Lemon Herb Roast Turkey

Calling all lemon lovers!!! This lemon herb roast turkey is for you! Infused with tangy lemon butter inside and rubbed with mixture of lemon pepper, garlic & herb seasonings and lemon zest, this roast turkey will surprise your taste buds (in a pleasant way!) this Thanksgiving.

My goodness, Thanksgiving snuck up on me this year! I was planning to share this recipe with you next week, but then I realized Thanksgiving is next week!!! Whaat?!

This whole year went by in a blink of an eye. I shared on Instagram stories yesterday that I still have last year’s Thanksgiving greeting up in my kitchen with our announcement of our pregnancy.

Anyway, this year has been a blur, but full of amazing events! And I apologize for bringing you this amazing turkey recipe a little late. If you already chose your turkey recipe for Thanksgiving, hope you’ll give it a try for Christmas. 😉

Because this deliciously tangy juicy lemon herb turkey is worth a try!

My last year’s juicy no-brine roast turkey with champagne was a huge hit with many of you! And that tells me 2 things: 1. you love a good tang, and 2. you’re happy to skip the brining!

Who needs brining the turkey, when you can infuse the meat with butter! And in today’s case, it’s lemon juice + butter!!!

Juicy turkey guaranteed, and plus more fabulous flavor! Grab your marinade injector now and let’s get to work.

Yeah, I can’t say enough good things about this turkey! Love the zesty bright lemon flavors in every bite, along with aromatic herbs infused throughout the juicy meat.

If you love lemon, I know you’ll love this turkey as well.

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Lemon Herb Roast Turkey

Love the zesty bright lemon flavors in every bite, along with aromatic herbs infused throughout the juicy meat.  If you love lemon, this lemon herb turkey is for you!

Yield: 8-10 servings

Prep Time:30min

Cook Time:3.5 hours

Total Time:4.5 hours (Includes rest time)

Ingredients:

• 1 turkey (Note 1)
• 2 large lemons
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon salt-free lemon pepper seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning
• 2 cups chicken stock

Directions:

1. Begin to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator 2-3 days before roasting.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
3. Pull the neck and giblets out of the cavity. Wash and dry the turkey with paper towels.  Carefully run your hand under the breast skin to create a pocket.
4. Cut one lemon into quarters and put it in the cavity.
5. Zest and juice the second lemon. (You should have about 4-5 tablespoons of lemon juice.)
6. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and seasonings.
7. Smear the oil and seasoning mixture evenly all over the turkey and under the breast skin.
8. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a V rack in a large roasting pan.
9. If desired, tie the legs of the bird with twine. (I prefer this method over whole trussing, because it’s easier. But mine usually comes with already tied legs.)
10. In a small bowl, combine melted butter and remaining 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
11. Using a marinade injector, slowly inject each thigh and breast halves with about 1.5 tablespoons of melted butter/lemon juice mixture.
12. Place the chicken neck and giblets in the bottom of roasting pan and pour in chicken stock.
13. Roast the turkey until it’s golden brown, about 3.5 hours for 14lbs turkey, basting it every hour using a turkey baster. (Check on turkey after 2 hours. If skin isn’t browning fast enough, increase oven temperature by 50°F/10°C. If the skin is browning too much, cover with a foil.)
14. The turkey is cooked, when the deepest part of breast and legs registers 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
15. Remove the turkey from oven, cover with foil and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving.
16. Reserve pan juices to make gravy. I got about 3 cups of liquid and used the whole thing for gravy without additional chicken stock.

Note 1: I used 14lbs turkey. The cooking time will vary depending on your turkey size. Rule of thumb: estimate 15 minutes per pound.

All images and text ©Shinee D. for Sweet & Savory by Shinee

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