This oven roasted turkey recipe is easy to make and turns out juicy, packed with flavor, and perfectly crisp skin. If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving dinner must-have dish… this is it! Learn how to cook a turkey in the oven with this step-by-step guide for beginners…
As a cookbook author and home cooking enthusiast, I’ve cooked what feels like a million turkeys. I’m here to make cooking the perfect roasted turkey completely stress-free!
See the video
Checkout how to smoke a whole turkey in a Traeger pellet smoker…
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for oven baked turkey…
- 12-16 lb turkey
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 lemons
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup poultry seasoning
- 2 tbsp butter, salted
Do you need to brine turkey before roasting it?
Your turkey needs to be thawed (which takes one day per each 5 LBs)…
But no – you do not need to brine the turkey before roasting it.
Though, it’s a great idea to brine then roast a turkey because it adds even more flavor. To do so, brine it in the fridge 1-2 days in advance. See the Sip Bite Go brine recipe for details.
How long does it take to cook a turkey in the oven?
If you’re cooking at 325 – 350 degrees F then the general rule of thumb is about 13 – 15 minutes per pound. In any case, cooking times will vary so you should go based on internal temperature rather than time. I highly recommend that you use an internal read thermometer that you can read from outside the oven like.
How to check a turkey for doneness?
When using an internal read thermometer, the turkey will be done when it reaches 165 degrees F in the turkey breast meat (white meat) and 175 degrees F in the thigh (dark meat). The internal thermometer should be inserted into the thickest part of the thigh when measuring a turkey for doneness.
How to cook turkey in the oven
Now I’ll walk you through the detailed recipe for oven roasted turkey with extra tips…
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and remove turkey from the bag (or turkey brine if you followed the Sip Bite Go brined turkey recipe beforehand). Remove / discard the neck and giblets or anything that comes with the turkey that you don’t want.
- Pat turkey dry with a paper towel.
- Drizzle olive oil over turkey and rub to fully coat it.
- Season inside the turkey with ½ tbsp poultry seasoning.
- Stuff the onion, lemons, and garlic cloves into the cavity.
- Season the outside of the turkey with the remaining poultry seasoning.
- Truss the turkey if desired.
- Place the turkey in a roasting pan (ours was elevated on a roasting rack that came with the pan) and roast turkey in the oven at 325 degrees F.
- After 90 minutes, take the turkey out of the oven and brush with melted butter.
- Cover the top of the turkey loosely with tin foil.
- Place the turkey back into the oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the turkey, the thigh. (The total cooking time for this 12lb turkey in the Sip Bite Go demonstration was about 3 hours.)
- Remove and rest for one hour before carving.
See easy Thanksgiving Turkey recipes…
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- Air fryer turkey legs
- Smoked turkey legs
- Smoked mac and cheese
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chef, hope that answers all your questions about oven roasting a whole turkey.
I feel confident this oven roasted turkey recipe will leave you with minimal fuss and you sure will be the cooking hero this Thanksgiving holiday.
Pair your roasted Thanksgiving turkey with a homemade gravy or cranberry bbq sauce and you’ll be in for a treat.
Enjoy cooking and chat soon on Instagram / TikTok / YouTube.
– Jenna
Next, browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collection…
Oven Roasted Turkey Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 12 lb turkey thawed (you can adjust this recipe for 13, 14, 15 lb whole turkey)
- 1 medium yellow onion quartered
- 2 medium lemons quartered
- 6 cloves garlic lightly crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup poultry seasoning divided (any blend you’d like)
- 2 tbsp butter salted, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and remove turkey from the bag (or turkey brine if you followed the Sip Bite Go brined turkey recipe beforehand). Remove / discard the neck and giblets or anything that comes with the turkey that you don’t want.
- Pat turkey dry with a paper towel.
- Drizzle olive oil over turkey and rub to fully coat it.
- Season inside the turkey with ½ tbsp poultry seasoning.
- Stuff the onion, lemons, and garlic cloves into the cavity.
- Season the outside of the turkey with the remaining poultry seasoning.
- Truss the turkey if desired.
- Place the turkey in a roasting pan (ours was elevated on a roasting rack that came with the pan) and roast turkey in the oven at 325 degrees F.
- After 90 minutes, take the turkey out of the oven and brush with melted butter
- Cover the top of the turkey loosely with tin foil.
- Place the turkey back into the oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the turkey, the thigh. (The total cooking time for this 12lb turkey in the Sip Bite Go demonstration was about 3 hours.)
- Remove and rest for 30-60 minutes before carving.
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