This juicy roast turkey recipe is easy to prepare and delivers a perfectly juicy, incredibly flavorful turkey every time.
Turkey is synonymous with Thanksgiving and Christmas. With the holidays fast approaching, it’s time to make sure your turkey recipe is going to wow this year. Using simple seasonings, fresh herbs, lemon and garlic, this easy turkey recipe is guaranteed to impress.
Ingredients
Full roast turkey recipe can be found in the recipe card.
- Turkey. Use the best quality turkey you can find. It might be a little pricier but it is without-a-doubt worth every penny. It will be perfectly moist and juicy and be so much more delicious. Remember to allow your frozen turkey to thaw for a few days in the fridge.
- Salt.
- Smoked paprika.
- Dried herbs: Thyme, Oregano and Rosemary.
- Garlic powder.
- Pepper.
- Butter.
- Fresh herbs: Sage, fresh thyme and rosemary.
- Whole head of garlic.
- Chicken stock.
- Olive oil.
How to brine a turkey
This turkey is dry-brined for 24 hours before roasting. I find this easier than wet-brining because you don’t need a large vessel to brine the turkey in and it’s less messy. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and remove the giblets. Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and dried herbs together then cover the turkey all over with it and scatter the remaining seasoning in the cavity of the turkey. Place the turkey in a large dish (I just used a large roasting pan). Place in the refrigerator and allow to dry-brine for up to 24 hours.
How to roast a turkey
- Prepare the turkey: On the day of roasting, take the turkey out of the fridge at least an hour before roasting and allow to come up to room temperature. Gently loosen the breast skin then add softened butter and sage leaves under the skin. If the butter is soft enough, you can just spread it over the breast by pressing it gently. Place lemon slices (the lemon zest perfumes the turkey beautifully), fresh sage, thyme and rosemary inside the cavity then tie the legs together.
- Roast the turkey: Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and place in a large roasting dish. Pour stock around the turkey and add halved garlic bulbs (you can add onion too) and more sage, thyme and rosemary. Place the turkey in a preheated oven and roast until the turkey is golden brown and cooked through.
- How long to cook a turkey: If your turkey was at room temperature before going into the oven, it will cook much faster. Tying the legs together results in a prettier-looking bird but will slow down cooking ever so slightly. The general rule is to allow 25 minutes for every 1kg (2lbs) of turkey. If your bird is stuffed, you will need to allow a little more time. The best way to make sure your turkey is cooked is to use a meat thermometer. If the meat reaches 74ºC/165ºF in the breast, thigh and drumstick, your turkey should be perfectly cooked.
- Carve the turkey: Start by removing the breast meat from the turkey with a sharp chef’s knife. I slice the entire breast off and then slice each breast into slices. Remove the drumsticks and wings by cutting in between the joints. I prefer to shred the thigh meat and any other meat left on the turkey roughly. Place the turkey on a large serving platter and add fresh herbs, the roasted garlic and lemon halves to decorate. Orange halves and pomegranate are also beautiful around a turkey. Serve with all the sides and gravy.
How long to let turkey rest
It is crucial for your turkey to rest after roasting. You can leave a turkey at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Cover the turkey with aluminum foil then cover with a few clean tea towels. This will keep the turkey warm and allow all the juices to redistribute back into the meat, giving you the juiciest finished result. Allowing the turkey to rest for so long also frees up valuable oven space on Thanksgiving or Christmas.
What to serve with roast turkey
- Easy bread stuffing
- Cacio e pepe mashed potatoes
- Bacon garlic sauteed green beans
- Easy garlic butter dinner rolls
- Orange brown sugar glazed carrots
What to make with leftover turkey
Garlic herb roast turkey
Ingredients
For the dry brine
- 4 kg (8.8lb) turkey Giblets removed
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
For the roast turkey
- ½ cup softened butter
- handful fresh herbs (sage, thyme and rosemary)
- 2 garlic bulbs halved
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and dried herbs together then cover the turkey all over with it and scatter the remaining seasoning in the cavity of the turkey.
- Place the turkey in a large dish (I just used a large roasting dish). Place in the fridge and allow to dry-brine for up to 24 hours.
- On the day of roasting, take the turkey out of the fridge at least an hour before roasting and allow to come up to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
- Gently loosen the breast skin then add softened butter and sage leaves under the skin.
- If the butter is soft enough, you can just spread it over the breast by pressing it gently.
- Place lemon slices, fresh sage, thyme and rosemary in the cavity then tie the legs together. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and place in a large roasting dish.
- Pour stock around the turkey and add halved garlic bulbs and more sage, thyme and rosemary. Place the turkey in a preheated oven and roast until the turkey is golden brown and cooked through.
- If the meat reaches 74ºC/165ºF in the breast, thigh and drumstick, your turkey should be perfectly cooked. Allow to rest then carve.
- Place the turkey on a large platter and add fresh herbs, the roasted garlic and lemon halves to decorate. Orange halves and pomegranate are also beautiful around a turkey. Serve with all the sides and gravy.
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