It's Thanksgiving time! The turkey is definitely the star of the show, which means you need this Lemon and Sage Butter Roasted Turkey! It's a simple herb butter that gets slathered over the turkey for the juiciest, easiest turkey you've ever made!
As the host of Thanksgiving, that means it's up to you to make the turkey! While this may seem like a daunting task, I have all the tools and tricks necessary to making sure you make a delicious and flavorful turkey! This recipe was made for a 15 pound turkey but works great with turkey or chicken!
If you haven't read my blog post about how to properly dry brine your turkey, go read that here!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
This Lemon and Sage Butter Roasted Turkey is full of flavor from the fresh herbs, to the bright citrus, paired with a flavorful basting liquid! This turkey recipe is easy to follow and creates a show-stopper of a turkey!
Basting Liquid
I love to use a basting liquid to help infuse the turkey with even more flavor and to help it from drying out! After the turkey is finished cooking and cut up, I like to add even more of the basting liquid over the top!
Of course, you could just use chicken broth as your basting liquid, but this is another great opportunity to layer on the flavors of the turkey! From dry-brining, to the butter, to the basting liquid, these are all the stepping stones to adding flavor and depth to your turkey!
Fresh or Frozen Turkey
When it comes to buying a fresh or frozen turkey, the main thing you need to keep in mind is how long it takes to thaw out a turkey properly!
It takes about 24 hours to thaw out every 5 pounds of turkey, which means if you have a 20 pound turkey, it will take 4 days to fully thaw! Which means if you're going to dry-brine the turkey the night before, you might need to start thawing out your turkey the Saturday before Thanksgiving!
How Long to Cook a Turkey
The most important part of cooking a turkey is making sure the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165 degrees. The typical rule of thumb with cooking a turkey is 15 minutes per pound. Going off of those numbers, try to get an average time for how long to cook your turkey, keeping in mind that you will need to let the turkey rest, covered, for about 45 minutes.
Some turkeys come with a little red tab thermometer in them. These are no good! Throw those out and get an instant read thermometer to make sure your turkey is fully cooked!
Ingredients
- Butter
- Sage
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Lemon
- Pepper
- Chicken Broth
- Onion
See recipe below for all the details!
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Chop up the fresh herbs.
- Step 2: Add softened butter to a bowl.
- Step 3: Add in lemon zest, herbs, and pepper.
- Step 4: Stir together.
- Step 5: Generously spread butter mixture over turkey (or in this case a chicken!).
- Step 6: Tie up legs with kitchen twine, then cover with foil. Roast at 350 degrees.
Hint: When it comes to cooking the best turkey, just make sure you have a good meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey! When you get stressed, just think of a turkey as a big chicken! They both work the same way!
Variations and Substitutions
This Lemon and Sage Butter Roasted Turkey Recipe has been my go-to turkey recipe for the past few years! Here are some other ways to enhance the flavor:
- Spicy - add some chili powder to really punch up the flavors of this turkey!
- Sweet and savor - add some maple syrup or brown sugar to add a caramelization to the top of the turkey!
- Italian Seasoning - add some of your favorite spice seasonings, like Italian seasoning to the butter mixture!
Equipment
Roasting Pan - Make sure you have a large roasting pan that will hold the size of the turkey! These are definitley an investment piece!
Kitchen Twine - This is helpful to tie up the turkey legs, which helps everything cook a little bit more evenly!
Basting Tool - You can use this basting tool or you can just ladle over the basting liquid!
Meat Thermometer - This has got the be the most important piece on Thanksgiving! Make sure you get a good one or check the batteries of the one you already have!
I have all my favorite tools linked here! This post does contain affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you purchase through my storefront! Please note that all of these items are ones I've purchased before and recommend!
Top tip
Be sure to have an instant read thermometer to make sure you're cooking the turkey to the internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Timeline
It takes about 15 minutes per pound of turkey to get fully cooked, so make sure you plan ahead with your timeline! I like to make sure the turkey is done about an hour before guests arrive! This gives plenty of time for the turkey to rest, the gravy to be made, and leaves a little wiggle room in case the turkey takes longer to cook!
FAQ
Letting the turkey rest after cooking helps the turkey absorb all of the juices that could be lost if you cut the turkey right as it's done!
Nope! You can use dried herbs as well!
I love doing a dry-brine for my turkey! I think it adds so much flavor to the turkey! Read more about that here!
The general rule of thumb is 15 minutes per pound of turkey!
Cheers!
-Holly Michelle
Lemon and Sage Butter Roasted Turkey
Equipment
- Roasting Pan
- Kitchen Twine
Ingredients
- 2 sticks Butter room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Sage chopped
- 1 tablespoon Thyme chopped
- 1 tablespoon Rosemary chopped
- 1 Lemon zested
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 15 pound Turkey
Basting Liquid:
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- Fresh herbs rosemary, thyme, sage
Turkey Stuffings:
- 1 Onion
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Whole Garlic Head
- Fresh Herbs
Instructions
- Take out the dry-brined turkey from the fridge, let set out for 45 minutes before it's time to cook. The turkey should already be on the roasting pan!1 15 pound Turkey
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a bowl, combine butter, sage, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, and pepper.2 sticks Butter, 1 tablespoon Sage, 1 tablespoon Thyme, 1 tablespoon Rosemary, 1 Lemon, ½ teaspoon Pepper
- Generously spread the butter mixture over the skin of the turkey, even getting underneath the skin.
- Then chop the onion, lemon, and head of garlic in half. Place everything along with some extra fresh herbs inside the turkey.1 Onion, 1 Lemon, 1 Whole Garlic Head, Fresh Herbs
- Use kitchen twine to tie the turkey legs together.
- Cover with tin foil and place in the oven. The rule of thumb is 15 minutes per pound of turkey! You want the internal temperature of the turkey to be 165 degrees when it's done!
Basting Liquid:
- While the turkey cooks, start a basting liquid on stove. Combine chicken broth, garlic cloves and any fresh herbs you have leftover. Keep on a low simmer.2 cups Chicken Broth, 3 Garlic Cloves, Fresh herbs
- I like to baste my turkey every 45 minutes, but try to do it quickly, so you don't let too much heat out of the oven!
- The last 45 minutes of cooking, remove the foil from the turkey to let the skin crisp up!
- Let the turkey rest for about 45 minutes after it's reached the internal temperature of 165 degrees!
- Serve and enjoy! Happy Holidays!
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