Simple ingredients and minimal prep, this roasted Herb Butter Turkey comes out moist and juicy every time and makes the best gravy too.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are the two biggest roast turkey days of the year, but our flavorful turkey, just like our Skillet Honey Mustard Glazed Ham is wonderful all year long. Serve our honey glazed carrots, sausage stuffing, and cranberry cashew broccoli with your turkey.
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I am not sure what aroma can be more intoxicating than that of a roasting Thanksgiving Turkey. Who doesn't love the smell of the kitchen on Thanksgiving?
Recipe ingredients
- Turkey —we used a 15 pound turkey. We do not recommend exceeding a 16 pound turkey.
- Produce —Celery, carrot, onion, lemon, and an apple. These will be roughly chopped and place in the neck and body cavities.
- Butter — We used salted butter. It needs to be at room temperature or softened in the microwave. If sodium content is an issue for you, use unsalted butter.
- Seasonings — Garlic, salt and pepper.
- Fresh Herbs — Fresh is best. Fresh sage, thyme, rosemary, and parsley.
How to make a roasted Herb Butter Turkey
- Step 1 — Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Roughly chop the apple, onion, celery, carrot, and lemon. Pull out several sprigs of the fresh herbs. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the chopped produce.
- Step 2 — Make herb butter by placing the softened butter in a small bowl and smash it with a fork. Add fresh thyme, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix to blend.
- Step 3 — Remove the neck and giblets from inside the turkey. Pat dry the whole turkey using paper towels. Place the turkey in the skillet or large roasting pan. Stuff pieces of the chopped fresh produce and some herbs into the neck cavity until full.
- Step 4 — Add a dollop or two of the herb butter into the turkey cavity then stuff it with the fresh produce and herbs. Place any remaining fruits, vegetables, and herbs around the turkey in the skillet or roasting pan.
Should I put butter under the skin of my turkey?
- Step 5 — Loosen skin around the turkey breast, working it free. This can be done with your fingers, a table knife, or even a chopstick.
- Step 6 — Work the herb butter under the skin onto the breast meat. Then replace the skin.
- Step 7 — Generously slather the rest of the herb butter all over the entire turkey like I do for my pale skin with SPF One Billion at a water park. If you should have any butter left, drop it into the skillet around the turkey; it will just enhance the flavor of the gravy. Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under the bird.
- Step 8 — Cover LIGHTLY with foil and place in the oven. Bake the turkey 15 minutes per pound, so 4 hours for our 15 pound turkey. Baste periodically as desired. The turkey is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh has an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
How long should a turkey rest?
Once your roasted turkey is done, remove it from the oven and transfer turkey to a cutting board and let it rest, one that will catch any released juices.
The turkey rest time should be at least 30 minutes for smaller birds and up to 45 minutes up to 1 hour for larger ones, like a 16 pound turkey or more. Once rested, carve and place the turkey on a platter and serve.
Recipe FAQs
If you have a smaller bird and want a lot of gravy, adding broth to the roasting pan or skillet is a good idea. Depending on how much gravy you want to make, add up to 4 cups.
The biggest cause of this is having the foil on too tight. When it's on too tight, the turkey will steam more than it will roast.
We used parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, but you could also use tarragon, marjoram, or oregano.
Our favorite tools to make Herb Butter Turkey!
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Herb Butter Turkey
Equipment
- 15-inch cast iron skillet (or other roasting pan)
Ingredients
- 15 lb turkey 12-16 lbs
- 1 gala apple into wedges
- 1 lemon into wedges
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 celery rib chopped
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 4 plump garlic cloves divided, minced and chopped
- 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 10 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley
- 6 fresh sage sprigs
- ½ lb salted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt +/- to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper +/- to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Roughly chop all the produce. Pull out several sprigs of the fresh herbs. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the chopped produce.
- Make herb butter by placing the softened butter in a small bowl and smash it with a fork. Add de-stemmed fresh thyme, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix to blend.
- Remove the neck and giblets from inside the turkey. Pat the whole turkey dry. Place the turkey in the skillet or large roasting pan. Stuff pieces of the chopped fresh produce and some herbs into the neck cavity until full.
- Add a dollop or two of the herb butter into the turkey cavity then stuff it with the fresh produce and herbs. Place any remaining fruits, vegetables, and herbs around the turkey in the skillet or roasting pan.
- Loosen skin around the turkey breast, working it free. This can be done with your fingers, a table knife, or even a chopstick. Work the herb butter under the skin onto the breast meat. Then replace the skin.
- Generously slather the rest of the herb butter all over the entire turkey. If you should have any butter left, drop it into the skillet around the turkey. Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under the bird.
- Cover LIGHTLY with foil and place in the oven. Bake the turkey 15 minutes per pound, so 4 hours for our 15 pound turkey.
- Baste periodically as desired. The turkey is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh has an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Once the turkey is done, remove it from the oven and place the turkey on a cutting board, one that will catch any released juices, and let it rest for 30-60 minutes. Carve, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Spencer Adams
Dutch Oven Daddy’s Herb Butter Turkey recipe delivers a flavorful and moist turkey. The recipe is easy to follow! I love it so much!
Gina
This recipe is absolute perfection and will be a family favorite on Thanksgiving! LOVE IT!
Gianne
It was absolutely divine and bursting with flavor. The combination of savory herbs and creamy, buttery goodness was simply sensational. A definite must-try!
Anjali
Love this turkey recipe!! So perfect for Thanksgiving and a great way to switch up the recipe I typically make during the holidays!
Andrea
I am loving the herb butter and all the flavors you stuffed the turkey with. It looks beautiful and sounds delicious.
Kristine
Love, love, love the flavors of this turkey! I've been searing for a new (more exciting) recipe and THIS IS IT! 10/10 recommend this one. Delicious!
Renee
That herb butter adds so much flavor to the turkey! Really appreciate your tips on how to get under the skin, too. A chopstick is a great tool for the job.