You don't need a brine to roast a turkey that is juicy on the inside and perfectly golden brown on the outside! All you need is herb butter for the perfect Thanksgiving turkey.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 2 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Resting Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 3 hourshours45 minutesminutes
Servings 12
Ingredients
14lbwhole turkeythawed completely
10sage leavesdivided
10thyme sprigsdivided
1Tbflat leaf Italian parsleyfinely chopped
1orange
1stick of buttersoftened
1tsppepper
2tspsalt
4clovesgarlic
1yellow onion
Instructions
Remove the turkey from the fridge to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes while you prepare the butter.
Remove enough thyme leaves from the stem for 1 tablespoon roughly chopped. Leave the remainder on the stem and set aside.
Finely chop 3 of the sage leaves by stacking the leaves in a neat pile, rolling up in a tube and slicing across. Reserve the remaining 7 sage leaves.
Add the chopped parsley, thyme, and sage to the butter in a small mixing bowl. Zest the orange and add to the bowl. Last, add the salt and pepper and mix well until combined.
Preheat the oven to 425°. Line the bottom of a roasting pan with foil or parchment paper. Set the rack on top and spray it with nonstick baking spray.
Remove the gizzards and anything else from the cavity of the turkey. Rinse the bird with cold water and dry with paper towels. Set the turkey in a roasting pan with a rack, skin side up.
Using your hands (kitchen gloves are recommended), smother the entire turkey with the herb butter. Be sure to cover the outside and inside the cavity completely. Don't forget to put butter underneath the skin too.
Cut the orange and onion into quarter segments. Once the turkey is buttered, stuff the turkey cavity with the orange, onion, thyme, sage, and whole garlic cloves.
Place the roasting pan into the oven and immediately turn the oven temperature down to 350°.
Plan to cook the turkey for 13 minutes per pound. A 14-pound bird needs to bake for about 3 hours. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes starting after the first hour.
Start checking the internal temperature 30 minutes before you expect the turkey to be cooked. Check the temperature at the deepest portions of the breast and thigh. It is cooked once the internal temperature reaches 165°.
Once fully cooked, take the roasting pan out of the oven, remove the turkey to a cuttng board and loosely cover it with foil. Reserve the drippings for gravy. Allow the turkey to rest for one hours before carving.
Notes
The herb butter can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept in the fridge. Remove from the fridge to soften about 4 hours before applying to the turkey.