Here you’ll find the recipe for my juicy and tender herb-roasted turkey. You’ll also find a simple yet complete guide on perfectly roasting a turkey to help you create and serve a hassle-free Thanksgiving meal.
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The turkey has arrived
Finally, after all the delicious side dishes for my Thanksgiving celebration, here is the bird. I shouldn’t say finally because the gravy is still to come. What I mean is here is my turkey, seasoned with my herbs and garlic butter and stuffed with my rice, cranberries, apples, bacon, and herbs stuffing. Keep reading for the best tips for seasoning and making a juicy turkey.
How to calculate the amount of turkey per person
When buying your turkey, it’s always a good idea to calculate one pound per person. If you look for lots of leftovers, calculate around 1.5 pounds per person. That weight includes the bones. Consider that larger turkeys tend to have more meat than the little ones.
The ultimate guide on how to roast a turkey
This is not rocket science. I promise that following these easy steps; you’ll end with the juiciest turkey ever:
- In advance (better if the day before), make a log of garlic herb compound butter and freeze it.
- If you decide to stuff your turkey, have your stuffing ready and warm (please see more on stuffing below.)
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Use disposable gloves to manipulate the turkey.
- Remove the giblets from the cavity.
- Rinse your fresh or thawed turkey with current water, and dry it inside and out with paper towels.
- Chop some onions, carrots, and celery and make a bed (or should I say a nest?) in an oven bag. Place the bag open in a roasting pan.
- Slice the compound butter in 1/3 inch medallions.
- Put the compound butter medallions between the skin and the flesh of the turkey and inside the cavity.
- Stuff the turkey with the stuffing of your choice or with my rice, cranberries, apples, bacon, and herbs stuffing. If you choose not to stuff your turkey, simply fill the cavity with a couple of apples and small onions so it keeps its form.
- Secure the turkey with kitchen twine, and place it inside the oven bag, breast on top.
- Place a couple of compound butter medallions on the turkey breast.
- Tie the oven bag following package instructions and bring the turkey to the oven.
- Roast the turkey according to its weight (see below.)
- Once the turkey is done, remove the roaster from the oven, open the bag and with the help of a turkey baster, pump the juices and reserve them to make the gravy.
- Wait 30 minutes to carefully place the turkey on the carving board or your serving platter.
- Untie the turkey. If you stuff it with apples and onions, discard them. If you stuff with stuffing, no further action is required.
- Decorate with fresh herbs, including sage, rosemary, thyme, and your choice of fresh fruit. I used oranges, but you can add apples and figs, among others.
How long should a turkey be roasted?
The answer to the question of how long a turkey should be roasted in the oven is simple: it all depends on the size and weight of the bird. Following are the oven times according to different weights, and taking into account that the oven is preheated at 325°F:
- For a turkey 8 to 12-pound, serving 8 people, roast it for 3.5 to 4.5 hours.
- For a turkey 12 to 16-pound, serving 10 to 12 people, roast it for 4.5 to 5.5 hours.
- For a turkey 16 to 20-pound, serving around 12-14 people, roast it for 5.5 to 6.5 hours.
Is it safe to stuff a turkey?
Stuffing a turkey is a personal choice. When I first wrote this post in November 2011, I used to stuff it. Not anymore. Now I prefer to serve the stuffing separately as a side dish. However, it’s safe to stuff a turkey if you follow the recommendations of the US Department of Agriculture, including:
- Avoid stuffing in advance so there is no cross-contamination: cook it and stuff your bird immediately.
- Loose stuff your turkey to facilitate the cooking process.
- If your turkey is stuffed, calculate 30 more minutes in the oven.
- Have a meat thermometer handy and ensure the turkey and the stuffing reach 165°F.
Why use an oven bag?
I am a fan of oven bags for several reasons. The first is because it gives me the certainty that the turkey will not dry out. On the contrary, it will be super moist and juicy. If it weren’t for the fact that everyone loves gravy, you could skip the gravy or the cranberry sauce. Also, inside the bag, the turkey cooks and browns perfectly.
The second reason, but not less important, is once you take out the turkey and remove the juices to make the gravy, you discard the bag, and you don’t have to clean the pan, and that’s a profit.
One last recommendation: do not wait until the last minute to buy your bags as they tend to sell out. To be on the safe side, buy it once November starts.
Herb-Roasted Turkey Recipe
Following is my recipe. I hope you like it as much as my family does. Thank you for subscribing to my YouTube channel, and visiting my Amazon store, where you can find everything you need to roast your turkey.
Juicy Herb-Roasted Turkey
Ingredients
- 10 pound turkey fresh or thawed washed and dried with paper towels
- coarse sea salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground
- ½ cup a recipe of garlic-herb compound butter, shaped into a log, and sliced into 1/8 inch medallions
- 6 cups wild and basmati rice turkey stuffing with cranberries, apples, bacon, and herbs (in case you choose to stuff the turkey)
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup carrot chopped
- 1 1/2 cups celery stalks chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Put an oven bag on a roasting pan.
- Place the onions, carrots, and celery on the bottom of the bag.
- Put the butter medallions between the turkey skin and meet, and then in the cavity.
- Stuff the cavity with the rice mixture.
- Secure the turkey and place it inside the bag.
- Place some more butter on the breast.
- Tie the bag and roast the turkey, inside the bag, for 4.5 hours.
- Wait at least half hour to place the turkey on the serving plate.
- Reserve the drippings for the gravy.
Nutrition
Notes
- Nutrition facts for this recipe don’t include the stuffing. To see those values, please check my rice, bacon, cranberry, and apple stuffing recipe.
- If you choose not to stuff your turkey, fill it with apples and onions so it keeps its form. Please discard these apples and onions before placing the turkey in the carving board.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @enrilemoine on Instagram and hashtag it #byenrilemoine. Thank you!
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I love all these great tips! And Thanksgiving is right around the corner so this post is very much needed!
Happy to help!
Definitely book marking this tasty turkey recipe to make for Thanksgiving this year, looks absolutely perfect!
Thank you, Tristin. You’ll love it!
This is like the perfect Thanksgiving bird! Looks so beautiful and sounds so incredible with the herbed butter.
Yes! This butter is simply amazing!
I am not a big fan of turkey because it is always dry and bland but this was juicy and tasted great.
I’m not a fan of turkey either, but I agree: this recipe gives us a moist, juicy and flavorful bird. Thanks for stopping by, Sean.
Yes! Don’t wait on buying those bags! They do make for a juicy turkey 🙂 Thanks for the flavoring ideas.
Thank you, Jessica.
I cannot wait for Thanksgiving to make this recipe again! Last year I got big accolades 😉
I’m so happy for you, Veronika!
I love the base of onions, carrots and celery to keep the turkey from sticking to the bag. And that compound butter looks amazing! What a great way to keep the turkey moist and juicy. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving to give this a try.
Tou will love it, Linda. Thanks for stopping by!
Our whole family just loves this turkey. It always comes out super juicy, and that herbed butter adds such a wonderful flavor. Already looking forward to the holidays so I can make this again!
Awwww thank you so much, Amanda. I’m looking forward to the holidays too!
One of my friend is going to host a thanksgiving dinner for us, I am sharing this recipe with her. I bet she’ll use this recipe again and again.
Yayyyyyyy!
I’m definitely going to be making this herb roasted turkey again for the holiday. It was perfectly juicy and the recipe was so easy to follow.
Awwww what an honor Marta!
Maravillosa receta de pavo relleno! Jugoso y sustancioso, algo que es un reto tratándose de los pavos!
Hahahaha not anymore querida Anabella!
Ese pavito se ve delicioso. Muchas gracias. Enri, por la receta en ambos idiomas
Gracias a ti Giuli por visitar y comentar.
I have never cook turkey. Can you believe it? I love your recipe, specially the stuffing with rice, cranberries, apples and bacon. It looks so yummy!
Thank you, my dear!
Una belleza de post y esta súper completo! No has hecho nunca el brining?
Mi Leti, que alegría verte por aquí. No, nunca he hecho en brinning, pero una vez sí hice mi pavito en el grill, ahumado y eso quedó de dioses segñun los entendidos, porque ya sabes que yo poultry no como LOL
I loved reading this complete guide. I now know some hacks and tips to roast delicious turkeys. And those pictures are gorgeous.
Thank you Angelo!
Delicious! Your turkey looks perfectly-roasted.
Thank you, Iván José.
Umm this sounds SO good! Can’t wait to try this out.
Thanks for stopping by, Rachel.
It looks like a great meal for Thanksgiving or even Christmas dinner. I like how you have given sufficient amount of detail to help the novice make an excellent turkey dinner.
Awwwww thank you so much Alvern…
Yummy! I love all your Thanksgiving recipes, especially this herb-roasted turkey, so delicious.
Thank you Anne Marie!
This made my mouth water. I’m Irish so we don’t do Thanksgiving, but we have turkey for Christmas dinner when I am at home – unfortunately you can’t get turkey here in Japan though.
Awwww I’m so sad you cannot get a whole turkey in Japan. I bet you compensate with the super fresh so delicious seafood!
Let me tell you, I thought I had seen it all when it comes to roasted turkey recipes! But this one in particular really caught my eye. I like that you cook the stuffing separately–I’m not a big fan of stuffed turkeys. I’m vegetarian but my family is not (lol) so new recipes are super useful for me and this one looks great!
Awwwww thank you Yanitza. I must confess I’m not vegetarian but I don’t eat poultry (lol). Since you’re vegetarian, roast the turkey for your family and enjoy the stuffing (omitting the bacon on it). Thanks for stopping by.
This turkey looks so delicious and juicy. Something to try out for Thanksgiving I think!
You’ll love it Lisa! Thanks for stopping by.
My son was talking turkey today. It is Thanksgiving in Canada today so he wants turkey
hahahah give him turkey Tara and let’s celebrate our Canadian friends!
I was looking for a herb-roasted turkey and I found this recipe. Love it! The butter is amazing and the turkey is so juicy.
This is a must, Luna. Thanks for stopping by.
Siempre me sorprendes con tus recetas Enri! Today one of my favorites! Me encanta. I love herb-roasted turkey, everything that has to do with herbs I love. And this recipe is perfect for the Thanksgiving celebrations that are just around the corner.
Indeed Mary! I still can’t believe this 2020 is almost gone! Be sage my dear.
Perfect timing!! I will save this herb roasted turkey recipe for thanksgiving or Christmas!!! Thank you Enriqueta!!!
Thank you Pilarín for stopping by!
This is a perfect juicy herb-roasted turkey. Not sure about what we will be doing for Thanksgiving this year, but just in case I’m saving it on my Pinterest.
Thank you Verito. This is a super easy, yet flavorful recipe. Counting the days for the Holidays!
OMG this post really made me hungry. This Herb-Roasted Turkey looks soooo delicious and easy to prepare.
My Mom likes to marinated with wine and herbs, but I will see if she wants to follow this recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you Mary.
Love it! This herb-roasted turkey is a revelation, the garlic-herb butter is amazing!
Indeed! Everything with garlic-herb compound butter is Heaven on Earth! Thanks for stopping by, Silvia.
Turkey ys usually pretty dry, it’s unbelievable how you make it so juicy and attractive! I take note of the herb-roasted tip to give moisture to the turkey, thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you for stopping by, my dear Estefanía.
We are going to be home for Thanksgiving this year so I might cook turkey for the first time. Your herb-roasted turkey looks so good I need to give it a try!
You’ll love it Blanquita, so moist and juicy!
Wow in fact this turkey is the end of the world, a recipe so full of flavor, so round, so yummy!
Thank you, Cristina!
Wow…these all look delicious. I want them all now! I am waiting for christmas for making it.
Thank yoy Bindu.
Wow, looking at the picture only makes me drool over this. I would love to try making this too. I am sure my parents would love to taste this too.
Thank you Anosa!
This looks so tasty! I would love to try this out for Christmas or a big Sunday lunch
Thank you!
I love Thanksgiving dinner and this turkey looks amazing. I’ve never stuffed a turkey with rice (or anything). This recipe is one I can’t wait to try.
I did this turkey a long time ago. Now, I don’t stuff it but make the stuffing apart and serve it as a side dish.
I always like the addition of herbs to any dish it really brings out the flavours in the dish.
Yes! I love cooking with herbs too!
Um… I’ve never heard of a butter medallion, but it sounds like it’s something that I should be using. This looks absolutely delicious.
Thank you so much.
A dish like this looks to be quite flavorful! I love throwing herbs on most of my dishes. it gives it a nice look and — if done right — tastes like something my grandmother would’ve made
Thank you Dana. I love cooking with herbs too!
I have to say this recipe appears to be delicious. This will be our first thanksgiving as a family and I couldn’t be more excited.
Yessssssss!
This looks delicious! the turkey looks beautiful and it looks juicy!
Thank you!
Damn! it looks killer. I would love to devour it all. I am saving this recipe for the Sunday dinner.
Thank you my dear!
I’ve never cooked Turkey by myself but this recipe looks so delicious to try. This recipe seems worth to share.
Thank you!
It looks so delicious, and it sounds fairly easy to prepare. Just in time for the holidays!
Yessssss!
I have yet to make a Turkey on my own, but I know I need too! This stuffing looks amazing, and I like that it has bacon in it…I will be sure to try!
Thank you!
I love this recipe, and most amazing thing is, chicken and turkey are my favorites, specially how you cook it…
Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! We have a family gathering coming up and I was looking for a meat dish! I will give it a go and tell you how I go!
Thank you Fran!
I have never tried roasting turkey before and I don’t even know why. This looks totally delicious and I might just give it a try.
Thank you!
Great for the upcoming Thanksgiving celebrations. It looks easy to get done as the oven is basically doing all the work. Thanks for sharing.
Indeed. As it should be…
Delicious! Oh I adore turkey, and I love the addition of the herbs and garlic butter here. What a clever idea. I shall look forward to trying this soon!
Yessssss!
Thank you Alexandra!