Whether it's Thanksgiving, Christmas or even Easter, a whole roasted turkey is a no-brainer. If you are of the few that find turkey be boring or bland, this butter basted turkey will absolutely change your opinion! Amp up your holiday turkey with a savory butter seasoned with plenty of citrus, herbs, and savory spices. Each and every crevice of this turkey will be seasoned to perfection, and you most definitely will not be mad at the leftovers!
Round out this turkey dinner with a few of my favorite holiday sides, including creamy roasted garlic mashed potatoes, glazed calabrian chilli brussels sprouts to add a vegetable element, and of course sweet and savory cheese cornbread to mop up all the delicious turkey gravy! Looking for a completely traditional holiday spread? Serve up with my homemade sourdough bacon stuffing and cranberry apple sauce!
Jump to:
👩🏽🍳Why This Recipe Works
It is a flavorful twist on plain turkey: By slathering this bird in tons of flavourful butter, and stuffing the cavity with aromatics, this turkey is far from bland! Butter really does make everything better, especially when it comes to turkey.
It is not only reserved for special occasions: Roasting up a whole turkey for the week is a fantastic way to have protein all week long, and you can use it anywhere you'd use chicken. If you prefer the dark meat of the turkey, air fryer turkey thighs are a great option, too!
No brining required: Brining a turkey is one of the tried and true methods to ensure a juicy turkey is to brine it the night before in a salt/water solution. While that will definitely ensure a juicy bird, you absolutely need a good amount of space to keep the turkey cold. This turkey is super juicy and moist without the added step of brining, which is one less step to making a show-stopping main. If you still want to brine, though, this turkey brine recipe is perfect.
🥘Ingredients
- Whole turkey: I recommend to use an unstuffed turkey. They cook faster and allow you to season the turkey on the inside, too. A pre-buttered turkey is not necessarily a bad thing. It will only help to keep the turkey moist throughout the cooking process.
- Butter: I recommend using a good quality salted butter for this recipe. The butter is the vehicle for all of the seasonings on this turkey. I recommend using salted butter, because it helps with seasoning every layer of the turkey.
- Seasonings: To flavour the butter, you will need garlic and onion powder, smoked paprika, and dried thyme.
- Aromatics: To stuff the cavity of the turkey, you will need whole bulbs of garlic, fresh thyme, and lemons.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
📖Substitutions
- Whole turkey: You can opt for a turkey breast roast instead of a whole turkey, if you are cooking for a smaller crowd or prefer all white meat.
- Salted butter: If you only have unsalted butter on hand, feel free to use it. Be sure to add some extra salt to the spice mixture, so keep everything well seasoned.
- Thyme: Fresh rosemary will work perfectly in place of fresh thyme, as it is also a sturdier herb and holds up well to roasting.
- Smoked paprika: If you can't find smoked paprika, or do not have it on hand, sweet paprika will work.
🔪Variations
- Cajun: Add a couple of teaspoons of your favorite Cajun seasoning, such as Slap Ya Mama or Tony Chachere's seasoning, for a spicier twist in the seasoning rub.
- Garlic and herb: Instead of a spiced butter, make a classic garlic butter with minced garlic, minced parsley and salt.
- Tandoori: If you are feeling incredibly adventurous, try out my tandoori chicken marinade on this turkey, for a delicious flavorful twist.
⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Thaw the turkey - Most turkeys are sold frozen solid at the grocery store. A general rule of thumb is to give yourself 24 hours per 5 lbs of turkey to properly defrost and thaw the turkey. The best way to defrost a turkey is by putting it in the fridge, with a proper tray or plate underneath it to avoid any liquids dripping into the fridge.
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Prep the aromatics - Cut the heads of garlic in half to expose all of the cloves, and quarter the lemons.
Preheat the oven - Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Remove the gizzards and the neck bone from the turkey. Transfer the turkey to a baking dish or a roasting rack. Using a paper towel, pat dry the turkey skin so there is no excess moisture. [photo 1]
Liberally season the inside of the turkey with salt and pepper, and stuff with the garlic bulbs, lemon and thyme. [photo 2]
Mix together the ingredients for the flavoured butter, in a mixing bowl. [photo 3]
Using a pastry brush or your hands, slather the turkey in all the crevices with the flavoured butter. You will be left with butter, which you will baste the turkey with while it roasts. [photo 4]
Cover the turkey with a tent of tin foil, and transfer the turkey to the oven.
Baste the turkey every half an hour, with your remaining butter mixture. Once the butter mixture is completely used up on the turkey, start basting from the juices and butter in the baking dish or roasting rack.
For the last 45 minutes of roasting the turkey, remove the foil and cook uncovered.
The turkey is done when the juices run clear, and the internal temperature reads 165°F from the thickest part of the thigh. Allow the turkey to rest in a foil tent for approximately 15-20 minutes prior to carving.
💭 Expert Tips
If you forgot to soften your butter: Place the unwrapped butter in a bowl and microwave in 10-second increments on 50% power.
Let your turkey come to room temperature before roasting: Take the chill of your turkey, and let it come to room temperature before roasting it.
Don't forget to dry the skin: This is a very small step, but it make a big difference in achieving a nice, crispy skin. It also helps to spread the butter nicely on the skin. If there is too much moisture on the skin, the butter will not stick, and will result in a clumpy mess.
Cover the wings with foil if they are getting too dark: If the wings look like they are browning too quickly, cover them with tin foil.
🍽 Make Ahead & Storage
- You can make the the spiced butter up to a week in advance. The butter will stay fresh in the fridge in an airtight container. Remove from the fridge 1 hour to 30 minutes before prepping the turkey, to soften.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days, in an airtight container.
- Leftovers can also be frozen for 4-6 months in the freezer. Store in airtight freezer-safe bags or containers.
- Reheat leftover turkey, with a dash of chicken or turkey broth to keep the meat moist and to prevent drying out.
⭐ Recipe FAQs
For a 10lb turkey, it will take approximately 2-2 ½ hours to roast. Using a meat thermometer is the safest way to know if your meat is cooked to a safe temperature. Stick your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone, and look for a reading of 165°F. This is for an unstuffed turkey.
The safest way to know if meat is cooked is to use one; however, if you cut a slit in the turkey and juices run clear (that means no pink), it is generally cooked through!
The general rule of thumb is to cook your turkey 13 minutes for every pound of unstuffed turkey.
Butter Basted Turkey
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 lb Whole turkey - uncooked, unstuffed
- 2 teaspoon Sea salt
- 2 teaspoon Black pepper
- 2 bulbs Garlic - halved horizontally
- 2 Lemons - quartered
- 1 bunch Thyme
- 2 sticks Salted butter
- 2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoon Onion powder
- 2 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon Dried thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Remove the gizzards and the neck bone from the turkey. Transfer the turkey to a baking dish or a roasting rack. Using a paper towel, pat dry the turkey skin so there is no excess moisture.10 lb Whole turkey
- Liberally season the inside of the turkey with salt and pepper, and stuff with the garlic bulbs, lemon and thyme.2 teaspoon Sea salt, 2 teaspoon Black pepper, 2 bulbs Garlic, 2 Lemons, 1 bunch Thyme
- Mix together the ingredients for the flavoured butter, in a mixing bowl.2 sticks Salted butter, 2 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 2 teaspoon Onion powder, 2 teaspoon Dried thyme, 2 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- Using a pastry brush or your hands, slather the turkey in all the crevices with the flavoured butter. You will be left with butter, which you will baste the turkey with while it roasts.
- Cover the turkey with a tent of tin foil, and transfer the turkey to the oven.
- Baste the turkey every half an hour, with your remaining butter mixture. Once the butter mixture is completely used up on the turkey, start basting from the juices and butter in the baking dish or roasting rack.
- For the last 45 minutes of roasting the turkey, remove the foil and cook uncovered.
- Once the turkey is cooked, the juices run clear, and the internal temperature reads 165°F from the thickest part of the thigh, allow the turkey to rest in a foil tent for approximately 15-20 minutes prior to carving.
✱Recipe Notes
- If you forgot to soften your butter: Place the unwrapped butter in a bowl and microwave in 10-second increments on 50% power.
- Let your turkey come to room temperature before roasting: Take the chill of your turkey, and let it come to room temperature before roasting it.
- Don't forget to dry the skin: This is key to achieving a nice, crispy skin. It also helps to spread the butter nicely on the skin. If there is too much moisture on the skin, the butter will not stick, and will result in a clumpy mess.
- Cover the wings with foil if they are getting too dark: If the wings look like they are browning too quickly, cover them with tin foil.
Sarah says
How long do you cook the turkey for???
Sunena says
Hi Sarah!
For a 10lb turkey, it will take approximately 2-2 ½ hours to roast. The general rule of thumb is 13 minutes per pound. If you have one on hand, I definitely recommend using a meat thermometer because that will always be the most accurate.