Whether it’s your first time hosting the holidays or if you are a pro, this recipe will deliver every time.
I make a turkey every Thanksgiving because there are over 20 of us at Thanksgiving dinner at my parents house and everyone loves some leftovers. It’s pretty much eat the turkey that my mom makes for dinner and cut up the one I make for left overs.
One of the things I love to do is brine my turkey. You can get the recipe here for a delicious, easy brine.
After I brine my turkey I follow the instructions and give it a good rinse and pat down with a paper towel.
Once my turkey is dry I get together my butter ingredients and mix them up in a small bowl.
Once the butter is mixed up I lift up the skin on the turkey breast and stuff the butter inside. Rub it onto the turkey breast and wherever else you can put the butter under the skin. I also like to add some onions, a sliced orange, cinnamon (a teaspoon 1 cinnamon sticks) some rosemary and sage (just a couple of sprigs and leaves of each one) and about 1/2 cup of sprite to the inside of the turkey. When the turkey is finished you will just remove those added items when slicing. They just steam up the inside of the turkey and add some more flavor. Plus, it smells amazing!
You can see in the photo all of that butter in there.I rub some on the outside of the skin as well, but it doesn’t seem to stick very well at times, just do what you can. After I butter it all up I drizzle the skin with some extra virgin olive oil and rub it all over the outside of the turkey.
Now you can cook your turkey in an oven bag (That is usually what I like to do because clean up is so much easier) or you can cover the turkey in foil. Either way works.
Pop into your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 2-2 1/2 hours (remember that the time will differ depending on the size of your turkey). This is usually what I do for a turkey around 12-13 pounds. Bake until it is nice and golden and a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey breast reads 161 degrees. Let your turkey sit for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Beautiful, golden and ready to eat.
Get the recipe here.
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- 6 leaves sprigs thyme removed
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Ingredients
Herb Butter
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- In a medium size bowl, mix together the thyme, lemon zest, softened butter, salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.
- Loosen the skin of the turkey breasts by gently working your hand between the skin and the meat. Rub the herb butter under the skin, drizzle the outside of skin with extra virgin olive oil and transfer to the oven. Roast until deep golden brown and cooked through. Thermometer should read 161 degrees. Let turkey rest 20-30 minutes before serving
