This Easy Citrus Herb Roasted Turkey recipe is deliciously seasoned with orange, lemon, butter, onion, and fresh poultry seasoning-rosemary, sage and thyme.
Roasted turkey is a staple on the Thanksgiving table but, it’s also a great Sunday family dinner too. Make an easy turkey gravy and some mashed potatoes and you’ll have a delicious comfort food meal! A variety of sides go with turkey too. Homemade green bean casserole is the perfect pairing!
Your kitchen is going to smell wonderful when you’re roasting this turkey! It will come out tender and delicious!
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Easy Citrus Herb Roasted Turkey
The ingredients to make this butter rub are simple. If you buy the fresh poultry seasoning, in the herbs section in the produce aisle, it’ll have all three of the herbs you need for this recipe. Obviously, it’s perfect for chicken as well.
Fresh poultry seasoning has rosemary, thyme and sage. They’re known as aromatics which is exactly what they’ll do to the turkey to make it smell and taste delightful!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- lemon
- orange
- Kosher salt
- black pepper
- sage
- thyme
- rosemary
- onion
First, zest the orange and lemon and put it in a medium bowl and set it aside.
Then, cut the onion in half and put it in the cavity of the turkey along with two each orange and lemon quarters, thyme, sage and rosemary sprigs. These aromatics will be steamed inside the cavity and flavor the turkey with citrus and herbs.
Next, make the citrus herb butter rub. There’s little prepping. A little chopping, mincing, stirring and rubbing is all that needs to be done at this point.
Add the ingredients to a bowl and stir until combined.
You’ll cut a small slit at the bottom of the turkey breast and put your hand in there (don’t worry, she won’t be offended) to make space between the skin and the breast.
You will apply the butter rub under the skin of the turkey breast and then apply it on top of the skin, onto the legs and wings too.
Alternatively, you can use this rub on a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. In this case, you’ll only need 3/4 of the butter rub.
Cover and put it in a 325F oven. If you’re not basting it, check on it at the two hour mark. If you’re basting often, it’ll take up to two hours longer so, keep and eye on it. When I made this recipe, I covered it but, didn’t baste it and it was done at the two hour mark!
This recipe is very easy-to-make and comes in handy especially if you forgot to brine the turkey. You won’t be disappointed with this recipe. They turkey comes out tender with a mild citrus flavor.
Make turkey salad sandwiches with some of the leftovers.
This whole turkey recipe is delicious and easy to prepare. Make a creamy turkey gravy with the drippings! It’s a turkey dinner the whole family will love whether it be a holiday or a special family dinner.
You may also like:
Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Gravy + VIDEO
Turkey Brine with Apple Cider Vinegar + VIDEO
How to Make Turkey Gravy with Drippings
See more Thanksgiving recipes.
Easy Citrus Herb Roasted Turkey
Ingredients
- 14 lb whole turkey, thawed or up to 17 lbs
- 1 small whole onion, peel removed and cut in half
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon
- 4 leaves sage
- 4 twigs thyme
- 1 twig rosemary
Herb Butter Rub
- 1 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp orange zest or zest of one orange
- 1 tbsp lemon zest or zest of one lemon
- 1 twig rosemary, chopped
- 4 twigs thyme
- 4 leaves sage
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
Instructions
- First, preheat oven to 325F.
- Next, remove turkey neck and giblets from the inside of the turkey. Place the turkey inside a large roasting pan with 1 cup of water.
- Then, zest orange and lemon and set aside zest.
- Next, add the following to the turkey cavity: onion halves, two orange quarters, two lemon quarters, four whole thyme twigs, one rosemary twig and 4 safe leaves. Reserve remaining orange and lemon quarters to garnish the turkey platter.
Citrus Herb Butter Rub
- Next, add the softened butter, minced garlic, salt and pepper to a medium sized bowl.
- Then, add orange zest and lemon zest to the bowl.
- Next, remove thyme leaves from four of the stems and place in the bowl.
- Then, remove the rosemary leaves, chop them an place them in the bowl.
- Next, chop four sage leaves and place them in the bowl and stir all of the ingredients.
- Then, cut a little slit at the bottom of the turkey breast so that you can get your hand in between the skin and the breast. Using your hands, apply the rub under the skin and onto the breasts.
- Next, apply the remaining butter rub to the skin of the breast, wings and legs.
- Cover, the roasting pan and cook at 325F for two hours and check to see if internal temperature has reached 165F. Insert thermometer at the thickest part of the turkey breast. If you're basting the turkey, it will take longer to cook as the oven loses heat each time the door is opened and must reheat.
- Optional: Set oven to broil and let the turkey broil for 2-5 minutes to brown the top, if desired.
