Whole Turkey

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Ingredients

• 1 turkey, any size
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 stick butter (salted or unsalted), softened

Roasting Times

These times are just a general guideline, always test the temperature with a meat thermometer. Probe the temperature in the thigh and breast, the thigh is often the slowest to cook. The turkey will be safe to eat between 160-165F and will continue to cook from residual heat after removing from the oven so it is best to aim for removing the bird at a temperature of about 155F when probed in the thigh which should result in a rested temperature in the 160-165F range.

Instructions

1. Thirty minutes to an hour before roasting, take the turkey out of the fridge. Remove any packaging and the bag of giblets. Set the turkey breast-side up on the roasting rack and let it sit while the oven preheats. This takes the chill off the meat, which helps the meat cook faster and more evenly. It also gives the skin time to dry out, which promotes browning and crisping.
2. Preheat the oven to 450F
3. Remove kidneys near the tail end of the bird as it will make the stuffing bitter
4. Butter under the skin: gently loosen the skin of the turkey. Start at the neck end and carefully slide your fingers under the skin of the breast area, being careful not to rip the skin. Then, you can repeat the same process over both legs of the bird. Scoop some softened butter up with your fingers and then rub it under the loosened skin of the turkey. (see "Buttering the Bird" below for another butter option)
5. Stuff the bird (see "Stuffing the Bird" below)
6. Pour two cups of broth or water into the roasting pan.
7. Place the turkey in the oven and turn down the heat to 350F.
8. Roast the turkey according to the table above. Keep an eye on the turkey, when the breast meat is golden brown tent with some tin foil and cover the turkey to prevent further browning and drying out. Ideally you want the turkey in the 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit range for safety and moisture retention. Shoot for the low end of this range as the bird will still cook a little once you remove it from the oven. Check the temperature in both the breast and the thigh.
9. Allow the turkey to rest for no less than 15 minutes before carving. Remove stuffing before carving.

Buttering the Bird

This step is optional but makes a big difference in keeping the meat nice and moist so it is recommended. You can use plain butter, or for extra flavor mix in some herbs to the butter by combining the following ingredients and mixing them well before buttering the bird:

• 1 cup of room temperature butter
• 3 tablespoons of fresh, minced, garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of rosemary
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon of sage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of black or white pepper

Stuffing the Bird

This recipe goes will with Giblet Stuffing. Stuff both the main cavity of the bird until it's full and slightly overflowing. On the neck side, tuck the skin flap over the stuffing and under the bird.

Alternatively you can stuff the bird with vegetables and aromatics. This is still under development but the recommendation as of 2024 is to stuff the bird with:

• 1 onion, quartered (root-end on)
• 2 cloves of garlic, split in half (skin on is fine)
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 4 ribs of celery, halved
• 4 carrots, quartered
• fresh rosemary
• fresh thyme
• fresh sage

CategoryRecipesThanksgiving