Holiday Turkey
Juicy, flavorful and with the added Basil Lemon Butter, this is a Holiday Turkey you and your guests will not soon forget!
Ingredients
- 1 large turkey, neck and giblets reserved Footnote
- 1/2 cup red onions, roughly chopped
- 4 large sprigs rosemary tips & tricks
- 1/2 tbsp. poultry seasoning
- 1/2 tbsp. ground sage
- 1/2 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1/4 cup basil lemon butter, room temperature see Recipe
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature tips & tricks
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika, or as needed
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Directions
- Preheat oven at 325ºF.
- Remove neck and giblets; set them aside to make the Old Fashioned Stuffing. Thoroughly rinse the turkey under cold water and drain well.
- Transfer it to a cutting board and tuck the wings under. Add onions, rosemary sprigs, poultry seasoning, sage and freshly ground black pepper to the bird’s cavity.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently slide it between the skin and the meat of each breast half to separate it making sure not to pierce or break the skin.
- Take about 2 tbsp. basil lemon butter per breast, slide it under the skin and move it around to evenly distribute it.
- Rub regular butter all over the bird and transfer to a roasting pan.
- Season the turkey generously with paprika and more freshly ground black pepper. Pour chicken broth in the pan to jump start the pan juice.
- Cover the legs with foil and loosely place a sheet of foil on top of the breast.
- Insert a probe in the thickest part of the thigh and transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 180ºF, about 3 ½ hours or more depending on the size of the turkey, basting often, .
- Remove the foil during the last hour of cooking and baste the turkey with the pan juices.
- For brown crusty skin, increase the temperature to broil, baste generously and cook for a few minutes watching it closely.
- Remove the turkey from the oven, baste with the broth from the roasting pan one more time (keep the pan juices to make the gravy), transfer to a serving plate and cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil; allow to rest in a warm area for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Footnote: The size of my turkey was around 11 lbs./5 kg.