Best Roast Turkey Recipe Cooking Classy Recipes

ROAST TURKEY BREAST RECIPE - COOKING CLASSY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Carefully separate skin from breast using a large spoon or the handle of a wooden spoon, while leaving outer edges if skin intact (so butter doesn't just seep out).
• In a mixing bowl stir together butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage and season with some salt and pepper.
• Dab chicken dry with paper towels. Rub about half of the butter mixture all over underneath the skin then remaining half over.
• Season all over with salt and pepper.
• Add onion, carrot and celery to a medium roasting pan. Place a roasting rack over veggies if you have one (otherwise you can just place turkey directly over vegetables).
• Place turkey skin side up on rack. Roast in preheated oven until center or thickest portion registers 165 on an instant read thermometer, about 2 to 2 1/4 hours.
• Let turkey rest on a carving board tented with foil for about 10 minutes before carving.
• For the gravy, discard veggies then pour drippings into a fat separator or liquid measuring cup. Measure out 1/3 cup of the fat drippings.
• Heat fat drippings in saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly 1 minute. While whisking pour in broth an any remaining turkey broth drippings.
• Let cook, whisk constantly, until mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste as needed, thin with more chicken broth as desired.

ROAST TURKEY RECIPE - COOKING CLASSY

Steps:

• Let turkey rest at room temperature 1 hour. Transfer oven rack 1 level below center and preheat oven to 350 degrees near end of resting.
• Remove neck and giblets from turkey and remove any pin feathers left behind. Pat outside of turkey well dry with paper towels and dry inside as well. Tuck wings under turkey. Season cavity well with salt and pepper.
• In a mixing bowl stir together butter, lemon zest, thyme and rosemary. Using the back end of a wooden spoon and starting at the back end of the turkey, carefully separate the skin from the breast leaving skin intact between breasts, front area and sides. Be careful not to tear skin or butter will melt out as it bakes.
• Transfer turkey to a large roasting pan with a roasting rack (if you are looking to buy one I have this one).
• Using the end of the spoon again stuff and spread about 1/3 of the butter total into each portion and rub hands over turkey skin to smooth around.
• Rub remaining 2/3 of the butter all over turkey, except underside. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Stuff onion, garlic and parsley into cavity of turkey. Tie legs together with kitchen twine if you want a better presentation**.
• Bake in preheated oven until thickest portion of thigh (without touching bone) registers 165 degrees on a probe thermometer or instant read thermometer, about 2 hours 20 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes***, while tenting top of turkey with aluminum foil during baking as needed to prevent excessive browning.
• Let turkey rest 30 minutes (or up to 60 minutes) then carve****.