 pounds of turkey.
- A large 18-pound bird will need around four to five days to thaw fully.
Prepare the Cavity
- Once thawed, remove the turkey from its packaging.
- Take out the giblets and neck from the cavity.
- Pat the inside of the cavity dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Bring to Room Temperature
- Let the thawed turkey sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before roasting.
- This helps it cook more evenly and prevents the meat from drying out.
Preheat the Oven
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C).
- Place a rack in the lower third of the oven.
Make the Herb Butter
- In a mixing bowl, combine softened butter, olive oil, minced garlic, chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley), lemon zest, black pepper, and kosher salt.
- Mix until well blended into a creamy herb butter.
Season the Turkey
- Carefully loosen the skin over the turkey breast by gently sliding your fingers or the back of a spoon under the skin to create pockets without tearing the skin.
- Push half of the herb butter mixture deep into these pockets, spreading it evenly across the breast and down toward the thighs.
- Rub the remaining butter all over the outside of the turkey, including the legs and wings.
Stuff the Cavity
- Loosely stuff the turkey cavity with the quartered yellow onions, lemon, smashed garlic, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, and sage.
- Avoid packing the cavity tightly, leaving enough space for air to circulate.
- These aromatics infuse the meat with incredible flavor as it roasts.
Truss and Position the Turkey
- Tie the legs together tightly with butcher’s twine or kitchen twine.
- Tuck the wing tips back under the breast to prevent burning.
Roast the Turkey
- Place the turkey breast-side up on a roasting rack set inside a large roasting pan.
- Pour about 2 cups of chicken broth or turkey stock into the bottom of the pan to keep the meat moist during roasting.
- Roast uncovered at 325°F (165°C) for approximately 3½ to 4 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches a safe 165°F (74°C).
Baste for Flavor
- Baste the turkey every 45 minutes using the pan juices.
- Open the oven briefly, brush the juices over the turkey, then close the door to maintain heat.
- Stop basting during the last hour to let the skin dry slightly and turn crisp and golden.
- This helps keep the meat moist and the skin beautifully browned.
Check for Doneness
- Begin checking the turkey about 30 minutes before the estimated cooking time is complete.
- Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, making sure it doesn’t touch the bone.
- The deepest part of the thigh should reach 180°F (82°C), the thickest part of the breast should read 170°F (77°C), and if the turkey is stuffed, it must read 165°F (74°C).
Rest the Turkey
- Once the turkey reaches the proper temperature, remove it from the oven and transfer it to a clean cutting board with deep grooves to catch the juices.
- Loosely tent it with foil and let it rest for at least 30 minutes or ideally an hour.
- This resting period allows the juices to redistribute, ensuring every slice stays tender and moist.
- Use the reserved pan juices to make gravy by skimming the fat, deglazing the pan with stock or water, and thickening it with a roux or cornstarch slurry.
Carve and Serve
- Once the resting period is complete, carve the turkey carefully using a sharp knife and fork.
- Avoid carving too soon, as this causes the juices to run out and the meat to dry.
- Slice and arrange the pieces on a serving platter.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 14
Serving Size Approximately 200g of roasted turkey
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 412kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 16g25%
- Saturated Fat 6g30%
- Cholesterol 90mg30%
- Sodium 580mg25%
- Potassium 420mg12%
- Total Carbohydrate 2g1%
- Dietary Fiber 1g4%
- Protein 38g76%
- Calcium 36 mg
- Iron 2 mg
- Vitamin D 15 IU
- Vitamin K 1.26 mcg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- Let the turkey sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before roasting to ensure even cooking and prevent dry edges.
- Test your meat thermometer in ice and boiling water before use to avoid undercooked or overcooked turkey.
- If the herb butter is applied the night before, let the turkey rest at room temperature before roasting so the fat renders properly.
- Avoid over-stuffing the cavity so heat can circulate properly, and make sure any stuffing reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- Always roast the turkey on a rack so heat circulates evenly and the bottom skin crisps instead of steaming.
- Once the breast turns golden, loosely tent it with foil to prevent over-browning and keep the meat moist.
