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Juicy Roast Turkey
How to Make the Juiciest Roast Turkey Recipe - no lengthy marinating required, and the turkey brine is optional. You'll love the crisp, salty skin and the foil tip produces the juiciest turkey breast. An easy and failproof method for Thanksgiving turkey.
👥 12 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 2h 50m🔥 Cook: 2h 50m👤 Natasha Kravchuk📖 natashaskitchen
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●pan
- ●oven
- ●bowl
- ●food processor
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Prepping your Turkey
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lb
2
Remove thawed turkey* from the fridge about ⏱️ 30 minutes before you start working with it. If the turkey is closer to room temperature, it will bake more evenly. Remove the neck and bag of giblets and pat dry turkey with paper towels. Let it sit in a roasting pan lined with paper towels to soak up any excess water then discard the paper towels. Fold the wings behind the turkey so they don't scorch in the oven.
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lb
3
Seasoning, Stuffing, and Tying up a Turkey
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lb
4
Season inside of turkey cavity generously with about 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lb
5
Make Flavored Butter - In a medium bowl or in a food processor*, combine: 2 sticks softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mash /stir with a fork until well combined (the lemon juice doesn't easily stir into butter but keep mixing and it will happen after a few minutes).
olive oil (not extra virgin, plus more to drizzle top)2 Tbspfresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon, plus 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest)4 Tbsplemon (quartered)1large garlic cloves (pressed)3arlic cloves (peeled and halved )4 gTbsp salt (I used sea salt)1/2
6
Separate the skin from the turkey breast by pushing your fingers under the skin. Do this from the front and the back of the turkey; being careful not to tear the skin.
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lb
7
Stuff 2/3 of the butter mixture under skin then spread the butter around by massaging over the top of the skin. This butter keeps the turkey breast tender, juicy and provides rich flavor.
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lb
8
Pat skin dry and rub remaining butter over the outside of the turkey (breast, legs, wings). Drizzle all over the top of the turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper; I just love a crisp, salty skin.
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lbolive oil (not extra virgin, plus more to drizzle top)2 Tbsp
9
Stuff turkey cavity with quartered onion, 4 halved garlic cloves, 1/2 bunch parsley and quartered lemon. Use kitchen string to tie turkey base and legs together; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity, plus it looks extra fancy on the table.
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lblarge onion (peeled and quartered )1large garlic cloves (pressed)3arlic cloves (peeled and halved )4 gbunch parsley1/2fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon, plus 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest)4 Tbsplemon (quartered)1
10
How to Roast a Turkey
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lb
11
Prep - Pre-heat the oven to 430˚F on the bake mode. Place oven rack in the lower part of your oven (mine was on the second level from the very bottom).
12
Make Foil Shield - to protect the turkey breast and keep it juicy: Fold a large square sheet of foil into a triangle. Rub one side of your triangle with olive oil and shape the foil (oil-side-down) over the turkey breast, then remove foil; it will shield your turkey breast and keep it from getting dry. You'll apply this shield later in the roasting process.
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lbolive oil (not extra virgin, plus more to drizzle top)2 Tbsp
13
Place an oven-safe meat thermometer into the bird; beneath the drum stick; deep into the dark meat. Start roasting uncovered at 430˚F for ⏱️ 20 min.
14
Baste - Remove from oven; quickly baste with butter from the bottom of the dish. You can use a baster or tilt one side of the pan and collect drippings with a large spoon. Now apply prepared foil triangle to turkey breast area.
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lb
15
Reduce oven to 350˚F and bake for another ⏱️ 2 hours ⏱️ 30 min for a 12 lb bird. (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about ⏱️ 13 min for every pound of turkey). The turkey thigh should register at 170˚F on the temperature probe and the breast at 160˚F to make sure it's fully cooked through then remove from the oven (keep in mind the turkey temp continues to rise slightly after it's out of the oven*).
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lb
16
Rest Turkey - Transfer turkey to serving platter and cover loosely but fully with foil. Let turkey rest for at least ⏱️ 1 hour. It will become more tender and easier to carve, the longer it sits. Keep the drippings from roasting pan for turkey gravy. Now you can decorate around your turkey and make it festive. I used kale for my greens, then added small apples, sliced oranges and quartered lemons.
turkey ((Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*)12 lblemon (quartered)1
Nutrition Facts
calories
556 kcal
fat Content
13 g
serving Size
1 serving
fiber Content
1 g
sugar Content
1 g
sodium Content
828 mg
protein Content
103 g
trans Fat Content
0.2 g
cholesterol Content
312 mg
carbohydrate Content
3 g
saturated Fat Content
4 g
unsaturated Fat Content
6 g
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