The Best Baked Turkey recipe you will ever cook in the oven! Seasoned with garlic herb butter for the most flavorful, juicy turkey to ever grace your Thanksgiving and Christmas table!
Prepare the thawed turkey 1 to 2 days ahead of time.
If there is a plastic hock lock holding the legs together, cut and remove it. (It can interfere with seasoning and stuffing the turkey.)
Remove the gizzards from inside the bird's cavity. (There should be a neck and a bag of organs. Save these for giblet gravy or simply throw them away.)
Rinse the turkey with cold water and then pat dry with paper towels.
Injection
Stir the chicken broth, melted butter, and garlic powder together in a small bowl.
Using a meat injector syringe, draw up the liquid and slowly inject it multiple times over the breasts and thighs.
Garlic Herb Butter Rub
Place softened butter, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, sage, salt, and ground black pepper into a medium bowl. Stir together until smooth and creamy.
Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the breasts. (Be careful not to tear the skin.) Do the same for the thighs.
Take half the butter rub and stuff it underneath the skin over both the breasts and the thighs. Press your hand on top of the skin and smooth the rub out evenly under the skin.
Take the other half of the butter rub and spread it all over the front, back, and inside cavity of the turkey.
Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or for up to 2 days.
Bake the Turkey
Unwrap the turkey and place it on a roasting rack inside a large roasting pan. (If you don't have a roasting rack, simply place extra vegetables under the turkey so that hot air can circulate underneath it producing a more even cook.)
Allow the turkey to warm up at room temperature for 30 minutes. (This makes the butter rub adhere better to the skin and helps the meat bake more evenly.)
Preheat the oven to 325°F
Stuff the inside of the cavity with the halved celery ribs, a halved lemon, and a quartered onion.
Optional: Tuck the wing tips up and underneath the back. (This helps the turkey cook more evenly.)
Optional: Cross the legs and tie them together with kitchen twine or unwaxed dental floss. (I didn't have either so I used 2 strips of bacon.)
Adjust an oven rack so that the turkey sits in the center of the oven. Pour chicken broth into the bottom of the pan, cover with foil, and place on the center oven rack.
Bake the turkey at 325°F for 13 to 15 minutes per pound, then start checking for doneness. During the last 60 minutes of cooking, remove the foil, baste the turkey, and finish cooking uncovered. Remove from the oven when the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 160°F. Cover with foil and allow to finish cooking on the counter at room temperature.
Allow the turkey to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving. (This will allow the turkey to reabsorb its juices and make the meat extra tender and juicy.)
Turkey Gravy
Carefully drain your turkey drippings through a strainer into a heat-proof bowl. Let it sit at room temperature until the fat collects on top. (Place in the refrigerator to speed up this process.) Skim off the fat and discard.
Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add butter.
Once butter melts, add flour and whisk together while cooking for 2 minutes until lightly browned. (This will prevent a "floury" taste to your gravy.)
Add 3 cups of your strained turkey drippings to the saucepan. (If you don't have enough, supplement with chicken broth. Keep extra on hand in case the gravy gets too thick.) Whisk together and let the gravy come to a slow simmer. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, whisking frequently, until slightly thinner than your preferred thickness, and then remove from heat. (It will continue to thicken as it cools.)
Stir in salt and ground black pepper.
Spoon over sliced turkey meat and enjoy! Happy Holidays!
Notes
Make sure your turkey is fully thawed before preparing and cooking it. A frozen turkey takes one day per 4-5 pounds of weight to fully thaw in the refrigerator. So a 10-pound turkey should take 2 days to thaw, and a 12-pound turkey should take 3 days to thaw. (Add an extra day for preparing, seasoning, and brining.)
If you prefer fresh herbs over dried ones, substitute 1 Tablespoon of fresh for each teaspoon of dried.
Leftover turkey should be stored within 2 hours of cooking. Place in an airtight container and store inside the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.