Oven-Roasted Turkey

Whether you're roasting your first bird for Friendsgiving or hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the 26th time, use this handy guide to roast the perfect holiday turkey. I tested this recipe SEVEN times to ensure that this Thanksgiving turkey is the best it can possibly be. Let this be the year you ace Thanksgiving hosting and find your annual go-to guide for everything—roasting time, thawing, the secret to perfectly browned skin—on how to present the perfect roast bird.

How To Make Oven-Roasted Turkey

INGREDIENTS

• Whole Turkey: Most turkeys are sold frozen, but if you can get your hands on a fresh turkey, go for it! This recipe calls for a 12-lb. bird, but if you think you need something larger, check out our handy guide about how much turkey you'll need per person.
• Kosher Salt: Salt is arguably the second most important part of this recipe because that’s what creates the base for the dry brine. The salt is what forces the moisture from within the turkey, creating a concentrated brine on the surface for the turkey to reabsorb. Don’t skip it! Our recipes are developed with Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt, but if you have Morton kosher salt, there is a simple conversion: 1 3/4 tsp. Diamond Crystal has the equivalent saltiness to 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt. So for this recipe, you’d need either1 /4 c. Diamond crystal salt or 2 1/2 Tbsp. Morton salt.
• Black Pepper: Black pepper is the perfect option for a bit of mild spice. Opt for freshly ground black pepper instead of pre-ground to get the best flavor.
• Baking Powder: Adding baking powder to poultry skin helps achieve maximum crispiness by helping the skin expel moisture while roasting.
• Dark Brown Sugar: Brown sugar helps brown the skin and adds a little sweetness to balance the savory flavors.
• Aromatic Spices: Garlic powder, smoked paprika, and onion powder add intense, savory flavor.
• Dried Thyme: Dried thyme is a classic poultry seasoning, but you can swap in dried rosemary or sage.
• Shallot & Garlic: Shallots and garlic add moisture and release aromatics that infuse the turkey with flavor.
• Lemon: Adding a few wedges of lemon to the cavity adds a bit of moisture from the inside out and a faint, fragrant citrus flavor.
• Fresh Sage: Sage is synonymous with holiday cooking. Its earthy, slightly minty flavor complements the seasoning blend and the other aromatics stuffed in the turkey.
• Fresh Thyme: The peppery, woodsy bite of fresh thyme is why I went with this particular herb, but you can sub in more basil if you don’t have any on hand
• Neutral Oil: Choose a neutral oil that can withstand high heat like canola, vegetable, or safflower oil.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Remove the giblets, trussing, and pop-up thermometers from the turkey. Pat the turkey completely dry inside and out with paper towels. If you plan to cut the wishbone out now, face the turkey neck opening toward you and locate the V-shaped wishbone in the neck cavity. With a sharp and flexible boning knife, using a short but firm swiping motion, gently cut bone from breast meat by making long incisions on both sides of the bone. Pry the bone loose with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel and discard. Using your fingers, separate the turkey breast from the skin.

In a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind spices until they are finely ground and well combined. This will allow the spices to adhere to the surface of the turkey, especially the dried thyme.

Cover the entire turkey with seasoning mix, turning the turkey over to season the back as well. Be sure to season under the breast skin and in the cavity as well. Transfer the turkey on the roasting rack to the refrigerator and chill, uncovered, at least 12 hours and up to 2 days.

Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven with no rack above it; preheat to 450°. Gently pat the turkey with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Place shallot, lemon, garlic, fresh thyme, and sage in the turkey cavity and neck opening. Be sure not to overfill the turkey. Err on the side of not stuffing everything in if it doesn’t fit. The turkey cavity needs airflow to cook evenly and blocking that airflow will result in a longer cook time and drier turkey. Drizzle turkey with oil. Insert a leave-in probe thermometer (if using) into turkey thigh or breast and transfer the roasting pan to the oven.

Roast the turkey for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Continue to roast until the temperature in the thickest part of the breast registers 155° and the thigh registers 165°, about 1 hour and 30 minutes more up to 2 hours more, rotating once during cooking to help the skin brown evenly. Let turkey rest, uncovered, 45 minutes before carving.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• What size turkey do I need? This recipe calls for a 12-lb. turkey, which will yield 8 to 10 servings. If you need more or less, check out our handy "How Much Turkey Do I Need" guide to figure out how many pounds to buy.
• The ideal turkey timeline:
  • Saturday: Start thawing the frozen turkey in the refrigerator in original packaging.
  • Tuesday Midday: Pat dry, stuff, and season turkey for a 48-hour brine.
  • Wednesday Midday: Pat dry, stuff, and season turkey for a 24-hour brine.
  • Thursday Midday: Roast the turkey for an early evening dinner.
• How to thaw a frozen turkey: The safest and most reliable way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator in its original packaging. That can take 3 to 4 days depending on the size of your turkey.
• How to quickly thaw a frozen turkey: The truth is, sometimes you just don't have 3 days to let your turkey thaw or you’ve been cursed with an impossibly cold refrigerator. Here’s how to thaw your turkey in just 8 hours: Keep the turkey in its original wrapping and submerge it in cold water in a large stock pot or clean sink. Change the water every 30 minutes, flipping the turkey if any parts float above the water line. The turkey should be completely thawed in about 8 hours.
• When and how to remove the wishbone: If breaking the wishbone is a long-standing tradition in your family, you can totally skip this part. But if you find it more of a nuisance than anything, try removing it before cooking instead of after so you can get right to carving after it rests. Using your fingers, locate a V-shaped wishbone inside the neck opening of the turkey. Using a sharp boning knife, gently cut bone from breast meat by making long incisions on both sides of the bone. Using a dry paper towel or clean kitchen towel, pry the bone loose and discard.
• Dry brine vs. wet brine: Dry brining and wet brining have the same general goal: getting the turkey to push out and reabsorb seasoned liquid, yielding more tender and flavorful meat. Wet brining involves submerging the entire turkey in a saltwater solution for about 1 hour per pound. There are a few issues with wet brining, but the main one is that very few people have the appropriately sized vessel or refrigerator space to store a vertical turkey for 12 hours, especially around Thanksgiving. It can also be incredibly heavy and messy to transport to and from the sink. For those reasons alone, I’ll always favor a dry brine over a wet brine, but it also turns out that dry brining creates a more concentrated brining solution, resulting in more flavorful meat. You also don't run the risk of waterlogging the turkey skin—a wet brine can also make the meat taste watery while eating. For an added layer of moisture-wicking, this dry brine also includes baking powder which helps keep the skin expel moisture and crisp up during roasting.
• How long to dry brine turkey: A dry brine needs at least 12 hours to be effective, and the effects of dry brining improve over time (up to 48 hours).
• How to season oven-roasted turkey: You most likely have everything you need to season the turkey in your pantry already. The seasoning for this turkey is based on our OG turkey seasoning recipe which features salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, pepper, smoked paprika, dried herbs, and onion powder.
• How to get the seasoning to adhere: There is nothing worse than watching your seasoning bounce off the turkey and hit the bottom of the pan. To help it adhere, especially the dried thyme, break everything down a little bit in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. The smaller granules will adhere to the skin more easily.
• Should I season the turkey under the skin? Yes! Getting under the skin means the seasoning will make contact with the actual breast meat. I typically just season under the breast skin but you can also separate some of the leg skin and get seasoning in there too. It’s much tougher to get seasoning under the skin, so don’t sweat it too much if you feel like you can’t get 100% even coverage.
• Oil or butter: There’s no doubt that roasting a turkey requires a bit of extra fat but which fat is best? In testing, I found that neutral oil is the best option (and that’s coming from someone who is a butter lover to their core). While super-flavorful, all butter contains at least 16% water, which will add unwanted moisture to the skin. Neutral oil that can handle high heat is the way to go.
• How long to roast a turkey? This ultimately depends on how big your turkey is but a general rule of thumb for roasting at 350° is around 13 minutes per pound, which is about 2 1/2 hours. Since we have the heat cranked high in the beginning, it may take less time.
• Best way to temp check a turkey? Don’t turn your turkey temp into a guessing game. Invest in a probe thermometer with an external display so that you can see the exact temperature of the bird. Insert the probe into the thickest part of the thigh and look for a reading of 165°.
• Do I really need to baste my turkey? Basting your turkey as it cooks is long thought to be a great way to keep the turkey moist and flavorful as it cooks, but after seven tests I found that it did more harm than good. Aside from occasionally making a mess, it causes you to have to open the oven a lot more than you normally would for anything else you might roast. Opening the oven drops the oven temperature, meaning the turkey will need to be in the oven even longer, which will ultimately dry the bird out. Basting is also the mortal enemy of anything resembling crispy, rendered skin. It involves sucking up the fat from the bottom of the pan and drizzling it over the top of the turkey to maintain the moisture but in reality, you’re not just sucking up fat. You’re sucking up juices from the turkey as well which can lead to skin that never properly crisps because it keeps getting doused with moisture.
• Carving your turkey: Need help with carving? Our turkey carving guide will have you slicing up your bird like a pro in no time.

Variations

• Roast Turkey Leg: Only feeding a few folks? Skip the whole bird and make just the legs.
• Stuffed Turkey Breast: This is our most indulgent turkey breast recipe, stuffed with bacon, mushrooms, and tons of gooey smoked Gouda cheese.
• Grilled Turkey: This unconventional take on the holiday classic frees up oven space and lends itself to some delicious char marks.

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Leftovers can also be frozen. Chill any carved turkey in the refrigerator until cold, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container and label it with the contents and date. Store in the deepest part of the freezer for up to 6 months.