Holidays & Occasions Thanksgiving Ideas and Tips Thanksgiving Recipes Thanksgiving Turkey Simple Roasted Turkey 5.0 (1) 1 Review This classic roast turkey is one you'll want to use year after year at your feast. By Melissa Gray Updated on November 4, 2023 Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about the Southern Living Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood Active Time: 15 mins Roast Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Rest Time: 30 mins Total Time: 3 hrs Servings: 10 Everyone demands roast turkey at Thanksgiving, but very few really want to be in charge of preparing it. This much-maligned but oh-so-delicious bird has a bad reputation of being too dry, under cooked, or tasteless. The secret to a delicious roast turkey is in the prep work: To buy the right size turkey, plan on one to one-and-a-half pounds per person—which will also give you enough for delicious turkey leftovers, such as soups, sandwiches, and turkey casseroles. How To Prepare a Turkey for Roasting For the freshest flavor, buy turkey that has been flash frozen after butchering. To allow adequate time for defrosting, plan on two to three days for a 10- to 15-pound bird. Leave the turkey in its original wrapper, place it in a pan to catch any juices, and set the pan in the back (the coldest part) of your refrigerator until it's thawed. Then you are ready to follow your recipe for an easy roast turkey. Save your turkey neck and giblets to make your own turkey stock while you turkey roasts. This will add so much flavor to your homemade turkey gravy. Serving Tip To help keep the turkey warm during dinnertime, heat up the serving platter. Depending on the type of plate, you can use a low (120°F) oven, or run hot water over it. Fresh Vs. Frozen Turkey: What To Know Before You Buy Ingredients 1 (14- to 16-lb.) fresh or frozen, thawed whole turkey, with giblets and neck reserved for Homemade Turkey Stock 2 Tbsp. kosher salt 1 Tbsp. black pepper 1 large (12 oz.) yellow onion, quartered 3 bay leaves 1 head garlic, halved crosswise 2 Tbsp. olive oil Directions Prepare oven and turkey: Preheat oven to 450°F with oven rack in lower third of oven. Place a roasting rack in a large roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood Season turkey: Season on all sides with salt and pepper; place onion, bay leaves, and garlic in cavity. Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood Truss turkey: Tie ends of legs together with kitchen twine; tuck wing tips under. Place on rack in prepared pan, breast side up, and brush with oil. Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood Roast turkey: Bake in lower third of preheated oven 45 minutes. Loosely cover turkey with aluminum foil, and reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood Continue baking until golden brown and a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion of thigh registers 165°F, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Transfer to a cutting board, and rest 30 minutes before carving. Pour pan drippings through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl; discard solids. Reserve 1 1/2 cups strained drippings for Old-Fashioned Turkey Gravy or Mushroom Gravy. Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood Rate It Print