November 1, 2022

How to Cook a Turkey – Thanksgiving Recipe

I was scared to cook a turkey. It always looked so hard. I always remembered people looking like they have run a race after cooking this beast. One year, I jumped in and decided I would figure it out. I hope my post how you cook a turkey will help even the newest cook roast a delicious turkey.

Easy and The Best Turkey Recipe for Thanksgiving

Ingredients:

Turkey

Chicken Broth

1 stick of Butter

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil

Herbs (You can use rosemary) I cheat and use Herbes De Provence (it sounds fancy and tastes great)

Roasting pan

foil

This is how you cook a turkey.

INSTRUCTIONS

) If your turkey is frozen you will need to thaw it in the refrigerator DAYS before Thanksgiving. If you have screwed up and didn’t do this you can put it in cold water. You will need to keep changing the water until it is thawed. I hope you didn’t have plans this will take awhile.
) Then you will need to actually wash the turkey. You just use water. Do NOT use soap.
) Then you will pat the turkey dry with paper towels. I can imagine my husband grabbing a dish towel so I am being specific.
) You will take out everything that is in the turkey. It most likely has stuff in there. This stuff will be used in your gravy.
) You will cute a little piece of skin to allow for room for your hand to go under the skin. You will make a little clip up near the neck area and on the bottom.
) You will get the butter and divide it in half. You will take on half and place it in a measuring cup for later. The second half you will cut into thin squares.
) You will place the butter under the skin of the turkey.
) You will place the turkey in a roaster pan.
) Brush the out side of the turkey with olive oil
) Next place salt and pepper on the outside of the turkey just sprinkle a little bit.
) Then sprinkle the herb of your choice. I used Herbes De Provence
) Place 1 cup of chicken broth at the bottom of your turkey roasting pan
) Then place your turkey in a roasting bag ( I do not do this) You do not need one. It makes clean up easier. I just buy a foil roasting pan.
) Turn your oven to 400 degrees once the oven has reached this temperature I place my turkey in the oven with foil over the turkey for 60 minutes.
) Turn down the temperature to 325 degree for the remaining cooking time
) I set my microwave timer to go off every 30 minutes so I can go over and pour the liquid at the bottom of the pan over the turkey. This is called basting.
) Thirty minutes before the bird should be done I remove the foil.
) I check the turkey often to see that it reaches 180 degrees. I do so in the fattest part of the bird.
) I often crisp the skin by melting that final half of the butter and painting it on the skin of the turkey.
) Then I turn on broil for about 3 minutes while watching carefully to make sure I do not burn the turkey.
) Place foil lightly over the top and let the turkey rest before serving.