If roasting a whole bird feels intimidating, I promise this citrus and herb roasted turkey is going to change everything for you. The bright citrus combined with fresh herbs makes for the most flavorful, juicy turkey you have ever put on your Thanksgiving table, and I am walking you through every single step so nothing goes sideways. Before you even get started, I highly recommend checking out my Easy Turkey Brine Recipe because brining is truly the secret to moisture and flavor that keeps everyone coming back for seconds. And once the feast is over, do not let a single bite go to waste because I have a round-up of 15 Leftover Turkey Recipes that will have you looking forward to the days after Thanksgiving just as much as the holiday itself.
Citrus and Herb Roasted Turkey
This makes for a very flavorful turkey and I guarantee it won't dry out. Then these very flavorful drippings will make the best gravy.
Ingredients
- 1 18 pound turkey thawed if frozen
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 handfuls of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 handfuls of fresh thyme leaves
- 2 handfuls of fresh sage leaves
- 3 teaspoons coarse salt plus more for seasoning
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper plus more for seasoning
- 2 lemons each cut into halves
Instructions
- If you are using a frozen turkey, remove the turkey from the freezer a few days before Thanksgiving and let it thaw.
- Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and rinse turkey with cool water, and pat dry with paper towels. Let it rest on a baking sheet for 2 hours until it comes to room temperature.
- In a food processor, combine the butter, lemon zest, 1 handful of parsley, 1 handful of thyme and 1 handful of sage leaves and pulse for 1-2 minutes until everything is evenly incorporated. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper and pulse for a few seconds more. Remove the compound butter from the food processor and set aside.
- Truss the turkey using the photo step by step guide above.
- Once the turkey is prepared, place it in a large roasting pan, breast side up on a metal rack. It's important to use a metal rack so the turkey is lifted from the bottom of the pan so there is room for the juices to hang out and not make the bottom of the turkey soggy.
- Using your hands, smear the butter all over the turkey. Liberally season the bird with salt and pepper and use your hands to pat everything down onto the skin.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, with rack on lowest level.
- Fill the inside of the bird with the remaining handfuls of herbs and the halved lemons, making sure everything is stuffed inside the bird.
- Place the bird into the oven and roast for 30 minutes at 450 degrees F.
- Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue to cook for about 2 more hours, basting turkey with drippings from the bottom and rotating the pan every 30-45 minutes.
- After 2.5 hours of cooking time, use a meat thermometer and check the thickest part of the turkey so make sure the internal temperature is 175 degrees. The turkey should be golden brown at this point. If the turkey is not done, continue to cook it until the thermometer registers at 175 degrees F. It can take anywhere from 3 - 4.5 hours depending on the weight of your bird.
- If the turkey is done but isn't quite golden brown yet, crack the heat up to 450 degrees and blast it for 15 minutes to crisp up the skin.
- If the turkey is done and is beautiful and golden brown, carefully remove it from the oven and tent it with some foil while you prep the gravy and the rest of Thanksgiving dinner!
Notes
It’s UBER important to use a rack so the turkey doesn’t sit in it’s own juices which makes it soggy. Unless you want a soggy bird. But I want one with extra crispy skin because it’s so so so good!
Nutrition Information
Calories: 799kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 100g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 380mg | Sodium: 878mg | Potassium: 1424mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 239IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 9mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @WhatsGabyCookin or tag #whatsgabycooking!
Can you send the gravy recipe please
everything is here: https://whatsgabycooking.com/thanksgiving-menu-2/
Gaby - you helped make our Thanksgiving Dinner a success! Thank you! This recipe is amazing ! I have some great pics of the turkey in progress!
Do I pull out all the herbs and lemon out of the turkey before serving.
yes - they'll just stay in the cavity so you don't have to worry about them. They'll stay put when carving
Hi. Are those temperature settings for a convection or standard oven? Thanks
standard
Do you put any liquid in the bottom of the roasting pan, like chicken broth, so there is some moisture within the pan to circulate in the oven?
nope!! there is moisture from the lemon and the butter!!
Yeah, you were right once the butter softened it was so much easier. Okay, great! I do have a thermoater I can use.
yay!! hope you enjoyed
Gaby, I wanted to give you an update from umm, last year! Hahaha, I made my first turkey dinner and I was like salivating when I found your recipe and I wanted to Thank You so much for the quick responses and the turkey came out amazing!!! I used your gravy recipe as well and it was absolutely delicious! I wanted to tell you that I am making this exact recipe again this year!
LOVE hearing that!!!
I am sorry if this is a dumb question but I'm making this turkey tonight and it only takes 3 hrs to cook?
It depends on the weight but it takes minimum 3 hours. What's the weight of your turkey?
It's 13lbs. Also, is the butter mixture a bit hard to distribute evenly on the bird?
butter needs to be at room temp so it can slather easily!! And it will take about 3-4 hours for the bird!! Do you have an turkey thermometer?
please let me know what your advice is with using a roaster oven for this? Looks sooo good!! I would love to try to make this recipe for the first time! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hey Kim! LMK what you mean a roaster oven!
Hi Gaby thanks for responding! I needed to save the oven space for my other dishes that will be served for Thanksgiving so we got a Hamilton Beach Electric Roaster Oven (Similar to a Nesco). I am soo nervous about it as this is the first time I am not using my regular oven to make the turkey! Thank you again for taking the time to give your advice!! You are soo kind! It is much appreciated! 🙂
I made this last year and will be making it again this year. It was so good! Thank you so much for the step by step directions & pictures! A definite help for my first turkey last year!