What To Serve With Turkey: Thanksgiving Roasted Turkey (+All The Best Turkey Side Dishes!)

🧂 Ingredients

• 16 lb turkey

  (thawed)
• ½ cup butter

  (softened, at room temperature, divided)
• 1 medium yellow onion

  (peeled, halved, and quartered)
• 1 large lemon

  (washed, halved, and quartered)
• 1 large orange

  (washed, halved, and quartered)
• 1 head garlic

  (peeled and cloves crushed)
• ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper

  (to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning

  (optional)

Instructions

• 1 30 minutes before you begin, remove the turkey from the fridge so that it can
  come to room temperature. This is also a good time to take out the butter so it
  can soften.
• 2 Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) and place a roasting rack or tray into a
  large roasting pan.
• 3 Remove the turkey from its packaging as well as the contents of the cavity
  (neck, gizzards, heart, liver, and sometimes a gravy packet). Rinse both the
  inside and outside of your turkey and then pat it dry using paper towels.
• 4 Transfer it to your roasting rack and generously season the interior of the
  turkey with salt and pepper. Then, fill the cavity with the onion, garlic
  cloves, orange, and lemon.
• 5 In a small mixing bowl, add softened butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme,
  and optional poultry seasoning if using. Mix until well combined.
• 6 Gently loosen the skin of the turkey with your fingertips and spread half of the
  herb butter under the skin, covering the breast and legs.
• 7 Tuck the wing tips under and use butcher twine to hold the legs together. Spread
  the remaining herb butter all over the entire outside of the turkey, including
  all sides.
• 8 Leave your turkey uncovered and place it in the preheated oven. Then, reduce the
  temperature of the oven to 350°F (175°C) and cook for 13 minutes per pound (with
  no stuffing) or 15 minutes per pound (with stuffing).
• 9 Remove your turkey from the oven and baste it using the drippings from the pan
  every 45 minutes. Keep your oven closed while you are basting the turkey so that
  the temperature stays steady.
• 10 Remove your turkey from the oven when it reaches 155-160°F (68-71°C).
• 11 Carefully transfer the cooked turkey to a cutting board or your serving platter,
  then cover loosely with aluminum foil. Save the drippings for gravy (if
  desired). Allow your turkey to rest for about 1 hour before carving and serving.

Nutrition Info