This is the Best Herb Butter Turkey. It has classic flavors like sage and thyme, along with a generous amount of sea salt and lemon zest. The lemon herb compound butter is rubbed over and under the turkey skin and roast on a bed of carrots, onions, and celery for an incredibly flavorful and moist turkey dinner.
Thanksgiving will be here before you know it, and if you’re anything like me, you are already getting your holiday menu prepared! I love the classic dishes that come with Thanksgiving. And in our house, Roast Turkey with Garlic and Herb Compound Butter is one of the best parts of the meal.
Herb Compound Butter Turkey
While there are lots of different ways to cook a turkey, using a garlic and herb compound butter for turkey roasting is such a great way to impart flavor and moisture into a turkey bird, without special equipment or timely processes. You simply have to prepare the compound butter (which you can do a day or two ahead of time), and then before you go to cook your turkey, generously coat it with the butter mixture. This helps give a nicely flavored skin from all the herbs, salt, and butter, AND it keeps it all super moist.
I do not like to stuff the inside of my turkey with bread stuffing because it can make it more difficult to tell if things are cooking evenly. Instead, I stuff it and surround it with carrots, onions, celery, lemon halves, and additional fresh herbs. I don’t overstuff, so there’s still lots of room for air to circulate. But by doing this, you are not only flavoring the bird itself, but also setting yourself up for a delicious and ridiculously easy gravy.
All the turkey drippings are loaded with flavor to use to make a delicious pan dripping gravy. It uses a simple roux from the turkey fat and butter drippings and then is thinned out from the leftover juices. It’s the perfect complement to this turkey!
Along with the flavored butter, I like to rest the turkey on carrots and celery stalks and stuff it with more of the herbs, celery and onions, and lemons inside of the turkey to infuse it with flavor.
Ingredients for Garlic and Herb Compound Butter
- butter (2 sticks)
- fresh garlic
- fresh sage
- fresh thyme
- fresh rosemary
- olive oil
- salt
- fresh ground black pepper
How to assemble butter
Step 1. Combine all of the compound butter ingredients, room temperature butter, fresh minced garlic, fresh herbs that have been finely chopped, olive oil, salt, and peppers.
Step 2. Stir well so that all of the ingredients are fully incorporated into the butter.
Sarah' Tip: It’s a great idea to prepare the compound butter the night before. Any prep you can do ahead of time, do it! Combine all the ingredients and then refrigerate. The morning of Thanksgiving, take the butter out and leave it on the counter so that it can come to room temperature.
Ingredients for Lemon and Herb Stuffed Turkey
- 16 lb. turkey
- carrots
- celery
- lemon
- onion
- fresh sage
- fresh rosemary
- fresh thyme
How to Make the Turkey
Step 1. Let the thawed turkey sit out for about a half hour before coating it in the butter mixture to let the skin dry out a bit (this will help its browning in the oven!).
Step 2. To help it along a little bit, it’s totally okay to dab it with some paper towels.
Step 3. Stuff the turkey with your onions, lemon, and herbs. If there’s more than will fit in the cavity, just place the extras around the perimeter of the roasting pan.
Step 4. To get the butter under the skin of the turkey, the best way to go is to work your fingers gently in there to separate the skin from the muscle. You don’t want to completely pull it back, just keep working your hand (and depending on the size of your turkey, your arm), until it’s loose.
Step 5. Before you start rubbing the bird with butter (it will get slippery), tuck some carrots and celery underneath the turkey, either on top of the rack or in place of it. I also take this time to tuck the wings underneath the body of the turkey. You want the turkey to be as compact as possible for even cooking.
Step 6. Then go in there and add globs of the room temperature butter. You are going to want to get that butter everywhere! Under the skin, on top of the skin, and everywhere in between. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as it will melt in the oven, but you want the turkey to be as evenly and fully coated as possible. I like to put a little inside the cavity as well!
Step 7. Put the turkey in the oven at 325 F with the lid on or tented with tin foil. After 2 ½ hours, uncover the turkey and raise the heat to 375° F. Bake for another 1- 1 ½ hours until turkey is fully cooked through and a nice golden brown on the outside. It may start getting brown earlier than the inside is done, in which case just place your lid or tenting foil back on.
Step 8. Once the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 F (check it in several places with a meat thermometer), it's done. Let turkey rest on the counter for 30 minutes after cooking to let all the juices redistribute. Then it's carving time!
Thanksgiving Quick Tips to remember
- Remember to remove all of the gizzards, neck, gravy bag, etc. from your turkey before roasting. There are often things stuffed in both sides of the cavities so take care to double check!
- These cooking times are for an 16 lb. turkey. If yours is bigger or smaller, you will certainly have to adjust the cooking time. Consider 15 minutes per pound either way as a good estimate for adjusting your cooking time.
- Let the turkey rest for a half hour before you slice it to let all the juices redistribute. Trust me, it will be crunch time at this point getting everything finished and dished up, so that time will go quickly. Just set it to the side, and let it relax.
- For roasting, I suggest you use a dual temperature method of starting lower and then changing to a higher temperature about halfway through. I begin at the traditional 325 degrees Fahrenheit and have it covered during this part of the cooking. Then after about 2 ½ hours, I raise the temperature to 375 and cook it the rest of the time uncovered. This gives more control to ensure it’s cooked all the way through AND evenly brown.
- If you’re the host, consider having someone designated as the turkey carver. I find this is helpful, because you will be putting the finishing touches on everything, and the carving can be cumbersome. I always make my dad do it. 🙂
Tools to Help Master a Roast Turkey
- A good roasting pan. This doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy. Just find one that is big enough to house a good size turkey, but not so big that it’s cumbersome. I find 15-17 inch ones work best. I personally use this one, but this is another great option. Having a wire rack at the bottom can help ensure the skin is more evenly browned and can aid in removal to your cutting board as well. If you don’t have one, just put some extra celery and carrots at the bottom to work as a rack!
- A meat thermometer. This one is absolutely essential. When you are cooking a large piece of meat, it can be very overwhelming and difficult to tell if it is cooked through. A meat thermometer is a safe way to get your turkey to the correct temperature without it being over or undercooked. Trust me when I say that this takes away a lot of uncertainty and takes much of the pressure off! You will want to temp several places, to make sure the entire turkey is cooked through. I would suggest the breast in two spots and the legs/thighs in two spots. The safe temperature for poultry to be cooked to is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- A large cutting board with divots. Most people have these huge cutting boards that only come out once or twice a year for occasions such as this. A good one has adequate space to work on, and indentations to catch any juices that may run off during carving.
How much turkey per person
Thanksgiving leftovers are some of the best parts of the meal, so I always keep that in mind when selecting the size of turkey I will need for my crowd. A good rule of thumb is 1 ½ to 2 pounds per person. If you don't have big eaters, 1 pound per person would suffice.
I made this recipe with an 16-lb turkey, you can adjust the compound butter measurements up or down if you need based on the size of your turkey. If you are looking for a recipe to make for a thanksgiving main dish for just a few people, try this bone in chicken breast with compound butter. It is very similar to this turkey recipe but in a much smaller portion. You can also make a turkey tenderloin or even a whole chicken in the Ninja Foodi, if you have one.
We love leftovers in our house so we always make a bit extra! We love to use leftover turkey in this Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich.
How Long to Thaw Turkey per Pound
Turkeys are BIG and start out like big blocks of ice. It will need to thaw for several days before Thanksgiving to be thawed all the way through.
Be sure to remove your turkey from the freezer early enough so that you are not dealing with a frozen bird the morning of Thanksgiving. Here is a helpful chart to know how many days in advance to take out your turkey in relation to its size.
Recipe FAQs
A turkey should be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit according to foodsafety.gov. The turkey will continue to cook once removed from the oven and will generally go up about 5 degrees more in carry over cooking. Keep that in mind so that you don't overcook your bird.
Here is a general guideline for how long to thaw a turkey per pound.
4 lb = 1 day
8 lb = 2 days
12 lb = 3 days
16 lb = 4 days
20 lb = 5 days
24 lb = 6 days
A good rule of thumb is 1 ½ to 2 pounds per person. If you don't have big eaters, 1 pound per person would suffice.
More holiday dishes you'll love
- Green Bean Casserole
- Herbs de Provence Whipped Sweet Potatoes
- Apricot Apple Rose Tart
- Spicy Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Ninja Foodi Mashed Potatoes
If you tried this Herb Buttered Turkey Recipe or any other recipe on my website, the comments below. I love to hear from you.
The Best Herb Buttered Turkey
Equipment
- 1 Roasting Pan
- 1 Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 16 lb. turkey thawed
- 3 carrots cut into 3 inch pieces
- 3 celery stalks cut into 3 inch pieces
- 1 lemon quartered
- 1 large onion cut into chunks
- 3 sprigs fresh sage left whole
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary left whole
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme left whole
Compound Butter
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- 6 cloves of garlic finely minced
- 4-5 sprigs fresh sage stripped and chopped
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme stripped and chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary stripped and chopped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
Creating the Compound Butter
- Begin by taking your butter out of the fridge to begin softening.
- Once butter is softened, mix your butter and other ingredients in a bowl.
Cooking the Turkey
- Begin by preheating your oven to 325° F.
- While it is in the roasting pan, open the package of your thawed turkey. There will be lots of juice, so make sure to catch it all in the pan.
- Drain the pan in a sink and take out the neck and any giblet bag from inside the turkey. Also take this time to search for any feathers that may have gotten overlooked. Let sit on the counter for 30 minutes to dry out the skin a bit.
- Pat down your turkey with a paper towel.
- In your roasting pan, place the carrots and celery at the bottom. These will be used for your gravy later.
- Place the turkey in your roasting pan, and tuck the wings underneath the body.
- *MAKE SURE TO TAKE OFF ANY RINGS OR JEWELRY FOR THE NEXT STEP*
- Use your fingers to gently reach underneath skin and separate it from the meat. Be careful not to tear it.
- Take half of your compound butter and put it underneath the skin. Take the other half and spread it all over the top of your turkey, trying to get as much of it coated as possible.
- Next, stuff the turkey cavity with your lemons, onions, thyme, sage, and rosemary. I like to also place a couple pieces of onion to put in the pan around the turkey.
- Put the turkey in the oven with the lid on or tented with tin foil.
- After 2 ½ hours, uncover the turkey and raise the heat to 375° F.
- Bake for another 1 to 1 ½ hours until turkey is fully cooked through and a nice golden brown on the outside. It may start getting brown earlier than the inside is done, in which case just place your lid or tenting foil back on.
- At about the 3 hour and 15 minute point, start temping your bird in multiple places to see where it's at (you want it to be 165° F). All ovens cook differently and if yours happens to run hotter (or colder), the turkey could be done faster (or slower).
- Let turkey rest on the counter for 30 minutes after cooking to let all the juices redistribute. Then it's carving time!
Notes
- Remember to remove all of the gizzards, neck, gravy bag, etc. from your turkey before roasting. There are often things stuffed in both sides of the cavities so take care to double check!
- These cooking times are for an 16 lb. turkey. If yours is bigger or smaller, you will certainly have to adjust the cooking time. Consider 15 minutes per pound either way as a good estimate for adjusting your cooking time.
- Let the turkey rest for a half hour before you slice it to let all the juices redistribute.
Donna
Very helpful and your turkey looks awesome!
Sarah
Thank you so much! I can't wait to make it again this year!
Mary
Looks delicious,
I like the idea of turning up the temperature at the end to crisp skin event more.
Marjorie
I usually don't have access to fresh herbs out here in Arkansas 🙁
Can you approximate dried herbs for me in place of the fresh. I know fresh is way better.
Timothy J Higgins
This is the 2nd time I have did the Herb thing, last time I used Maratha Stewart! It turned out nice and moist, I will put aluminum foil over the top early on then take it off when I turn up the temperature!Love to use all the butter and spices under the skin
Sarah
I hope it worked well for you Timothy! I love the butter and herbs under the skin too! -Sarah