This delicious herb butter turkey is a perfect easy turkey recipe for beginner chefs. The combination of citrus, herbs, and butter make a juicy turkey with the most delicious turkey gravy ever!
PREP TIME 20 minutesminutes
COOK TIME 3 hourshours
TOTAL TIME 3 hourshours20 minutesminutes
YIELD 8servings
Ingredients
1 12 to 18-poundturkeythawed, giblets and neck removed
3tbspkosher salt
1 1/2tbspblack pepper
1lemonzested and then quartered
1onionpeeled and quartered
1orangequartered
6tbspbuttersoftened
1tbspfresh sage leavesminced
1tbspfresh rosemaryminced
1tbspfresh thymeminced
Instructions
Remove your turkey from the refrigerator so it loses some of its chill while you prep the herb butter and let the oven pre-heat.
Heat the oven to 425°F.
Sprinkle the kosher salt and pepper all over the outside and inside of the turkey and rub it in. Stuff the cavity of the bird with the quartered onion and fruit. Place the bird on a rack inside your roasting pan.
In a small bowl, combine the softened butter with the minced fresh herbs and zest of the lemon. Use a fork to blend them together. Pat and rub the butter all over the top of the turkey.
Place a probe thermometer into the turkey.
Place the prepped turkey into the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Baste the bird with the juices from the bottom of the pan. Don't worry if there isn't much there yet, more juices will come as the turkey cooks.
Reduce the oven to 325°F. The turkey should cook about 15 minutes per pound at this temperature.
If the top of the turkey starts to get too dark before it has reached the proper temperature, you can cover it with some aluminum foil to keep it from browning too much.
The turkey is done once the thigh meat reaches 165 degrees and the juices run clear.
Remove the turkey from the oven and tent it with foil for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the turkey gravy and side dishes.
Recipe Notes
The cook time listed was based on a 12-pound turkey. Adjust as needed. If you use a convection oven, that time will be significantly lower.