Easy, simple & delicious recipe for How to Roast a Turkey will have your guests swooning. It’s not complicated & turns out perfect every single time. YUM!
This time of year it seems that most people really dread making that turkey. Especially if they are hosting the holiday feast & they are responsible for feeding the masses a delicious bird.
I know it can seem so overwhelming & if you let it, it can be. For our first few years together our Thanksgivings were a disaster. We had times where we were trying to cook a half-frozen bird, times where we basted it so much that it just wouldn’t cook because we opened the door so often.
I’m telling you – it took a while for us to figure it out. But I would say out of our 20 years together – the last 12-15 we have been using this recipe for the turkey & it’s perfect every time.
How to Roast a Turkey in the Oven
So I’m here today to tell you that it can be simple. In fact, after we perfected this recipe- we started making a turkey multiple times a year. It doesn’t have to be just for Thanksgiving, that’s for sure. Let me show you just how easy it is with my How to Roast a Turkey tutorial!
Cut your veggies & add them to the bottom of the pan. I prefer to use a pan with a rack to keep most of the bird elevated from the moisture.
You don’t want a soggy bottom of the bird. You can pick up a pan like this for about $10 at Walmart & it holds up to about 15 lb turkey.
Add those same veggies to the inside of the bird. Keep it simple because you can’t eat stuffing that was inside a raw bird anyway.
I also like to add butter between the skin & meat to help crisp the skin & it’s so yummy.
How to Cook the Perfect Turkey
I also like to add apples. It gives a wonderful flavor.
My favorite part – I add some of my Italian Garlic Butter to the bird. Just melted & bushed on all over.
I don’t add any other seasonings at this point because I have found they tend to burn. The glaze is where the flavor is at. I bake for a while uncovered to get that skin to start to crisp. Then I cover & continue to cook.
When you get close to the recommended cooking time for the size of your bird it’s time to check the temperature. Stick your thermometer into the thickest part of the bird & make sure it’s at least 165 degrees.
Once you have reached the right temperature, it’s time for the glaze. Combine the ingredients, brush on & return the turkey to the oven for a little while longer.
Be sure to pair this with these awesome side dishes
- Turkey Gravy
- Smashed Potatoes
- Easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe
- Duchess Potatoes
- Bacon and Garlic Green Beans
- One Hour Dinner Rolls
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
- Loaded Green Bean Casserole
- Traditional Deviled Eggs
- Easy Sausage Stuffing
- Roasted Fall Vegetables
Once your glaze is set – you are good to go! See – it’s easy! You can totally DO THIS!!
Here are some commonly asked questions
How many can this serve?
That will really depend on the size of the turkey and the portions. We usually make a 15-pound bird and it lasts our family of 5 adult appetites for several days.
How long do you cook a turkey?
The general rule for cooking an unstuffed turkey (as in this one isn’t packed full of traditional stuffing) is about 15 minutes per pound when cooking at 375 degrees.
I mention watching the temperature closer to the end because we are roasting this at a higher temperature in the first 30 minutes.
Why don’t you rinse the turkey first?
I know there are people out there that are passionate about rinsing poultry before cooking it. However, most cooking schools these days don’t recommend the practice.
This just spreads salmonella to more parts of your kitchen – leaving more room for issues and more places to clean. Plus, anything that you may be trying to wash off isn’t going to come off without soap. You wouldn’t just rinse your hands after touching poultry, you would vigorously use soap.
Since you aren’t going to use soap on your poultry, rinsing doesn’t help. Anything that could be on there, will bake off /out as long as you are cooking the turkey to the right temperature.
Now you can ROCK your Thanksgiving!!!
HOW TO ROAST A TURKEY?
Prep
- First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Second, cut your celery, carrots, onion & garlic & add most of them to the bottom of the roasting pan. *Note- be sure to use a roasting pan with an elevated rack to keep the bird somewhat above the liquid.
- Then, prepare the turkey by removing the added items (neck, giblets, gravy packet) – leave the tie on the legs – this helps keep it together. (no need to rinse the turkey as this just spreads any bacteria to other parts of your kitchen. Anything that you would “rinse-off” will cook out.)
- Place the turkey in the prepared pan and stuff the remaining veggies inside of the turkey.
- Next, add one apple- cut in half, inside of the turkey with the vegetables.
- Then, place the remaining apples (also cut in half) around the outside of the turkey.
- Now, cut the butter into 1 tbsp pats. Carefully lift the skin away from the meat & slide the pats of butter in between the skin & breast.
- Next, pour the chicken stock into the bottom of the pan.
- Melt the compound butter & brush over the entire turkey.
Roast
- Roast in a preheated oven uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Then remove, baste, tent with foil – return to the oven.
- Now, reduce the heat to 375 degrees.
- Then continue roasting an additional 2 to 2½ hours depending on the size of your turkey (check the label for exact cooking times per size) Basting every 40-45 minutes. (should be about 15 minutes per pound – total time)
- Check the temperature near the last 30 minutes. Once you reach a minimum of 165 degrees in the thickest part of the turkey, it’s time to add the glaze.
- Finally, whisk glaze ingredients in a small bowl to combine
- Brush the glaze over the turkey & return the turkey to the oven, uncovered & cook an additional 15 minutes to crisp the skin.
- Remove & let rest 10-20 minutes before carving.
What is the best way to store leftover turkey?
Place any leftover turkey in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
How long is cooked turkey good for?
Providing that the turkey didn’t sit out too long before it was transferred to an airtight container, it should last 3-4 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.
As with most things, it is important to get food into the refrigerator within 1 hour after serving to prevent bacteria growth.
To make roasted turkey you will need…
- turkey – thawed
- celery- chopped
- onion – chopped
- carrots- peeled & chopped
- garlic- peeled
- apples
- chicken broth
- butter – divided
- compound butter such as Italian Garlic Butter
- molasses
- Dijon mustard
- granulated garlic
- black pepper
- kosher salt
How to cook a moist turkey
Products I love when making roasted turkey…
This roast turkey recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me this time of year, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never roasted a turkey before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this turkey recipe.
Pair this turkey with this delicious side…
If you love this Easy Roasted Turkey recipe, you’re going to love these other holiday recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
How to Bake a Turkey
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Perfect Roast Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 turkey – thawed
- 5-6 stalks celery- chopped
- ½ onion – chopped
- 4-5 carrots- peeled & chopped
- 2 head garlic- peeled
- 2-3 apples
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 6 tbsp butter – divided
- 3 tbsp compound butter such as Italian Garlic Butter
Glaze
- 1 cup molasses
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp granulated garlic
- 3 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut your celery, carrots, onion & garlic & add most of them to the bottom of the roasting pan. *Note- be sure to use a roasting pan with an elevated rack to keep the bird somewhat above the liquid.
- Prepare the turkey by removing the added items (neck, giblets, gravy packet) – leave the tie on the legs – this helps keep it together. (no need to rinse the turkey as this just spreads any bacteria to other parts of your kitchen. Anything that you would "rinse-off" will cook out.)
- Place the turkey in the prepared pan and stuff the remaining veggies inside of the turkey.
- Add one apple- cut in half, inside of the turkey with the vegetables.
- Place the remaining apples (also cut in half) around the outside of the turkey.
- Cut the butter into 1 tbsp pats. Carefully lift the skin away from the meat & slide the pats of butter in-between the skin & breast.
- Pour the chicken stock into the bottom of the pan.
- Melt the compound butter & brush over the entire turkey.
- Roast in a pre-heated oven uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Remove, baste, tent with foil – return to the oven.
Reduce the heat to 375 degrees.
- Continue roasting an additional 2 to 2½ hours depending on the size of your turkey (check the label for exact cooking times per size) Basting every 40-45 minutes. (should be about 15 minutes per pound – total time)
- Check the temperature near the last 30 minutes. Once you reach a minimum of 165 degrees in the thickest part of the turkey, it's time to add the glaze.
- Whisk glaze ingredients in a small bowl to combine
- Brush the glaze over the turkey & return the turkey to the oven, uncovered & cook an additional 15 minutes to crisp the skin.
- Remove & let rest 10-20 minutes before carving.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Tamar says
That is stunning!! I bet it tastes amazing.
youmen says
Hi, for the glaze you mentioned molasses,is it carob molasse or something else.
Gina Kleinworth says
Thanks for your question. It’s just regular unsulfured, full flavor molasses. I have added a link to where I buy it on Amazon in the widget at the bottom of the post so you can see what I’m using.
Sharee @ Savory Spicerack says
Stopping by from the home matters linky party ! nice to meet you! May I use this lovely post in a recipe round up ? thanks so much !
Gina Kleinworth says
Thanks Sharee- one image with a text link back to the post is perfect. Thanks so much for wanting to share & asking me. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Jessica Williams says
Oooh I’m going to have to try this molasses glaze this year! YUM. Love that you use butter and apples- I do as well!
Erica | The Crumby Kitchen says
I LITERALLY just made my very first roast turkey a couple weeks ago, and used this recipe during my research on how NOT to screw it up! Thank you!!!
Diana Stevan (@DianaStevan) says
I’m surprised at the high temperature. I’ve always cooked it 20 min a pound at 325 but this recipe looks worth the try. Thank you.
Gina Kleinworth says
That is true – but most of the cooking time is at the reduced temp- but still higher than your recipe.
Leslie says
Looks delicious! We converted to grilled Turkey a few years ago and never looked back. But if it’s ever too wet to grill, I’ll definitely look back to this recipe!
EDWARD BAILY says
Tried this yesterday. Had a 20 1/2 lb fresh turkey from my butcher, Turned it down to 375 degrees and a good thing I checked on it. It was done in just over 2 hours!! The timer was up, the internal temp was over 170. A little dry. Luckily everything else was Crock Potted and it was only my roomie and I. Just finished everything on the stove and it was great. Loved the glaze. 2 hours for a 20 lb turkey??!!