Garlic Butter Herb Roasted Turkey Recipe (2024)

This Garlic Butter Herb Roasted Turkey Recipe is slow roasted until perfectly golden brown while remaining moist and tender on the inside.

This recipe starts with a blend of roasted garlic, fresh herbs and butter that's slathered over the entire bird then seasoned to create the most flavorful crispy skin.

Why this recipe works

Roasting a turkey can be very intimating whether you're serving a small or large crowd. The very thought of brining a turkey can make the process even more overwhelming especially if it's your first time. Today, I'm going to walk you through the process of roasting a turkey that doesn't require brining, is simple to do, and delicious.

This roasted turkey recipe will require that you baste the turkey several times throughout the cooking process to make it moist and succulent. This step cannot be left out under any circ*mstances.

What goes into this recipe

Ingredient Notes

• Use unsalted butter instead of salted butter as this will allow you to control the amount of kosher salt that is added while seasoning.
• The garlic must be roasted before making the roasted garlic herb butter as roasting will make the garlic extremely soft whereby you can squeeze the garlic out of the garlic skin into the bowl of butter.
• Although this recipe calls for kosher salt, onion powder, black pepper, and smoked paprika, feel free to use other complimentary seasonings.
• Fresh herbs are used in this roasted turkey recipe. If you have more left over and do not want them to go to waste, chop them up, divide them evenly across an ice cube tray and cover the herbs with olive oil. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the freezer to use in pastas at a later date.

How to make this roasted turkey recipe

• Cut the top of the bulb of garlic to expose the cloves and drizzle olive oil over the top then wrap in foil and place in the oven to roast until golden brown.
• Remove from oven and squeeze the cloves into the softened butter add the chopped herbs and mix with a fork until ingredients are incorporated.
• Remove the bag of giblets and the neck and discard then wash and pat the turkey with paper towels until completely dry.
• Slather the backside with the butter mixture and season. Place a piece of parchment paper inside the roasting pan and place the turkey in the roasting pan with the breast side down (the parchment paper will prevent the breast-side from sticking. This will allow the back side to brown first. Place in a 415 degree preheated oven for 35 minutes.

• Remove bird from the oven and place on a clean plate or baking sheet for a moment. Remove the parchment paper and discard.
• Add the chopped veggies to the same roasting pan and add the bird back to the roasting pan with breast-side up. Slather with remaining butter mixture and season. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees and put bird back in oven.
• Begin thoroughly basting the turkey with the pan juices every 30 minutes until it's done (Set an alarm clock, so you will not forget ) .
• It's done when it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees. Do NOT overcook, if so the breast will come out dry which you do not want.

Please refer to 'Tips' down below to ensure that your roasted turkey comes out perfectly.

How to make homemade gravy

Don't let those delicious pan juices go to waste instead make a homemade gravy from this roasted turkey recipe.

• Add those pan juices to a pot and bring to a boil.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of all-purpose flour and whisk for several seconds to get rid of the raw taste from the flour.
• Slowly pour in 1 cup to 1-½ cups of chicken broth and bring to a gently boil then lower to a simmer until gravy has thickened (this can take 15 minutes or so).
• The gravy has thickened when it coats the back of your spoon.

FAQs

Expert Tips

• Do not place turkey on top of a roasting rack instead allow the turkey to sit in its pan juices.
• If your turkey is frozen, make sure you thaw the turkey completely before roasting depending on the size, it can take up to 2 days possibly 3 days.
• When defrosting, keep the turkey in its original packaging and place in a roasting pan to prevent it from leaking then into the fridge it goes.
• Always make sure your turkey has reached room temperature, so it will cook evenly.
• Remove the bag of giblets and turkey neck from the cavity and discard or add the neck if making homemade soup.
• Tuck the wings under the bird and tie the legs with kitchen string to prevent the legs from spreading apart while roasting.
• If you do not have a meat thermometer, I highly recommend investing in one. This will take the guess work out of wondering if your turkey is done.
• Your turkey is done when the thickest part of the breast registers at 165 degrees.
• Remove the turkey from the oven a few minutes before it reaches 165 degrees as the residual heat will continue to cook the bird further.
• When the turkey is done, use the pan juices to make a delicious homemade gravy to pour over the turkey.
• Allow the turkey to rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

If so, let me know how it went. Leave a 'Star Rating' within the recipe card down below and/or TAG @cookingwithbliss on Instagram. I can't wait to see how it turned out.

📖 Recipe

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