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5 from 2 votes

Perfect Roast Turkey Recipe - Easy Method

Whether it's Thanksgiving or Christmas, all you need is this Perfectly Roasted Turkey Recipe cooked the easy way. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, british, English
Diet: Gluten Free, Halal
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 555kcal
Author: Ayla Clulee

Equipment

  • 1 measuring spoons
  • 1 kitchen scale
  • 1 peeler
  • 1 Saucepan
  • 1 large baking tray
  • 1 cooking thermometer
  • 1 oven mitts

Ingredients

For Stuffing the Turkey

  • 1 whole turkey (4 ½ - 5 ½ kg)
  • 1 apple (cut in half)
  • ½ lemon (cut in quarters)
  • 1 onion (peeled and cut in half)
  • 5-6 sprigs thyme
  • 3-4 stalks rosemary
  • 100 g butter (softened at room temperature)
  • 1½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Gravy

  • giblets + neck from turkey
  • 1 ¼ l cold water
  • 1 medium carrot (roughly chopped)
  • 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
  • 2 sticks celery (roughly chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • thyme-bay leaves-parsley stalks
  • 2 tablespoon corn flour (made into a slurry with cold water)
  • carrots, celery sticks, onion, and garlic (to use as a roasting bed for turkey)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparing the Giblets Stock

  • Remove the turkey from the fridge and bring it to room temperature while preparing the giblets stock.
  • Remove the neck and the bag of giblets that are usually placed in the large cavity of the bird.
  • Place the giblets and the neck in a pot along with some chopped mirepoix, and aromatics such as bay leaves, thyme, peppercorn, and parsley stalks.
  • Fill the pot with 1 ¼ liter of cold water and place it on medium heat.
  • Bring it to a boil, lower the heat to low, and let it gently simmer for 1 ½ hours.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and strain the stock using a fine chinois or a muslin cloth. Set it aside to make the turkey gravy later.

Preparing the Turkey

  • Preheat the oven to 200° C (390° F).
  • If using a frozen turkey, let it totally defrost following the instructions above. If your turkey is fresh, remove it from its packaging, and dry it off with some paper towels.
  • Season the cavity with the ⅓ of the salt and pepper, and stuff it with a halved onion and apple, quartered lemon, and herbs.
  • Mix together the softened butter with the other ⅓ of the seasoning in a small bowl.
  • Separate and loosen the skin carefully from the breast, and spread ¾ of the mixture, massaging gently. 
  • Place the halved onions, garlic heads, roughly chopped celery, and carrots along with the bay leaves and thyme in a large baking dish. 
  • Rub the remaining butter all over the turkey breast, and sprinkle on the rest of the seasoning. 
  • Use string to tie the turkey legs together if it is not already done by your butcher, and place the turkey on top of the vegetables, breast side down.

Roasting the Turkey

  • Roast the turkey for 40 minutes and then reduce the heat to 160° C (320° F).
  • Take the tray out and turn the turkey breast side up using a pair of tongs or oven mitts. 
  • Roast it for another 80 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 74° C (165° F) when a meat thermometer is inserted between the breast and the leg. 
  • Tent the turkey loosely with foil if starting to brown too fast. The cooking time is calculated for a turkey size of 4.8 - 5 kg (11 pounds). 
  • Once the turkey is cooked, cover it with tin foil and leave it to rest in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes before carving it. Proceed to prepare the turkey gravy. 

Preparing the Gravy

  • To make the gravy, skim most of the fat from the roasting pan and place the pan on medium-low heat. 
  • Add 750 ml of the giblets stock and scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan. 
  • Bring it to a boil and let the gravy bubble for 15 minutes.
  • Pass it through a fine sieve, and transfer it into a small saucepan.
  • Place the saucepan on medium heat, and bring it back to a boil.  
  • Make a slurry with 2 tablespoon of cornflour and 3 tablespoons of cold water, and add it to the gravy, whisking continuously to avoid the gravy getting lumpy. 
  • Add any juices from resting the turkey and then cook the gravy for another 5-10 minutes, until it reaches the desired consistency.
  • Carve your turkey and serve it with your favorite side dishes along with the delicious homemade gravy.

Notes

  • When buying your turkey, make sure you <strong>allow 500 grams (1 ¼ pound) of turkey per person.
  • Prepare the turkey and make the turkey giblet stock a day in advance to make things easier on Thanksgiving or Christmas day.
  • If you are using a frozen turkey, it is essential that you thaw it entirely before roasting it. 
  • Allow the turkey an hour to come to room temperature before roasting it.
  • Don't wash the turkey as it will contaminate the kitchen sink. Cooking the turkey until the core temperature reaches 74° C (165° F) will kill any bacteria your bird might contain.
  • Don't baste the turkey, as it requires opening the oven door frequently which causes the oven to lose a huge amount of heat each time.
  • Cook the turkey on a bed of vegetables or on a rack to ensure the turkey cooks evenly.
  • Don't stuff your turkey with stuffing. By the time the stuffing gets cooked, the turkey will get overcooked and you will end up with dry meat. If you want to serve your turkey with stuffing, cook the stuffing separately in a baking dish.
  • Check if the turkey is cooked by inserting a meat thermometer between the breast and leg or the thickest part of the breast. The internal temperature should be 74° C (165° F).
  • Once the turkey is cooked, cover it with tin foil and leave it to rest in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes before carving it. 

Nutrition

Calories: 555kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 95g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 297mg | Sodium: 846mg | Potassium: 1080mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1252IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 4mg