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Home » Main Dish » Poultry » Herb Roasted Turkey

Herb Roasted Turkey

By Valerie · November 12, 2013 · Updated November 23, 2019 20 Comments

H Holidays MD Main Dish
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A wonderful, buttery, herb seasoning rub helps to create this tender, juicy Herb Roasted Turkey. The perfect centerpiece for your holiday table!

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A wonderful, buttery, herb seasoning rub helps to create this tender, juicy Herb Roasted Turkey. The perfect centerpiece for your holiday table!

It’s that time of year, turkey time, and I’m here to share my favorite method and recipe for a dependably juicy and flavorful Herb Roasted Turkey. Let’s remove the fear, it’s not that hard, and the result is so worth the trouble. I’m going through it, step-by-step, from prep to table.

A white tray filled with sliced roasted turkey.

Let’s roast a turkey.

Herb Roasted Turkey-016

Here is my 14 pound frozen Butterball turkey thawing on a rimmed baking sheet in my fridge. It took about 3-1/2 days for it to thaw completely. I started the thawing process 4 days before I planned to roast the turkey just to be sure it would be completely thawed.

Herb Roasted Turkey-007

If you have space next to your sink this is an ideal spot to work on the bird. To keep things sanitary, remove the turkey from it’s packaging and transfer it to a foil lined baking sheet or cutting board. When you’re done, you can toss the foil for easier clean-up.

A hand holds a turkey neck in front of a raw turkey.

For some strange reason, I always feel as if I should apologize to the turkey when I get to this part. Reach into the great big front cavity and pull out the contents. Wait, there’s more…

A hand lifts the skin from a raw turkey with a bag of giblets in front of it.

Turn the bird around and reach into the smaller cavity. One of the reasons I love Butterball is the way they package up the organs in a nice pouch for you. Some folks save these goodies to make giblet gravy. Mine are being tossed.

A hand pulls the excess skin from the neck portion of a raw turkey.

I have no need for this mile long stretch of turkey skin. I like to trim this down with a sharp knife, leaving only about an inch or so of overhang. The skin will shrink during roasting and we want all of the meat covered.

Paper towels draped over the top of a raw turkey.

There is a stronger chance of contamination in your kitchen if you wash the bird so the newest recommendations are that you skip the bird bath and just pat it dry with some paper towels. Easy.

Softened butter and dry herbs and spices in a small bowl.

Time to mix up the wonderful, buttery, herb seasoning rub. It consists of butter, olive oil, garlic powder, thyme, sage, salt, and fresh ground pepper. I’ve done this with both fresh and dry herbs and actually prefer the dry herbs for this purpose. If you have fresh herbs on hand, by all means use them but I wouldn’t pay extra for fresh.

A hand lifts the skin from the breast portion of a raw turkey.

Carefully lift the skin of the breast and push your hand inside, as far as it will go, being careful not to tear the skin.

A hand rubs a butter herb mixture under the skin of a raw turkey.

Scoop up some of that butter mixture and spread it under the skin on both sides of the breast meat. Really get it up in there and give that turkey a massage.

A raw turkey on foil coated in a butter herb mixture.

Spread most of the remaining butter mixture all over the outside of the turkey, reserving a little for later.

A close up of the cavity of a raw turkey stuffed with carrots and onions.

Stuff the big front cavity of the bird with a quartered onion and a chopped carrot. These items help add flavor to the turkey drippings and flavorful drippings equal yummy gravy. Feel free to substitute anything to your liking, fresh sprigs of rosemary or other fresh herbs are nice if you’ve got them on hand, and some like to add apples or lemon.

A raw turkey on a rack in a roasting pan.

Transfer the prepared bird to a sturdy rack inside a large roasting pan. The rack is essential and worth buying if you don’t already have one. The bird should be elevated in order for the heat and air to circulate around it as it roasts. Spread the remaining butter mixture over the bird after you’ve transferred it to the roasting pan.

A hand twisting the wing underneath a raw turkey.

Tucking the wings under the bird is mainly for a pretty presentation once it’s roasted. It’s an easy step, so let’s do it. Pull the wing back and push it under the bird to secure it.

A butter and herb coated raw turkey on a rack in a roasting pan.

Here is our neat turkey with the wings tucked underneath. Turkey yoga. Namaste.

A container of Swanson Chicken Broth is poured into a roasting pan.

Pour about 2 cups of chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting pan. I love these resealable cartons from Swanson. You can just pop the remainder in the fridge for later.

A turkey in a roasting pan in the oven.

Place the roasting pan in a preheated 325 degree oven and go do something else for an hour. Come back to baste the bird with the pan drippings after the first hour of roasting.

A browned turkey in the oven with a thermometer in the leg portion.

After it’s been in the oven for a couple of hours it’s time to insert the meat thermometer in the meatiest portion of the thigh. The thermometer you see above is the type you can leave in the oven. If you are using an instant read thermometer, there is no need to check the temp at this point. It’s also a good idea to rotate the pan for more even roasting.

A turkey is basted with drippings while roasting in the oven.

There are varying opinions on basting but I am a baster. After the first hour of cooking time, once very 30 minutes or so is plenty. Add more chicken broth to the pan if needed. Once the bird is browned to your liking, grab a piece of foil and cover the bird loosely to prevent further browning for the remainder of the roasting time. When the temperature on the meat thermometer reads a solid 165 degrees, it’s time to remove the turkey from the oven.

A roasted turkey in a roasting pan on a kitchen counter.

Behold the beauty.

Foil draped over a roasted turkey in a roasting pan.

Tent it loosely with foil to retain the heat. The turkey should rest for 30 minutes before carving. Don’t be tempted to rush this. Resting helps the turkey retain it’s juices and makes it easier to carve.

Hands use utensils to lift a turkey from a roasting pan.

When you’re ready to carve the bird, tilt it up to allow the juices to run from the cavity into the roasting pan. If you don’t do this, you’ll have a mess on your kitchen counter.

A close up of a roasting pan filled with drippings.

Don’t toss those rich, flavorful drippings. We’ll be needing those for the gravy. Be sure to check out my recipe for Easy Turkey Gravy.

Herb Roasted Turkey-179

Grab a man, any man, or woman, who is willing and able to carve the turkey.

Sliced turkey on a wood cutting board.

I like to leave the skin on one portion of breast meat and remove it from the other to please everyone. You can see that even after the skin is removed, those wonderful herbs we massaged under the skin are present.

A wonderful, buttery, herb seasoning rub helps to create this tender, juicy Herb Roasted Turkey. The perfect centerpiece for your holiday table!

Plain old turkey on a platter isn’t so pretty so it’s nice to add some festive items to add contrast and color. I went with fresh sprigs of rosemary and some fresh cranberries. I have a rosemary plant in the backyard and had an open bag of fresh cranberries in my fridge so this worked for me. Use what you have to pretty it up. Oranges,  lemons, and other fresh herbs are also great choices.

Herb Roasted Turkey

I hope your holiday is filled with everything that makes it such a special time. Friends, family, and of course, amazing food.

For a detailed post including all sorts of turkey tips on choosing, prepping, and roasting your bird, be sure to check out this post:

  • How To: Choose, Prep, and Roast Your Turkey


Slices of turkey and drumsticks on a serving platter.

Herb Roasted Turkey

A wonderful, buttery, herb seasoning rub helps to create this tender, juicy Herb Roasted Turkey. The perfect centerpiece for your holiday table!
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 8 to 10
Calories: 518kcal
Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

  • 1 (12 to 18 pound) whole turkey
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground sage
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 small yellow onion quartered
  • 1 carrot cut into chunks
  • 4 cups chicken broth divided

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove the turkey from it's packaging and place it on a foil lined baking sheet or cutting board. Remove and discard the organs from both turkey cavities. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
  • In a small bowl, combine softened butter, olive oil, garlic powder, sage, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Carefully lift skin on breasts of turkey and push your hand in, lifting skin from breast. Scoop up some of the butter mixture with your hand and spread it under the skin of both turkey breasts. Spread most of the remaining butter mixture over the outside of the turkey; reserve a little for later. Stuff onion and carrot into turkey cavity. Transfer the turkey to a rack in a large roasting pan. Spread the remainder of the butter mixture over the turkey in places that might have been missed. Tuck wings securely under the body. Pour about 2 cups of the chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting pan.
  • Transfer the roasting pan to the preheated 325 degree oven. Allow the turkey to roast for an hour and then baste it once every 30 minutes or so throughout the remainder of the baking time, adding additional chicken broth if needed. After two hours, rotate the pan in the oven to ensure even browning. Tent with foil once skin is browned to your liking. Roast until the internal temperature of the meatiest portion of the thigh registers a solid 165 degrees. The roasting time should range from 3 to 4-1/2 hours if your turkey is between 12 to 18 pounds.
  • Remove bird from oven, tent it loosely with foil, and allow to rest for about 30 minutes before carving.

Nutrition

Calories: 518kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 210mg | Sodium: 636mg | Potassium: 703mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1447IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg
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A wonderful, buttery, herb seasoning rub helps to create this tender, juicy Herb Roasted Turkey. The perfect centerpiece for your holiday table!
A wonderful, buttery, herb seasoning rub helps to create this tender, juicy Herb Roasted Turkey. The perfect centerpiece for your holiday table!

Valerie’s Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. For more information on our site policies click HERE.

Categories: Holidays, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipe, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized

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