Perfect Roast Turkey

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Perfect Roast Turkey

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 14

Ingredients
 

  • 1 (12-18 pound) whole turkey
  • 4 Tablespoons butter - melted
  • 2 Tablespoons Seasoning - (Like Poultry or chicken seasoning, Lawry's or for some spice Tony Chachere's)
  • 4 cups chicken or turkey stock (this creates extra drippings for gravy)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Remove the turkey neck and giblets, rinse the turkey, and pat dry well with paper towels.
  • Place the turkey, breast side up, in the roasting pan.
  • If you are stuffing the turkey, loosely fill the body cavity with stuffing.
  • Drizzle the turkey with butter and season turkey all over very well.
  • Place turkey in the oven. Roast for about an hour or until the skin starts to get golden. Turn down heat to 325 degrees.
  • Pour 4 cups stock into the bottom of the roasting pan.
  • Place an aluminum foil tent over the turkey if the skin starts to get too brown.
  • Baste drippings all over every 30 to 60 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan if you like.
  • Remove foil the last 30 minutes of roasting.
  • Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F. 
  • Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter. Cover again with foil.
  • Let it rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

Notes

 
When roasting allow about 13-15 minutes per pound (15 to 18 or more if stuffed). Make sure to use a thermometer to see that it is cooked through to 165 degrees F. Cover with foil and allow at least 20 minutes for the turkey to rest before carving! Use the drippings to make my perfect No Lump Gravy.

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 326mg | Potassium: 511mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 451IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

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2 Comments

  1. Amy – Do I have to put an aluminum foil “tent” over the turkey if I am roasting it in a roaster oven?

    1. Amy Hanten says:

      Hi Jan, No I don’t think so because they have a cover on the roasters. If it’s getting a bit too brown on top you could tent it though. Thanks! -Amy