Juicy garlic and herbs butter roasted turkey
As I said in my previous post, when thinking about the turkey, most of the planners will tell you that you should count 1 1/4 pounds per guest. That way after cooking and carving, this will ensure that there will be plenty of meat at the table and with leftovers to spare. If you decide to make only white meat (breasts) or you already know that your guests prefer white meat, if you’re buying boneless meat, you can count 6 ounces per guest. If you need help with that recipe you can find here my Spinach, apples and bacon filled turkey breast
But this year I chose to roast an entire turkey! which can be a challenge, I bought a a 12 pound young turkey. Make sure you are buying a good quality heritage bird, they are expensive, I know, but this is your center piece “la pièce de résistance”, Heritage turkeys have been praised by chefs and food critics alike as being richer in flavor than industrial birds, though the lack of a large amount of breast meat means cooking times and methods may differ substantially from non-heritage birds. If you choose to buy an industrial bird, I advice you to brine it or buy pre brine turkeys like Butterball for example.
Why brine? well heritage birds have more flavor and texture than a normal bird, when you brine a turkey you can put so much flavor in ti besides making is moist and juicier. So properly thaw you bird in the fridge then brine. There are lots of brine recipes out there, if I brine a bird I tend to stay with the classics Water and salt. You can try sugar, fresh herbs, different pepper corns and spices.
Ingredients
- Juicy garlic herbed whole turkey
- 1 lemon zest and juice – approx. 3 tablespoons
- 1 butter stick 8 tablespoons
- 1 small shallot
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon rosemary leaves chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon flat parsley leaves chopped
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 fresh whole turkey 10 – 12 pounds
- 1 medium onion
- 2 carrots
- Kitchen string
- 1 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups veggies or chicken broth
- 6 cups of stuffing
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In the bowl of the mixer combine the herbs, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 cup wine, butter, shallot and garlic. Mixed until very smooth and herbs are minced. Reserve in the fridge.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Remove giblets and neck from turkey and reserve. Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Trim off and discard excess fat.
- Loosen and lift skin from turkey breast without totally detaching skin. Rub 3 tablespoons herb butter under skin; replace skin and secure with wooden picks if desired. Sprinkle cavity and outside of turkey with desired amount of salt and freshly ground pepper. Loosely fill the body cavity with stuffing.
- Place turkey, breast side up, on a lightly greased roasting rack in pan. Tie ends of legs together with kitchen string; tuck wingtips under. Rub entire turkey with remaining herb butter. Pour wine and chicken broth into roasting pan along with the giblets and neck from turkey.
- Bake on lowest oven rack at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees F and cook 2 to 2 hours 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of thigh registers 165 degrees F, basting every 30 minutes with pan juices. Make an aluminum foil tent prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Remove from oven, transfer the turkey to a cutting board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for about 20 minutes before carving.
- Transfer turkey to a serving platter. Pour drippings through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, discarding solids. Reserve 2 1/2 cups pan drippings.
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt reserved butter; whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, to make a roux, cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add reserved 2 1/2 cups drippings to saucepan, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. Serve turkey with gravy.
I will serve my turkey with lots of garlicky veggies in the same platter, you can see all the herbs through the turkey skin here, so I can already tell you it was easy, juicy and flavorful.
7 thoughts on “Juicy garlic and herbs butter roasted turkey”
I am a huge fan of brining turkeys, Gaila! I don’t do it every year, and I’m also disappointed when I forget. Thanks for the reminder! I love white meat, but there’s nothing worse than when the white meat portion dries out in the oven. Anyways, this turkey looks incredible! You nailed it for sure. The butter combined with all of those herbs sounds like it would make the skin amazing. Excuse me while I steal all of the skin and run off to the corner to eat it. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this one!
Hahaha you don’t have to run over to the corner, we can share that skin together!!
Tnis turkey looks fantastic, Gaila! I can feel its rich flavor (yes to the herbs!) If you have any leftovers, please feel free to send them to me:)
Hey Ben!! I did love the herbs and the skin was so good too! I will send you a virtual plate over my friend! cheers!
That is one good looking bird, Gaila! That stuffed one looks pretty tasty too! We don’t always brine our turkeys when we put them on the smoker, but I like to use beer if I’m just doing a breast or roasting one in the oven. Great photos and information!
Thank Rachelle!!! I think beer is great with everything, specially cold after a long day at work! 🙂
WOW girl!!! That’s one good looking bird! Love this recipe and that table setting is gorgeous. Also, anytime you need me to come over and help you eat a big turkey, just call, and I’ll be right over 😉