Easy Thanksgiving Turkey
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The only recipe you will ever need! It’s the world’s simplest, no-fail, no-fuss turkey! Perfectly golden brown, juicy and tender!
Featured Comment
I have never been the go-to person to make the Thanksgiving turkey.
Nope, I’d do all the sides though – from the ham to the best creamed corn to the sausage stuffing. All of it. But I always steered clear of the turkey…until now.
I know, it’s super daunting if you have never made a turkey before. If it’s the giblets and stuff that freak you out, there are a few grocery stores that remove them for you like Whole Foods. So there, problem solved.
If you’re just worried and nervous you might mess it up, don’t worry. Just be sure to use up all the butter, and baste as noted. The pan drippings are EVERYTHING. From there, the turkey comes out perfectly golden brown.
This recipe is 100% fool-proof. PROMISE!
If not, you guys can all come over to my house and spend Thanksgiving with me and Butters.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESS
- Plan for 1 – 1.5 lb of turkey per person. So for about 12 guests, we recommend using a 15 lb bird. This will ensure you have enough leftovers and pan drippings for your gravy.
- Roast covered and uncovered. Your turkey will cook both uncovered (for crispy skin!) and covered with aluminum foil so that your turkey does not get too brown or dark.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. Check your turkey halfway through cooking, inserting through the thickest part of the breast and thigh but avoiding the bone. The internal temperature should reach 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Let your bird rest. Let your turkey rest for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness. This also frees up oven space to reheat/cook your remaining Thanksgiving side dishes.
- Save the drippings. Drippings make for the best turkey gravy.
Easy Thanksgiving Turkey: Frequently Asked Questions
To defrost a turkey in the refrigerator, we recommend allowing 24 hours for every 5 pounds.
Not at all! You can place the turkey directly on the vegetables (carrots, celery, onion).
This will vary on the size of your bird but plan for about 10-15 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey.
For a small-scale turkey, you can try this roasted turkey breast recipe instead.
This is our favorite crockpot turkey. It does not require any oven space and includes turkey gravy using the slow cooker drippings!
Yes! This is the most perfect gravy using the pan drippings from this recipe.
Here is a foolproof step-by-step video guide for a stress-free Thanksgiving turkey!
Easy Thanksgiving Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 (12-14 pound) fresh whole turkey
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 carrots, peeled
- 3 celery ribs
- 1 sweet onion, cut into wedges
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ cups turkey or chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Remove giblets from the turkey cavity. Dry turkey thoroughly with paper towels. Season turkey cavity with salt and pepper, to taste.
- In a small bowl, combine butter, shallot, lemon juice, sage, thyme, lemon zest and garlic; season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, or more, to taste.
- Using your fingers, carefully loosen the skin from the breast meat, spreading half of the butter mixture under the skin. Secure skin over the butter with wooden picks.
- Place carrots, celery and onion in a shallow roasting pan. Place turkey, breast side up, on top of the vegetables; tie drumsticks together with kitchen twine, tucking the wingtips under.
- Spread remaining half of the butter mixture over the turkey; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add wine and chicken stock to the roasting pan.
- Place into oven and roast for 30 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Continue roasting until the turkey is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the thigh, about 2 hours to 2 hours and 30 minutes more; baste every 30 minutes with pan drippings. When turkey begins to brown, cover lightly with aluminum foil.
- Let stand 20 minutes before carving; reserve pan dripping for gravy.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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Just made the turkey recipe and wowee was it good! Our family just moved into a new home and our smoker is in storage which we normally use. Haven’t cooked a turkey in the oven for over a decade. Looked online for a good recipe, found one and as always damn delicious did not disappoint.
Thank you!
I always bag my turkey cause trying to reduce the breast drying out . This time i was fearless, sorta. I still bagged but with all your goodness and Just Wow.
Flavorful and super moist!!
Thank you so much!!
This is the first time I’ve ever made turkey. I didn’t have any of the fresh herbs. All I had was Italian seasoning. And I didn’t have white wine. So I made the recipe with what I had and the turkey came out AMAZING. I have never enjoyed turkey so much. It was only a little bit more difficult to make than a roasted chicken, but barely. And 100x better tasting. It’s so juicy on the inside and the skin is nice and crispy. Thanks for sharing!! Also this is the first recipe review I’ve ever written (because it was so good) and I cook for my family almost every day.
Delicious and moist turkey!
This recipe was easy and perfectly delightful. Fallowed recipe exactly.
And the leftovers were just as good (if not better.)
I ended up placing my turkey a little too high in the oven for the first 30 min (at 400 degrees) and evaporated all the liquids. I just added the same amount (2.5 cups of stock and 1/2 cup white wine. Problem fixed!
Definitely will make this turkey my Christmas dinner each year. I also made the classic stuffing and gravy and it was a perfect trio. Don’t look any further for a moist turkey.
My husband loved it and still raves about it.
And my guests only had compliments and wanted to know the how to’s. Thank you for such a great website!
I made this for thanksgiving 2020, it was the best turkey I ever made. I will be making it for xmas dinner as well. Dont forget the gravy, its as awesome!
Can I use this recipe for a stuffed bird? Would I just need to adjust the cooking time?
Can this be done with just a bone-in turkey breast, instead of a whole turkey? What changes might I need to make for that? I’ve never cooked a turkey before, and it’s just my boyfriend and I this year, so we got just the bone-in breast because we don’t need a whole turkey for just the two of us.
Do I need to brine the turkey?
Brining is another type of preparation IMO. My motto is try the recipe as described the 1st time & then you can tweak it. Sorry, I noticed no one had gotten back to you (or anyone else on this chat board) yet…Hope that helps.
This looks delicious. I have a family member who is allergic to carrots; what do you recommend instead? Can I just use a roasting rack?
I would just omit the carrots and add more onions and celery to compensate. Easy fix, good luck!
Do I still place the carrots, celery, and onion into the pan if using a roasting rack?
I would prepare them separately since they will dry out without the turkey on top. Hope that helps.
The veggies are there to flavor the dripping as prep for the gravy. They are not served with them meal. You definitely still want to put them in the pan.
You can also add the veggies to the cavity of the bird. I did that this year with some of the fresh herbs and it helped flavor the entire bird. I also cook mine in a roasting pan and I cook mine upside down so all those juices stay in the breast. I’ve done this for 5 years and comes out amazing every time! I’ll have to add the wine this year, that would be a nice touch for the gravy! 🙂
Wondering if I could use avocado oil instead of butter as one of the guests is dairy-free?
Any oil can be used but you might need to add a little salt with it to taste.
So delicious. This recipe is a keeper, thank you! The herbs and wine gave the breast a wonderful, juicy flavor. I cooked a 21 lb turkey so nearly doubled the recipe but otherwise followed it exactly. My relatives loved it. Even those who aren’t crazy about turkey commented about how delicious it was, saying it was one of the best they’ve ever tasted. Thanks again!
How long did you cook your Turkey for?
Hi, does this recipe still work if I cook it in an oven bag? Thanks
Yes, Iuse thos with a bag, but I usually omit the wine because you might make the bag explode.
My sister made this last year so delicious, I’m going to try it this year!
What are the flat green leaves you used for decor?
Love a good presentation thank you!
Meagan those are bay leaves
do you cover the turkey while roasting?
When the turkey begins to brown, I recommend covering lightly with aluminum foil.
Amazing! Seriously, the best turkey I’ve ever eaten and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t really enjoy turkey. It was juicy and very flavorful! And it made fabulous leftover turkey sandwiches!
That’s so great! Thank you!
Thank you thank you thank you! Made it today for my family Thanksgiving. It turned out great. I made a few whoopsies along the way but improvised. 17 lb. deliciousness! Another wonderful recipe. ~A forever follower.
That’s so awesome!
Question- can the turkey be stuffed do I just adjust cooking time for the bird?
My rating is based on the smell alone. I have a turkey breast cooking now and the smell is fabulous! I’m sure the taste will be great, too. I made a double recipe so I can do it all over again with the whole turkey on Thanksgiving.
Hi Chungah! I used this recipe for a Friendsgiving turkey! I didn’t have white wine so I bumped the chicken stock up to 2 cups, and I didn’t have a shallot so I skipped it. Besides that I followed the recipe as written. Wasn’t sure whether to leave the carrots and celery whole; I chopped them into large 2-inch chunks. I had to bump up the temperature for the last hour or so and it roasted longer than the recipe stated (total of about 3.75 hours vs. the 2.5 to 3 hours written) to reach the right temperature. It looked beautiful and got great reviews from my friends. Thank you!!!
That’s awesome! We love hearing that.
You guys have a nourishingly hearty Thanksgiving feast! I can see the turkey meat is perfect, golden enough, brown enough and super sucullent ❤
– Natalie
Happy Thanksgiving, Natalie! Thank you!