Easy, No-Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey | How to Cook the Best Turkey Recipe

This Thanksgiving Turkey recipe has thousands of 5 star reviews because it packs all of the flavor and juiciness you expect from the perfect Thanksgiving turkey, with none of the stress!

Cooking a turkey can be intimidating but not with this recipe. We've taken all the unnecessary steps; no need to brine, baste, or cook your turkey in a bag! It's the modern era and we've simplified cooking your Thanksgiving turkey with this fool-proof method!

Find step by step instructions for how to cook a turkey below:

INGREDIENTS:
▢1 12-20 pound turkey
▢1 onion , peeled and quartered
▢1 lemon , quartered
▢1 apple (your favorite kind), quartered
▢.75 ounce container fresh rosemary *
▢.75 ounce container fresh thyme *
▢.75 ounce container fresh sage *
For the herb butter:
▢1 cup unsalted butter , softened
▢1 teaspoon salt
▢1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
▢6-8 cloves garlic , minced
▢fresh chopped herbs

INSTRUCTIONS:
If the turkey is frozen: Thaw in the fridge, 24 hours for every 5 pounds of Turkey. I like to give myself 1 extra day, just to be safe.

Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 1 hour before roasting, to let it come to room temperature.
Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Make the herb butter by combining room temperature butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, one tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary, one tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, and half a tablespoon of fresh chopped sage. (You’ll use the remaining fresh herbs for stuffing inside the cavity of the turkey)
Remove turkey from packaging and remove the neck and giblets from the inside the cavities of the bird. (Reserve them for gravy, if you want, or discard them). Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels.
Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the quartered lemon, onion and apple and leftover herbs.
Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the turkey) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath.
Tuck the wings of the turkey underneath the turkey and set the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan*.
Microwave the remaining herb butter mixture for 30 seconds (it doesn’t need to be completely melted--just really softened). Use a basting brush to brush the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the turkey, legs and wings.
Roast at 325 degrees F for about 13-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165 degrees.
(I remove the turkey from the oven once it reaches 160 degrees. Then, I tent it with foil, and let it rest on the counter. It will continue cooking under the foil, to reach 165 degrees F.)
***Check the turkey about halfway through cooking, and once the skin gets golden brown, cover the top of the turkey with tinfoil, to protect the breast meat from overcooking. Alternately, you could start cooking the turkey with it tented in foil, then during the last hour or so of cooking you can take the foil off to let the turkey brown.
Reserve any drippings and juice remaining in your roasting pan to make turkey gravy.

🧑‍🍳EQUIPMENT USED IN THIS RECIPE:
Disposable roasting pan with handles: inexpensive, find at your local grocery store.

⏳TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
0:40 What size turkey do I need?
0:50 How and when to thaw a turkey
1:14 Temperature to cook turkey
1:21 Make herb butter
2:13 remove nick and giblets
2:28 Pat turkey dry
2:43 Season the turkey
3:22 Loosen skin on breast meat and spread herb butter
4:17 Place turkey in roasting pan and bake
5:06 How long to cook a turkey and turkey temperature
5:17 When to cover with aluminum foil
5:36 Check the turkey temperature
6:12 Let the turkey rest
6:28 Turkey presentation

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[sylviaparker]

Holy Smoley! Came upon this recipe and followed it 💯 for a Friendsgiving. I got about 10+ compliments. Honestly, it goes against everything my MIL has ever said... take out, baste, take out, baste, stuff turkey, baste! LOL, when she tasted this turkey, she said "I'll never ever tell you to baste or stuff again." I'm redoing this for our Thanksgiving in 2 weeks!. Super delicious, thank you so much!!

[stacypopham]

I’ve made this turkey and it turned out perfect!!! Everyone loved it and i won’t ever use any other turkey recipe. Thank you for the recipe and tips!!

[frenchies]

Best turkey I have ever made hands down. So juicy and delicious!! My husband and children were really impressed.

[kcos]

Really! I’ve been having flavorful turkeys for nearly 60 years with the stuffing inside the cavity. Now my wife wants do your recipe this year without stuffing inside the bird. Thanks a lot!!!!

[leilani]

This is my third year using this recipe. I love it and won't make it any other way!

[briannaholmes]

Use this recipe every year always a hit 😎

[KraXoom]

Happy to say this turkey was a HUGE success for me. Everyone loved it. Thank you for the recipe ❤ I also did your ham and gravy recipe and they were also delicious 🤤

[haciendamhp]

GREAT JOB LAUREN YOU MAKE THIS ALOT EASIER WAY TO COOK A TURKEY. TAHNKS FOR YOUR HELP.SUNNY

[homehere]

❤thanks it will be my first time cooking a turkey and out bird weighs in at 15 lbs!!

[stuffedtwinkie]

So do I use the conventional roast option in my oven ?

[simplylisa]

This looks amazing. Can you make this in an electric turkey roaster instead of the oven? If so, would you change the timing or temperature at all?

[andrealake]

Looks so delicious! Excited to try it, I'm sure my turkey will turn out perfectly!!

[jdxo]

So how much do I use for dried herbs exactly

[frankm]

I made this turkey recepe today for Thanksgiving. Everyone LOVED IT!! This is my 2nd time makine this same recepe, Please, do not ever take down this video, as I always reference it before I make it.

[lylebourne]

Hope it tsste's as good as it look's.

[fransmanic]

My only complaint is that when they didn't show the placement of the thermometer.

[choosebekindd]

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3:9‬ ‭NIV‬

ROMANS 10:9-11 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord, ” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame”

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭19:10‬ ‭

God wants us to believe in His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, who died for our sins :D When we truly believe in our hearts that Jesus is the Son of God, who died for our sins so we could have eternal life with God, we are saved from the eternal fire and have eternal life in Christ Jesus!! 💖 May God bless you all! 🕊❤️

[Texarkanababy]

Doesn't anyone wash their food anymore?