Buttery, garlicky, perfectly juicy and tender Roast Turkey bursting with incredible flavors! This Juicy Roast Turkey Recipe with Maple Gravy doesn’t require brining, and with my foolproof method, you can roast a beautiful, succulent turkey every time. No more dried out, bland turkey, this is the recipe you will use again and again.
HANDS DOWN THE BEST WAY TO ROAST A TURKEY
The best part of this Roast Turkey recipe is the fresh bunch of rosemary, thyme, and parsley placed inside the turkey together with onions and garlic. Talk about a flavor explosion. Plus, this turkey makes for some pretty amazing soups and sandwiches for days to come.
The second best part of this Roast Turkey recipe is the Maple Gravy! OH my gah. It is my pour-it-on-everything gravy recipe and I think you’ll LOVE IT!
I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is only weeks away, you guys! Where did the year go?! With so much to plan and get done, I thought we should first tackle the biggest item on the menu – our turkey.
So what is so special about this turkey recipe, you ask? Well, NO brining. NO marinading. Just an EASY, stress free method to a juicy turkey, smothered with butter, herbs and lots of garlic.
My Rosemary Lemon Roasted Turkey is just as special! 😍
HOW TO MAKE THANKSGIVING TURKEY AHEAD
Another great thing about this recipe – you can make this turkey a day in advance!
- Prep it the night before – stuff it with garlic, onions, and herbs, butter it up, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to cook, take it out of the fridge and let stand on the counter for 1 hour to come to room temperature. Continue to cook as directed in the recipe.
HOW TO MAKE A JUICY ROAST TURKEY
It’s all about the butter, garlic and herbs. All these things combined will produce a juicy turkey that is super flavorful and perfectly tender.
- Preheat oven to 450F. When it’s time to slide in the turkey, you’ll want to lower the heat to 350F.
- Rinse and pat dry the entire turkey.
- Make a compound butter by mixing together a stick of butter with, lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Season turkey cavity with salt and fresh ground pepper.
- Using your fingers OR the long handle of a wooden spoon, separate the skin from the breast meat, starting at the top of the breast and sliding to the right and left, then working your way down.
- With your fingers, grab small dollops of the compound butter and rub some of the butter mixture under the turkey’s skin. Then, spread some more butter around and over the top of the skin.
- Cut a whole garlic bulb in half, horizontally, and place inside the turkey’s cavity.
- Cut 2 onions into quarters and stick those inside the cavity, as well.
- Grab a bunch of fresh herbs – thyme, rosemary, and parsley – and place those inside the same cavity.
- Tie up the legs with kitchen twine; tuck the wing tips under; transfer turkey to a roasting pan fitted with a rack.
- Place a meat thermometer into the bird, beneath the drumstick, deep into the dark meat.
- Pour 4 cups of chicken broth inside the roasting pan and transfer turkey to the oven.
- Roast for 40 minutes; remove from oven, close the oven door so you don’t let out the heat – baste the turkey with the drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Place a piece of foil over turkey breast area and put turkey back in the oven. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, basting every 40 minutes. Turkey is done when thermometer reads 170F at the thigh, and 160F at the breast.
- Remove turkey from the oven; transfer it to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
HOW TO MAKE MAPLE GRAVY
While the turkey rests, make this delicious Maple Gravy.
- Pour the pan juices into a heatproof bowl and skim off the fat.
- Set the roasting pan over 2 burners on high heat until sizzling.
- Add 1 cup of the pan juices and bring to a boil, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Add the liquid back into the bowl with the remaining pan juices and set aside.
- Melt butter in a saucepan and whisk in flour for 1 minute. Add 2 cups of the pan juices to the saucepan and cook (add water or broth if needed to make 2 cups), whisking, until the gravy is thickened; about 5 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup and season with salt and pepper. Serve.
ROAST TURKEY CHEAT SHEET
- Let turkey completely thaw before cooking. Frozen turkey will thaw within a few days in the fridge, approximately 24 hours for every five pounds of turkey.
- For every pound of turkey, you need 13 minutes of cooking time if the turkey is not stuffed. If it’s stuffed, plan 15 minutes of cooking time per pound.
- Turkey is done when a thermometer registers at 170F in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Turkey needs to rest 30 minutes to 1 hour before cutting. The longer it sits, the better, because, it will become more tender and it will be much easier to cut.
HOW LONG IS LEFTOVER TURKEY GOOD FOR?
- If kept in the fridge, well stored turkey is good for up to 4 days. Store covered in airtight containers.
- Frozen cooked turkey can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Before storing in the freezer, remove the meat from the bones first; store in ziploc bags, and freeze.
WHAT CAN I MAKE WITH TURKEY LEFTOVERS
- Turkey Corn Chowder
- Cranberry Turkey Quesadillas
- Leftover Turkey Frittata
- Turkey Tetrazzini with Fettuccine
ENJOY!
Juicy Roast Turkey Recipe with Maple Gravy
Buttery, garlicky, perfectly juicy and tender Roast Turkey bursting with incredible flavors! This turkey recipe doesn’t require brining, and with our foolproof method, you can roast a beautiful, succulent turkey every time.
Servings : 12 Servings
Ingredients
FOR THE COMPOUND BUTTER
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons or 113 grams) butter, softened
- 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
FOR THE TURKEY
- 1 (12 pound) Turkey
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 whole bulb garlic, cut in half, horizontally
- 2 yellow onions, quartered
- 10 fresh thyme sprigs
- 10 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 10 fresh parsley sprigs
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
FOR THE MAPLE GRAVY
- 2 cups broth and drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Fit a wire rack inside a large roasting pan and set aside. (Most roasting pans come with a wire rack.)
Prepare the COMPOUND BUTTER.
- In a medium bowl, combine softened butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Using a fork, mash and stir until well combined. Set aside.
FOR THE TURKEY
- Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Season inside of turkey cavity generously with salt and pepper.
- Fill the cavity with halved bulb of garlic (use both halves), quartered onions, and all the sprigs of fresh herbs.
- Using your fingers OR the long handle of a wooden spoon, separate the skin from the breast meat, starting at the top of the breast and slide to the right and left, then work your way down.
- With your fingers, grab small dollops of the compound butter and rub 2/3 of the butter mixture under the turkey’s skin.
- Then, spread the rest of the compound butter around and over the top of the skin.
- Tie up the legs with kitchen twine; tuck the wing tips under; transfer turkey to a roasting pan fitted with a rack.
- Place a meat thermometer into the bird, beneath the drumstick, deep into the dark meat.
- Pour 4 cups of chicken broth inside the roasting pan and transfer turkey to the oven.
- Place turkey in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 350F.
- Roast for 40 minutes; remove from oven – close the oven door so you don’t let out the heat – baste the turkey with the drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Place a piece of foil over the turkey breast area and put turkey back in the oven. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, basting every 40 minutes. Turkey is done when thermometer reads 170F at the thigh, and 160F at the breast.
- Remove turkey from the oven; transfer it to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the MAPLE GRAVY
- Pour out the pan juices into a heatproof bowl and skim off the fat.
- Set the roasting pan over 2 burners on high heat until sizzling.
- Add 1 cup of the pan juices and bring to a boil, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Add the liquid back into the bowl with the remaining pan juices and set aside.
- Melt butter in a saucepan and whisk in flour for 1 minute. Add 2 cups of the pan juices to the saucepan and cook (add water or broth if needed to make 2 cups), whisking, until the gravy is thickened; about 5 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup and season with salt and pepper.
- Strain the gravy into a gravy boat.
- Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.
Notes
ROAST TURKEY CHEAT SHEET
- Let turkey completely thaw before cooking. Frozen turkey will thaw within a few days in the fridge, approximately 24 hours for every five pounds of turkey.
- For every pound of turkey, you need 13 minutes of cooking time if the turkey is not stuffed. If it’s stuffed, plan 15 minutes of cooking time per pound.
- Turkey is done when a thermometer registers at 170F in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Turkey needs to rest 30 minutes to 1 hour before cutting. The longer it sits, the better, because, it will become more tender and it will be much easier to cut.
Nutrition
Calories: 580 kcal | Carbohydrates: 6 g | Protein: 72 g | Fat: 28 g | Saturated Fat: 10 g | Cholesterol: 257 mg | Sodium: 1044 mg | Potassium: 867 mg | Fiber: 0 g | Sugar: 3 g | Vitamin A: 530 IU | Vitamin C: 4.8 mg | Calcium: 53 mg | Iron: 3.2 mg | Net Carbs: 6 g
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Did you make this recipe?Take a pic and let us know how it was!
Turkey stuffing is a very individual preference, and I really feel sorry for those of you who have never tried one of, if not, the best! Let me just enlighten you, if I may be so arrogant! The stuffing should be moist, if not, one is referring to a very old excuse for a “stuffing”, baked seperately in a dish/pan. Dry!! One should add spices- poultry seasoning, etc, cooked sausage, old bread pieces, apples, currents, wild rice, onions, a little olive oil to give the baked in-turkey stuffing, moisture! The suggestion that raw meat juices will contaminate the stuffing has no merit at all. If your turkey is contaminated to begin with, the stuffing is the least of your concerns. Further, unless a “Butterball” -oil/butter injected bird, it should first be marinated in a salt/water solution. I do like your maple gravy recipe, and will definitely try same. Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, try it! Cheers!
Love the turkey but I’m too much a tradionalist to put garlic in the turkey. I substituted rubbed sage for the garlic but everything else remained the same. Absolutely delicious, especially the maple gravy
Thank YOU! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
If I set this up the night before do I remove the onions and garlic from the cavity to stuff the turkey before baking or leave it in and just add the stuffing to it?
Hi! It won’t make a difference, whatever is easier for you. I would leave those in and make the stuffing (dressing) separately because the stuffing will soak up all the raw turkey juices, which might make someone sick if the stuffing does not cook to a 165˚F. At least that is the “school of thought” these days by culinary professionals… however, it won’t surprise me if it changes by next year. 😆
Agreed! It’s always something 🤣 I think I will make the dressing separately, I’m really looking forward to making your recipe next month! Thanks so much!
This was a delicious turkey. A nice change from the traditional flavor. I stuffed this with the “Awesome Sausage Apple and Cranberry Stuffing” from this site and this made the best Turkey and stuffing I’ve ever eaten. I’ll be making it again.
This looks incredibly delicious!
This sounds seriously sooooo delicious but it looks totally gorgeous too!