Thanksgiving is literally right around the corner. With Canadian Thanksgiving next week on Monday, and American Thanksgiving a month away, it's never too early to start planning! So, let's take care of the biggest item on the menu -- turkey. And boy do I have the easiest, best and juiciest roast turkey ever for you!
So what is the secret to the perfect roast turkey? Roasting it at a higher heat for a shorter period of time. That's right, you no longer need to spend 5 hours roasting a turkey, nor do you need to take it out every hour to apply brine. Just prep the bird, stick in the oven, adjust the temperature once during the cooking process and that's it. Yup, this is the easiest and juiciest way to get it done! Plus, the flavour is so much better!
I also like to stuff the cavity of the turkey with apples, cinnamon and lots of fresh herbs. Not only does this give of an amazing aroma into my kitchen, but it also adds incredible flavour to the turkey drippings which will turn into the gravy
Turkey Gravy
This recipe also provides the essentials for an AH-mazing gravy ! Almost all you need is right there in the turkey. You will need to make homemade turkey stock which requires the turkey neck and giblets, so make sure you remove and save those when you are prepping the turkey for the oven. Also, once the turkey is baked, save all those juicy drippings as well. Get my easy homemade gravy recipe HERE! There is seriously no need for powdered gravy if you are already making a roast turkey dinner!!
Recipe
The Best and Juiciest Roast Turkey Ever
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 roast turkey 1x
Description
Make Thanksgiving easier with the best and juiciest roast turkey ever! It cooks faster and requires NO brining!
Ingredients
- 1 (14 - 16 lb.) turkey
- olive oil or butter
- 1 apple, sliced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary and/or thyme
- 6 leaves fresh sage
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 F.
- Remove turkey neck and giblets and set aside for your homemade gravy (it is used for the turkey stock).
- Wash and pat dry turkey with paper towels. Place turkey on roasting tray and tuck the wings underneath the turkey.
- Coat the turkey skin both on top and underneath (if possible) generously with olive oil or butter. You can add some chopped herbs (rosemary, thyme and/or sage) on top of the bird as well (optional).
- Insert apple, cinnamon and fresh herbs into the turkey's cavity.
- Roast the turkey on lowest rack for 30 minutes.
- Lower the oven temperature to 350 F and roast until the internal temperature of turkey reaches 165 F. You can check the internal temperature by inserting the thickest part of the turkey breast with a cooking thermometer. For a 14-16 pound turkey, this should take approximately 2 to 2.5 hours.
- Remove from oven and loosely cover the turkey with aluminum foil. Let turkey rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the turkey drippings and set aside for your gravy.
- Serve and carve!
Notes
Reserve the turkey neck and giblets to make turkey stock for your homemade gravy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Poultry
Holly says
I LOVE the crispy skin on this bird! It looks super delicious!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
It's probably the best part! 😉
Julie says
What a gorgeous turkey! I am admittedly not a big turkey fan because I hate how dry it is - can't wait to try this to make an extra juicy one this year!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you! This one is really juicy! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Sharon says
You have me wishing Thanksgiving was tomorrow with this turkey! So easy and delicious, I know what I"m making this year.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Haha, well it will be here sooner than you know it! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Nicole says
Oh yes hunny! It is about that time for us to start getting prepared for Thanksgiving. This looks like the perfect roasted turkey.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you! 😀
Anne Murphy says
Cinnamon in the cavity? Oh, that sounds interesting. It adds lovely depth with meat, so this should be really good!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
It also adds incredible aroma in your kitchen! 🙂
Loreto Sugarlovespices says
I love this method of cooking a turkey. I remember my mom and dad waking up so early to cook the turkey for hours upon hours. We would be waiting with that most asked question. "Is it ready yet!" Your method cuts that time considerably and the crispness on the surface of that bird looks so so delicious!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Yup, I am always looking for ways to cut time, but maximize flavour and quality! 😀