Roast Spatchcock Turkey
Updated Dec. 2, 2025
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 18- to 12-pound turkey
- 10garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed, more to taste
- 1branch fresh tarragon or thyme separated into sprigs, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme or tarragon
- ⅓cup extra virgin olive oil or butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
536 calories; 25 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 70 grams protein; 1082 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
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put turkey on a stable cutting board breast side down and cut out backbone. Turn turkey over, and press on it to flatten. Put it, breast side up, in a roasting pan. Wings should partly cover breasts, and legs should protrude a bit.
- Step 2
Tuck garlic and tarragon under the bird and in the nooks of the wings and legs. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Roast for 20 minutes, undisturbed. Turkey should be browning. Remove from oven, baste with pan juices, and return to oven. Reduce heat to 400 degrees (if turkey browns too quickly, reduce temperature to 350 degrees).
- Step 4
Begin to check turkey's temperature about 15 minutes later (10 minutes if bird is on the small side). It is done when thigh meat registers 165 degrees on an instant-read meat thermometer. Check it in a couple of places.
- Step 5
Let turkey rest for a few minutes before carving, then serve with garlic cloves and pan juices.
Private Notes
Comments
A much better way to roast Thanksgiving turkey. White and dark meat came out juicy and correctly cooked at the same time (90 mins at 425-450). Dry brined for 2 days after butterflying. Put apple, onion, sage, thyme & parsley under and smeared compound butter under skin and over legs. Spatchcocked turkeys are wider than whole ones (duh...). Our 18 pounder measured 18" by 14" -- bigger than most roasting pans. Cut panels from foil pans to build out the sides -- worked fine!
You can put your dressing in a roasting pan -- place split bird on rack and rest on roasting pan -- turkey drippings go into the dressing - YUM! Remove turkey and rack to rest while top of dressing crisps up a bit -- everything done, oven space saver and dressing has that stuffing taste from turkey drippings --
Yes, I have been using this recipe for years and I love it. The largest I have ever done was a 22 lb turkey 2 years ago. Use a meat thermometer and allow for extra time and you will be fine.
I have now done this two years in a row for all major holidays and it makes the best, consistent, moist Turkey every time (it also works great for Chicken) - bonus is how much time is cut in the cooking process! The only thing I do different is to rub mayonaise (with herbs) between the skin and meat of the Turkey. The oils add moisture and staying power for the herbs. Delicious!
I rubbed a decent amount of thyme compound butter under the skin. I separately mixed thyme with mayonnaise and rubbed the outside of the bird with that instead of oil or butter and it was magnificent! The skin was amazingly crisp and golden and all the butter was trapped under it. After cooking a Turkey spatchcocked there’s no real reason to cook it any other way.
Timing on this is an utter joke! I followed the directions exactly as written with a 12-lb bird so I even added more time and it still took about 3 hours. Do not believe the time instructions here. Turkey came out great but I had a dozen relatives wondering what took the turkey so long!