This easy turkey recipe will make your Thanksgiving dinner a complete success!
I haven’t host Thanksgiving dinner in many years. When I did in the past, I avoided roasting the turkey. It seemed so complicated! Oh, and lets not talk about the year I served “Sushi Turkey”… The HORROR!
I am sharing this easy Thanksgiving Turkey recipe for you to have a good time in the kitchen. You will impress your guests by serving the juiciest and most flavorful turkey they will ever taste.
Turkey Brine Ingredients
What makes easy this Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe is the brine. This salty concentrated solution will give extra flavor to your turkey.
After mixing all the brine ingredients, place the thawed raw turkey (all extra parts removed from cavity) in a food safe bucket. Pour the brine mix over the turkey and add more water if needed to cover it. Let it brine for 8 to 10 hours and add ice to maintain a cool temperature every 3 to 4 hours.
Herbed Compound Butter
My herbed compound butter is very easy to make. It has a variety of herbs and spices that will pack your turkey with flavor and It will keep the meat juicy. You can find the recipe here.
Remove the turkey from the brine and make sure to dry it well using paper towels. If the turkey is wet, the butter will not stick.
Carefully, separate the skin from the meat without breaking it. Massage butter between the skin and the meat and continue to apply more butter all over the turkey. If you want, sprinkle a little sweet paprika for color.
This is the easiest Thanksgiving recipe you will find and the results are incredible.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Easy Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
Equipment
- Food Safe Plastic Bucket
- Large Roasting Pan
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Turkey 12-14 pounds
- 8 Tablespoons Herbed Compound Butter
Brine
- 1 Cup Salt
- 1 Cup Sugar Substitute
- 2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 bunch Rosemary
- 1 bunch Sage Leaves
- 2 Tablespoons Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Oregano
- 8 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Gallon Water
- 5 Pounds Ice
Instructions
- Place frozen wrapped turkey in a food safe bucket. Cover with cold water and leave overnight. Drain and refill the water every 3 to 4 hours during this time.
- Remove wrapped turkey from the bucket and clean the bucket with soapy water.
- Unwrap thawed turkey and remove any parts that may be inside cavity. Save those parts for later if you would like to make gravy or soup.
- In the clean bucket add all the brine ingredients and mix until the salt and sugar substitute are dissolved.
- Add the thawed turkey into the brine mix and cover with additional water and ice.
- Seal the bucket and let it brine for 8 to 10 hours adding more ice every 3 to 4 hours.
- Preheat your oven at 375° F
- Remove turkey from the bucket, rinse with water and discard the brine.
- Pat dry the turkey using paper towels. Make sure it is completely dry.
- With your fingers, separate the skin from the meat without breaking it. You want to create some space to insert the compound butter.
- Using your hands, insert some of the compound butter between the skin and the meat. Delicately massage it to spread it without breaking the skin.
- Use the rest of the butter to spread all over the turkey with your hands.
- Sprinkle a little of sweet paprika on top for color.
- Place in roasting pan and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Roast covered for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, remove aluminum foil and continue to roast for 30 minutes or until your turkey reaches an internal temperature of 170°F.
Thank you Ele, for giving me and others, the rights to learn.
I Yanitza Maldonado, would love to make anything that you have show, me to prove others that I could do it, plus the receipt look good.