Bring everyone together for the holidays with a delicious Herb-Roasted Turkey as the centerpiece of your feast. This classic dish is a crowd-pleaser with fresh rosemary, sage, thyme and a savory roasted turkey.
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Ingredients
10lb.turkey
2tablespoonschopped fresh rosemary
2tablespoonschopped fresh sageplus 8 additional whole leaves to place under the turkey's skin
1tablespoonchopped fresh thyme
¾teaspoonsKosher salt
¾teaspoonfreshly grated pepper
3tablespoonscanola oil
2cupslow sodium turkey or chicken brothplus more if needed for basting
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Remove all contents from the cavities of the fresh or thawed turkey. Be sure to check both ends of the turkey as the neck and gizzards will probably be stored separately and at different ends.
Place onto a rack, breast side up, in a roasting pan.
In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.
Add canola oil and thoroughly combine.
With the fingers of one hand, gently loosen the skin from the breast of the bird. It will be easy if done slowly and with sweeping motions of your fingers between the skin and the breast.
Evenly rub one tablespoon of the herb mixture, all over the breast, under the skin.
Arrange the 8 whole sage leaves in a diagonal pattern under the skin of the turkey breast with four on each side.
Rub the remaining herb mixture over the entire turkey, including the portion closest to the rack.
You may or may not choose to stuff your turkey before placing it into the oven. See Note.
Cook the turkey for 3 1/4 - 3 1/2 hours for a stuffed 10 lb. turkey and 2 ¾ - 3 hours for unstuffed.
Every 45 minutes, be sure to baste the turkey with the drippings in the roasting pan. it may be necessary to add additional broth to the pan for basting purposes. If turkey is browning too quickly before it has finished roasting, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil.
Be sure to use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. It should read 170 degrees F. at the breast and 180 degrees F. at the thigh.
Allow turkey to rest 15 minutes before carving (so your guests can admire your hard work).
Notes
Note: cooking times will vary depending on the size of your turkey and whether it is stuffed or unstuffed. Please refer to the charts in the post for thawing times and cooking times. They can be printed out at FoodService.gov. Nutritional information and cooking times given are for a 10 lb. unstuffed turkey. Optional: After spreading the herbs on the turkey, cut 1-2 onions, 1-2 lemons, and an orange into quarters as I did in this Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken. Gently place the pieces into the cavity of the turkey. Doing this will add additional flavor to the turkey as it cooks. You may need to increase the cooking time by 15 minutes to ½ hour if you choose to do this.