Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey
This turkey recipe is made with a lemon butter injection marinade that gets deep in the turkey for moist and flavorful meat. Topped with a simple dry rub and a few other tricks for crispy skin and a tender and juicy bird!
Ingredients
- 1 (12-25lb) whole turkey (fresh or thawed)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 lemons (halved)
- 2 granny smith apples (quartered)
- 1 large white onion (quartered)
- 15 fresh thyme sprigs
- 10 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 10 fresh sage sprigs
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- Cranberries
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Sage
- Lemon (sliced)
Directions
- 1
Make sure that your turkey is fully thawed if using a frozen turkey.
- 2
Add the chicken stock, butter, lemon juice, salt, peppers, and onion powder to a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the butter has melted, do not boil. Allow the marinade to cool in the pan for about 15 to 20 minutes. You want it to cool down enough so it doesn't start cooking parts of the turkey but still be liquid enough to inject.
- 3
Pull the turkey out of the refrigerator to rest for 1 hour, during that time, finish the prep work by beginning stuffing the cavity full of the lemons, apples, onion, and herbs.
- 4
Pat the turkey down with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture on the skin.
- 5
Preheat the oven to 450°F and place a roasting rack in a roasting pan.