Simple Roast Turkey
Updated Dec. 2, 2025
- Total Time
- 3½ hours, plus brining
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1turkey (10 to 12 pounds)
- Coarse kosher salt
- 1tablespoon black pepper
- 1lemon, zested and quartered
- 1bunch fresh thyme or rosemary
- 1bunch fresh sage
- 12garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1bottle hard apple cider (12 ounces)
- Dry white wine, as needed
- 2onions, peeled and quartered
- 3bay leaves
- Olive oil or melted butter, as needed
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
569 calories; 25 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 66 grams protein; 1191 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Remove any giblets from the cavity and reserve for stock or gravy. Pat turkey and turkey neck dry with paper towel; rub turkey all over with ½ teaspoon salt per pound of turkey, the pepper and the lemon zest, including the neck. Transfer to a 2-gallon (or larger) resealable plastic bag. Tuck herbs and 6 garlic cloves inside bag. Seal and refrigerate on a small rimmed baking sheet (or wrapped in another bag) for at least 1 day and up to 3 days, turning the bird over every day (or after 12 hours if brining for only 1 day).
- Step 2
Remove turkey from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey, uncovered, back on the baking sheet. Return to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours to dry out the skin (this helps crisp it).
- Step 3
When you are ready to cook the turkey, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for one hour. Heat oven to 450 degrees. In the bottom of a large roasting pan, add the cider and enough wine to fill the pan to a ¼-inch depth. Add half the onions, the remaining 6 garlic cloves and the bay leaves. Stuff the remaining onion quarters and the lemon quarters into the turkey cavity. Brush the turkey skin generously with oil or melted butter.
- Step 4
Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack set inside the roasting pan. Transfer pan to the oven and roast 30 minutes.
- Step 5
Cover breast with aluminum foil. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh reaches a temperature of 165 degrees, about 1½ to 2 hours more.
- Step 6
Transfer turkey to a cutting board to rest for 30 minutes before carving.
Private Notes
Comments
The text says it should take 1.5 to 2 hours at 350F for a 10-12 lb turkey, but the timetable in the expanded article says to allow 2.5 to 3 hours at 350. Which is it?
My turkey is about 21 pounds. Do you recommend I increase the liquid in the roasting pan or add more herbs and onions? Can't wait to try this!
Any guidance on cooking times for a 14 pound bird? Is additional time just added at the lower temperature, or some at the initial high temp?
I didn’t think this was a great recipe. Turkey cooked too fast and was kind of tough. Too salty as well.
I still wet brined my turkey overnight. Mostly I used the recipe to for the cooking, vs seasoning aspects. It turned out perfectly. My turkey was about 15 lbs. and the time in the recipe was spot on. It's great if you don't want to spend all day cooking and need the oven for other things.
This turned out so well for me today. I had a 7.5 lb turkey breast on the bone. I dry brined it for ~36 hours (with no changes to the recipe), left it in to dry in the fridge for 5 hours, overshot the temperature but ended up with flavorful, moist breast. We don't use alcohol so I put apple cider in the pan and propped up the breast with carrots, celery, and onion quarters. It was fantastic.