Best roast turkey recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or for any occasion. This moist turkey recipe is easy, simple and you get tender, juicy, and flavorful meat with crispy skin. Let me show you how to roast turkey that your family and guests will love.
Remove giblets and pat turkey dry. Tuck in the wings of the turkey.If you did not brine the turkey, season it with salt. Rub the salt all over and inside the cavity. If you brined the turkey, move to the next step.
In a small bowl, mix the butter, parsley, thyme, rosemary, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic granules to form the marinade.
Place the turkey breast side up and use your hand to pull up the skin and apply the marinade under the skin then all over and inside the bird cavity. Make sure you cover all the parts with the marinade.
Cut the orange and onion and stuff these inside the cavity then tie the legs together with a string.Leave the turkey to marinate for 30 minutes while you pre heat the oven at a temperature of 350F/170C.
Place the turkey on a rack over a roasting tray and place the tray at the lower bottom rack of the preheated oven so the turkey is placed right in the middle of the oven. Cook for 40 minutes per kg at a temperature of 350F/ 170C. So if cooking a 3kg bird, cooking time will be 120 minutes.
After the first 40 minutes, bring the turkey out and cover with foil. This is so the skin doesn't get too brown quickly or burnt before the inside is done. Return turkey to the oven and bake for the remainder of the time or until it's cooked. Use a meat thermometer to check if the turkey is cooked and safe to eat by inserting the thermometer in the thickest part of the bird (usually the breast side). The internal temperature should be at least 165F/ 75C to be considered safe to eat.
When done, bring the turkey out of the oven and leave to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
Notes
TIPS
It's best to completely thaw the turkey before use.
When defrosting any bird, do not remove the packaging.
Pat the turkey dry before marinating to avoid watering down the seasoning and for crispy skin.
Rub butter under the skin for crispy skin and flavorful meat.
When seasoning the bird, ensure all parts are covered with the marinade.
Don't overcook so it doesn't dry out.
HOW LONG TO COOK TURKEYThis varies on the temperature of the oven. So let me answer the below question first:What temperature to cook turkey?I cook my turkey at 170C/350F as this temperature keeps it moist and juicy. Cooking at a higher temperature might dry out your turkey.So if cooking at a temperature of 350F, It takes 40 minutes for every 1kg up to 4kg then 45 minutes for every kg afterward.