Go Back

Herb Roasted Turkey

Ingredients

  • 1 whole turkey
  • 2 sticks butter softened
  • 1 heaping ½ cup of chopped fresh parsley
  • 6-8 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp seasoning salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • Cajun seasoning to taste or your other favorite seasoning blend
  • 2 medium onions quartered
  • 2 stalks celery - cut in half

Instructions

  • Rinse your turkey, and pat dry inside & out. If you want to brine your bird and/or inject it, go ahead and do those steps first.
  • Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.
  • Combine the softened butter, chopped parsley, minced garlic, seasoning salt, onion powder, & black pepper in a small bowl. (I like using my hands for this!). Place a spatula or your hand in between the skin on the breast & the meat. Coat under the skin with the herb butter. Using your hands, spread the rest of the herb butter on top of the turkey's skin & inside the cavity as well. Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning (or seasoning of your choice)
  • Tie the turkey legs together with cooking twine - or use the extra skin to hold the legs together (like in the pictures in the post). Stuff the inside of the cavity with the onion quarters & celery halves. Tent a piece of tinfoil on top of the breasts area. Roast the turkey in a roasting pan on a roasting rack.
  • Cook at 275 for about 10 minutes per pound. A 20 pound bird would need about 3.5 hours while a 15 pound bird would need about 2.5 hours.
  • After that initial 10 minutes per pound cook time, remove the turkey from the oven.. or just pull out the rack (I’m always scared my rack might break from the weight of my tremendous bird!).  Baste the heck out of it with the pan juices. Turn the heat up to 350 degrees.  Remove the aluminum foil from the turkey, and pop it back into the oven.  Continue roasting the turkey, basting with pan juices every 20 minutes until the thermometer reaches 165 degrees.
  • Let the turkey rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. I let mine rest for 45-60 minutes personally.