How To Bake A Turkey In The Oven

Oven-baked herb turkey is perfectly juicy and tender! It’s stuffed with slices of citrus, a crisp apple, and fresh herbs then baked until it’s a toasty golden brown. It’s mouthwatering and delicious! Thanksgiving turkey is not complete without all the side dishes! Try this Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Carrots, or Cauliflower Au Gratin. And you must end the night with some Pumpkin Pie!

Oven Baked Herb Turkey

Thanksgiving would not be the same without a beautiful turkey on your dinner table. This turkey recipe is the BEST. Your guests will not be disappointed! It will have everyone raving about your beautiful, golden-brown turkey. Dinner for Thanksgiving does take time and needs a lot of care and preparation before baking. But this recipe is super straightforward and anyone can make it! You will have the perfect turkey to serve this Thanksgiving. The turkey is the most important part of Thanksgiving and what everyone is looking forward to. These step-by-step instructions will help make your Thanksgiving the best it has ever been! And when you’re done with the turkey then these sides of Sweet Potatoes and Mashed Potatoes, brown butter carrots, and Green Bean Casserole go fantastic with any Thanksgiving dinner!

Ingredients for Oven Baked Herb Turkey

Turkey is the most important part of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Having just the right ingredients will tenderize, add flavor and create a perfectly golden turkey for your Thanksgiving! See the recipe card below for a list of exact ingredient measurements.

Create a water bath for your turkey with a salt and water solution. Then, you add in herbs and citrus flavors. Use this Turkey Brine Recipe for the best results!

Turkey: 12 to 20 pounds

Stuffing ingredients: Combine these stuffing ingredients for a sweet, rich, and tender turkey.

Onion: adds a bitter but sweet flavoring.Garlic: has a mellow, sweet and spicy taste.Rosemary sprigs: a lemon-pine flavoring with a peppery ending.Apple: crisp and cut into quarters.Lemon: sweet and sour lemon quartered for more flavoring.Thyme sprigs: a powerful herb that is pungent and slightly bitter.

Herb butter: Baste and coat your turkey with this buttery herbed mixture for a crispier outside and tender inside.

Butter: helps make everything tender and rich in flavor.Garlic: minced and added into the mixture.Thyme: fresh and finely chopped.Oregano: finely chopped and adds a strong aromatic taste.Rosemary: fresh and finely chopped.Salt and pepper: just a pinch!

How to Make Oven Baked Herb Turkey

This oven-baked herb turkey is golden brown, tender and juicy! It’s the absolute perfect turkey recipe that will make you wish that Thanksgiving came around more often!

Prepare turkey: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. To prepare the turkey, remove the neck and giblets. Tuck the wings underneath the turkey.Stuff your turkey: Stuff the turkey with the onion, garlic, rosemary, apple, lemon and thyme. Tie the feet together with twine.Combine the herb butter mixture: In a small bowl combine the butter, garlic, thyme, oregano, rosemary and salt and pepper. Rub evenly over the turkey and underneath the skin.Bake turkey in roasting pan: Place the turkey in a roasting pan and cook for 15 minutes for each pound or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees and the juices run clear. Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving.Make turkey gravy: Save the drippings for the turkey and make this Turkey Gravy if desired.

Turkey size: Know how big your turkey is. You will cook it for about 13-15 minutes per pound! Leave in meat thermometer: Use a meat thermometer! A leave in oven safe meat thermometer is a great way to continually check on the turkey. Place it in the thickest part of your turkey for the most accurate temperature reading. If you use a thermometer like this then you don’t have to keep opening your oven door towards the end. This will help keep the heat in and your turkey cooking! Cooking temp: Once your turkey has reached 165 degrees then take it out and let it reset. This is when you don’t cut into it and just let the juices keep smoking into your meat! This part is SO important!Brined turkey: A brined turkey will cook faster so keep a close eye on your turkey.Don’t eat pink: If your turkey is pink AT ALL then it isn’t done.

Turkey size: You don’t want to run out of turkey! A good rule of thumb is to plan for a pound of turkey per person.Don’t forget to thaw it!: Thaw your turkey days ahead of time to make sure it is completely thawed.Use chicken stock: Adding 1 to 2 cups of chicken stock to the bottom of the roasting pan will keep the turkey from drying out. It also helps when making your turkey gravy at the end. If you are planning to brine your turkey then skip this tip.Use foil: If you notice your turkey is getting dark on top but your meat is not cooked through then simply add a piece of foil over top while it finishes roasting.

Wings: Remove the turkey wings first.Thighs: Thighs will go next, cutting through the joints.Breast: Slice close to the rib cage carving the breast meat into individual slices.Excess meat: Move your knife to the flat side, carve right up against the rib bones.Separate: Now that the meat is off, separate the dark meat (thighs and drumsticks) from the white meat. Plate: Plate everything all together for more option choices at the dinner table.

Refrigerate: Wait until your turkey has cooled. Then, place it in an airtight container and put it in your fridge, It can last there for 3 to 5 days.Freezer: After your turkey has cooled down then place it in a freezer bag. Lay your turkey flat in the bag and then zip or suction out all the air in the bag. Label your bag with the date and then you can keep it frozen for up to 1 month in the freezer. When ready to reheat, place in the refrigerator over night to thaw.Reheating: To reheat in the oven then place in a baking dish at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until warm. When reheating in a microwave, heat 1 to 2 minutes at a time until warm. Try not to over heat. This will leave your leftover turkey dry and hard.

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All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.