How to Roast a Turkey – learn easy techniques to perfectly roast a turkey. Step by step instructions from start to finish.
Roast Turkey
Well with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, it’s time to roast a turkey. I love love this season. And how can you not? You can’t turn the TV on without seeing a Christmas movie on and I just can’t help myself, I watch them all. I can watch Christmas movies all day long.
So have you roasted a turkey before? Don’t be scared, it’s just a big bird. Over the years, I’ve watched my mother roast turkeys over and over again. I love everything about roasting a turkey. The smell in the kitchen, the holiday atmosphere all around and of course, eating that delicious turkey.
This recipe here for a roast turkey is quite simple. I stuffed the turkey with an onion, quartered, garlic cloves and lemon. I brushed it with a lemon flavored butter, generously and I mean generously and seasoned it with salt and pepper.
How to Thaw a Turkey
The safest and easiest way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator, but it takes the longest. It will take a few days, depending on the size of your turkey. All you have to do is put the turkey in a pan to catch any drips and leave it in the fridge for a few days. Allow 24 hours for every 5 lbs of turkey.
If you’re planning to brine the turkey, wet or dry, you can do this while the turkey is partially frozen.
Can You Cook a Frozen Turkey
Believe it or not, you certainly can cook a frozen turkey. The only difference is that it will take a lot longer to cook than normal, 50 percent more time. For example, a 10 lb turkey will take about 5 1/4 hours to cook. Best way to check if it’s cooked is still to use a meat thermometer.
The turkey cooks as it thaws, with the legs and wings cooking faster. If cooking a frozen turkey, you won’t be able to do any fancy rubs or brines.
How to Roast a Turkey
Prepare your turkey for roasting. Make sure to remove any packaging from it and the bag of giblets from inside the cavity. Pat the skin dry with paper towels, this promotes browning and crisping.
If stuffing your turkey add the dressing inside and season your turkey generously on the skin with herbs and spices.
I do not recommend adding water to the pan because it creates a steam and may steam-burn the turkey. The turkey produces its own flavorful juices.
Cover the turkey and cook if covered for the first couple hours. You can baste it every 30 minutes if preferred. Cook it uncovered for the last hour and a half so that to turkey turns golden brown.
Brining a Turkey
I never used to brine my turkeys until recently. Brining involves immersing the turkey in a salt-water solution or dry-brining it in salt for a day or so before cooking. This results in a moist and perfectly seasoned turkey.
If you have the extra time, I strongly recommend to brine your turkey. Check out my post on Brined Roast Turkey Breast for detailed instructions on how to brine your turkey.
A dry-brine, also called pre-salting, seasons the turkey like a wet brine, but there’s no water. You basically rub the salt and seasonings directly into the meat and skin, and let it rest in the fridge for a period of time before cooking. This works because the salt draws out the meat juices through osmosis. The salt then dissolves into the juices, and this brine is reabsorbed into the meat and starts to break down tough muscle proteins. The result is a juicy, tender, seasoned turkey.
Tips And Tricks
Always cook your turkey until the skin is a light golden color. Cover your roasting pan with a lid or foil and cook covered for 2 hours (depending on size of your bird) and uncovered for the remaining time.
Baste your turkey every half hour or so. However, basting will not make your turkey moister, but it promotes even browning of the skin.
To truly test doneness of the meat, use an instant meat thermometer. Do not go by the color of the skin. The turkey is done when the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 180 F degrees and the breast reaches 165 F degrees. Make sure the thermometer is not touching the bone.
If you’re stuffing your turkey, check the temperature of the dressing as well. It should be 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).
Just like with any roast, you need to let your meat sit and rest after removing it from the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat and makes carving easier.
Cooking Times for Roasting a Turkey
| Turkey Weight | Serves | Roasting Time |
| 10-18 lbs | Less than 10 people | 3 – 3 1/2 hours |
| 18-22 lbs | 10-15 people | 3 1/2 to 4 hours |
| 22-24 lbs | 16-20 people | 4 4 1/2 hours |
| 24-29 lbs | more than 20 people | 4 1/2 – 5 hours |
Craving More Thanksgiving Recipes? Try These:
- Crockpot Brown Sugar Cola Glazed Ham
- Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Sage Sausage Stuffing
- Sugared Cranberries
- Italian Roasted Mushrooms and Veggies
- Classic Pumpkin Pie
- Bourbon Pecan Pie
- Turkey Meatballs
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How to Roast a Turkey
Ingredients
- 10 lb turkey
- 1/2 cup butter unsalted
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves chopped
- 2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp pepper or to taste
- 8 sprigs thyme fresh
- 1 onion quartered
- 10 cloves garlic peeled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
- In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the lemon zest and juice and the teaspoon of thyme to the butter and stir. Set aside.
- Wash the turkey and make sure you remove the giblets from inside the turkey cavity. I also usually trim some of the excess fat around the neck of the turkey.
- Place the turkey in a large roasting pan with a roasting rack. Salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the turkey with the onion, garlic and thyme.
- Brush the turkey with the butter mixture all over and generously season with salt and pepper.
- Tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey, this will help stabilize the turkey when carving, plus it makes it easier to carve the breast. Tie the legs together with butcher twine.
- Cover the turkey with the lid, or if your roasting pan doesn’t have a lid cover with aluminum foil.
- Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and roast the turkey for 2 hours, remove lid or aluminum foil. Roast for an additional 1 1/2 hours. Use a meat thermometer to know when the turkey is done. When the thermometer is inserted in the breast it should read 165 F degrees, and 180 F degrees in the thigh.
- Remove the turkey from the roasting pan to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Slice turkey and serve.
Recipe Notes
| Turkey Weight | Serves | Roasting Time |
| 10-18 lbs | Less than 10 people | 3 – 3 1/2 hours |
| 18-22 lbs | 10-15 people | 3 1/2 to 4 hours |
| 22-24 lbs | 16-20 people | 4 4 1/2 hours |
| 24-29 lbs | more than 20 people | 4 1/2 – 5 hours |
Nutrition Information:
Originally published Nov 2014. Updated with additional information.
Can I use olive rather than butter to brush the turkey? (Hubby is dairy free).
For sure!
I made my turkey and it came out great. Do you have a gravy recipe to go with it
For my gravy I use the drippings, broth and I play around with seasoning and spices! I like to add soy sauce, worcestershire, bay leaf, thyme and some salt/pepper, then I thicken it up with either flour or cornstarch! Super simple.
I was about to try this recipe, however, I noticed in the beginning you said that a ten pound bird should take 5-1/2 hours, however in your roasting scale it says 3-1/2 hours?????
That’s if you’re cooking a frozen turkey.
I’ve used this recipe before and it was delicious! I am cooking the turkey this year again and I was thinking of using your brining recipe. Should I brine it and then use this recipe? Is it too much flavor to use both recipes? Or should I just pick one?
Yes, you can absolutely do this! The brine will mostly just ensure the turkey ends up juicy and not dry.
I have bit made this yet but what tack do you put your pa on in the oven? Should it be towards the bottom or the middle of the oven? Also have yiu tired roasting it breast side down? Thank you
It will have to me on the lower rack, middle rack if the turkey fits, but mine didn’t. I have not tried roasting with the breast side down.
Thank you for these clear and concise instructions on how to cook a turkey. Your recipes never fail me.
what’s the difference between baking a turkey in roasting a turkey
Roasting refers to solids with structure such as meats, veggies, potatoes, etc. Baking refers to batters or doughs without solid structure, ie. breads, cakes, cookies.
I’m a little confused. In the directions you say to roast until thigh is 180 degrees, however, in the notes it says thigh should reach 165. Can you confirm which it is?
Sorry about that, the breast should be 165 F degrees and the thigh should be 180 F degrees.
Hello, Jo!
Thank you for making us happy with your next masterpiece. You are right when cooking it is very important to consider the size of your Turkey. If it is too big, it will need more time and spices.
I will definitely try this Turkey again for the gala dinner. Thank you for sharing!
Good luck!
Have you ever done a turkey in a brown paper bag?
No, I haven’t!
Hi jo
I have a very large chicken (my dad gets free range from a farm up north, it’s the size of a small to medium Turkey. Could I follow this for the chicken? Would I alter anything? Since trying your bread recipe yesterday I’ve been going over your recipe blogs and they look terrific!
Hi Marta,
You can certainly follow the recipe, the only thing that might change would be the cooking time, but you can follow the same rule for the temperature. You can also check the chicken temperature and when it reaches 175 F degrees it should be done.
Thank you! I’m going to have to invest in a thermometer:)
It’s a great investment! Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
How much butter?
1/2 cup.
I can’t wait to roast the turkey. My mother always roasted hers breast side up and so do I.