Herb Roast Turkey Recipe
A juicy and tender herb roast turkey recipe perfect for the best Friendsgiving celebration! It's quick brined for only 4 hours (no need to brine overnight) and slathered in fresh herb butter made from sage, thyme, rosemary and more!
Servings: 8 servings
Equipment
- large container/stockpot to quick brine turkey (I used a 16-qt stockpot and everything fit perfectly)
- large baking sheet with wire rack
- Food Processor or Blender
- kitchen twine
- large roasting pan with v-rack
- in-oven meat thermometer
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
For the turkey
- 1 14-pound Honeysuckle White Fresh or Frozen Whole Turkey, thawed; giblets and neck removed and discarded
- 2 cups stock (turkey, chicken or vegetable all work)
For the quick brine
- 2 gallons cold water
- 2 cups fine salt
For the herb seasoning
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened and cut into 6 pieces
- 8-10 fresh sage leaves
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For inside cavity
- 1 small onion, halved
- 1 lime, halved
- 1 orange, quartered
- 1/2 cup whole sprigs of assorted fresh herbs, tied together with kitchen twine
Instructions
Quick brine the turkey
- In a large container or stockpot, add cold water and salt. Stir for 30 seconds to a minute until the salt has dissolved.
- Add thawed turkey to the water so that it is completely submerged (add more water if it’s not). Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
- Remove turkey from the brine and rinse under cold water.
- Pat turkey completely dry inside and out with paper towels.
- Transfer turkey to a large baking sheet lined with a wire rack and refrigerate for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Prepare the seasoning
- Add butter, sage, garlic, cilantro, parsley, thyme, rosemary, salt and black pepper to a food processor or blender.
- Pulse until mixture comes together and resembles a paste.
Prepare the turkey
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Remove turkey from the fridge and pat dry one last time. Transfer to the roasting pan with v-rack breast side up.
- Fill the bottom of the roasting pan with stock.
- Carefully push your fingers under the skin of the turkey breast all the way to the back of the turkey to help separate the skin. Be careful not to tear the skin.
- Spread the herb paste under the skin and all over the outside of the turkey.
- Fill the inside cavity of the turkey with the onion, lime, orange and assorted herbs.
- Tie the turkey legs together with kitchen twine to help the turkey cook evenly and for a beautiful presentation. Tuck the wings underneath the bird so they don’t burn.
Roast the turkey
- Insert an in-oven meat thermometer deep inside the breast of the bird. Make sure it’s not touching a bone. Set the in-oven meat thermometer temperature to 165°Place the turkey in the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes to crisp the skin.
- Remove turkey from oven, lower the heat to 350°F, loosely cover the top of the turkey with a tent of aluminum foil and return to the oven.
- Bake for 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours, until the temperature of the meat reaches 165°F.
- Carefully remove from oven and check the temperature of the bird in different places to make sure everything is at least 165°If there are spots that are under, leave the thermometer in that spot and return it to the oven to roast until it reaches 165°F.
- Carefully transfer the turkey to large cutting board and rest for 30 minutes. Slice and serve.
Video
Notes
- Learn how to carve a turkey here.
- Don’t let all the seasonings and juicy pan drippings from your turkey go to waste – make turkey gravy from the pan drippings!
Nutrition
Serving: 6ounces | Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 1.6mg