Super Juicy Thanksgiving Turkey (No Brine!)
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Sharing my secret to super juicy no brine roast turkey recipe that will make you a hero of your Thanksgiving dinner. It involves a bottle of champagne and melted butter! Seriously, unless you want to, you really don’t have to brine your bird any more.
Table of Contents
- The Best Moist Turkey Recipe
- Roasted Turkey Ingredients
- How To Make The Juiciest Turkey
- What to put inside a Turkey to make it moist
- How to season my turkey
- How long to roast Turkey?
- How to keep a Turkey moist
- How to serve Oven Roasted Turkey
- Roasted Turkey Recipe FAQs
- Watch Video: How to Roast a Turkey
- Oven Roasted Turkey Recipe Recipe
The Best Moist Turkey Recipe
You read that right, my friend. Not brining the turkey this year.
Year after year, my husband was in charge of our Thanksgiving turkey. Every year, he brought out a large bucket and made his brining solution to brine the bird. We always enjoyed the juicy turkey.
But I was curious if we could get that succulent turkey without hassle of brining. So this year, I started the testing early. You know, typical extreme type A over here. 😉
The real motivation was that I read this brine injecting method in Real Simple magazine (November 2016 issue) a while back, and I really wanted to try it. It said to inject a brining solution, or melted butter into the breast and legs before roasting.
Sounds intriguing, right?
Well, I tried this method, and happy to report – it works! I injected melted butter, because I’m using lots of herbs on the outside, but I think, next time herb infused melted butter, or even brown butter would be fantastic!!!
For this method, you’ll need a marinade injector, that you’ll fill with melted butter and inject into the meat before roasting. You don’t want to poke too many times into the bird though, or you may damage the skin. I showed you exactly how to do this in the video below, but here’s a quick visual. (And yes, I have 4 hands that multitask pretty good. Jealous?)
And that’s not the only magic trick I used for this Thanksgiving turkey recipe. This roast turkey is special one, because it’s also roasted in champagne!
I know, fancy, huh?
Roasted Turkey Ingredients
- Turkey – Estimate 1.5lbs of turkey per person. For this recipe, you don’t have to brine the turkey. But it’s ok if your turkey is kosher or it’s already been injected with saline solution.
- Butter + seasonings – Compound butter can be made with any kind of seasoning.
- Lemon juice – is mixed into the butter mixture. Touch of acid brightens the flavor and tenderizes the meat.
- Apples, carrots and fresh herbs – are for the cavity. They infuse the turkey with delicious aromatics. You may use oranges, lemons, onions, etc.
- Champagne – is the secret ingredient in this recipe! You don’t need anything fancy. I use Korbel Brut champagne. The champagne concentrates during roasting and makes the most amazing dripping!
- Chicken broth or stock – either one works!
Champagne not only adds an amazing tang to the drippings, but it keeps the bird nice and moist!
I have to give credit to this recipe on Allrecipes.com though. It has so many rave reviews, and rightly so!
How To Make The Juiciest Turkey
- Prep the turkey
- Begin to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator 2-3 days before roasting.
- Pull the neck and giblets out of the cavity.
- Thoroughly pat dry the turkey with paper towels.
- Carefully run your hand under the breast skin to create a pocket.
- Make the compound butter
- Combine 1 stick of butter, garlic, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and lemon juice. Mix until well combined. It’s ok if the lemon juice isn’t fully incorporated.
- Season the turkey
- Smear the compound butter evenly all over the turkey and under the breast skin. (TIP: If the skin is wet, butter won’t stick. So be sure to dry the skin with a paper towel well.)
- Place the turkey breast side up on a V rack in a large roasting pan and fill the turkey cavity with carrots, apples, and fresh herbs.
- If desired, tie the legs of the bird with twine. (I prefer this method over the whole trussing because it’s easier.)
- Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a bowl.
- Using a marinade injector, slowly inject each thigh and breast half with about 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
- Roast the Turkey
- Pour champagne and chicken stock over the turkey and into the cavity.
- 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 the skin isn’t browning fast enough, increase the oven temperature by 50°F/10°C. If the skin is browning too much, cover it with foil.)
- The turkey is cooked, when the deepest part of the breast and legs registers 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the turkey from the oven, cover it with foil and let rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.
What to put inside a Turkey to make it moist
I like to inject the breast and thighs with melted butter to keep the meat extra moist and flavorful.
How to season my turkey
Compound butter is a fantastic way to season the turkey. I like to rub some of the herb butter under the breast skin right over the meat for the best flavor.
How long to roast Turkey?
Roast the turkey until it’s golden brown, about 3.5 hours for 14lbs turkey. Unstuffed turkey will take anywhere between 2.5-5 hours at 350°F, and 15-30 additional minutes for a stuffed turkey.
How to keep a Turkey moist
Injecting the turkey with melted butter keeps the turkey moist and juicy!
How to serve Oven Roasted Turkey
Be sure to rest the roasted turkey for at least 30 minutes before serving. You may serve the whole roast turkey on a large serving platter garnished with fresh herbs, fruits, and veggies. Or you may carve it for easy serving.
Roasted Turkey Recipe FAQs
I don’t cover the turkey when roasting unless the breast skin starts to brown too much. In that case, I simply place a small sheet of aluminum foil to shield the breast.
It’s not required, but for this champagne roast turkey, I recommend adding chicken broth along with a bottle of champagne for the most flavorful dripping.
Now I’ll have to warn you about that tangy pan dripping. Because the champagne is reduced significantly, meaning the flavors are more concentrated, it has quite a tang. But IF used carefully, your gravy will be to die for!
And I’m not saying this lightly. We’re not talking boring, same old turkey gravy here. (Nothing against tried n’ true gravy, but let’s be honest, it can get a little boring.) We’re talking bold flavorful turkey gravy that’ll go around the table non-stop. I’m telling ya, when we had faux-Thanksgining in September, I had to get up and refill the turkey bowl 4 times!!! It was that good!
And when I say, use the dripping carefully, I mean add it little by little and adjust it to your taste. You can get the complete gravy recipe here.
Now go on and give this recipe a test run before the big day. And please share your feedback. Thank you!!!!
Watch Video: How to Roast a Turkey
Oven Roasted Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole turkey (I used 14lbs turkey)
- 1 ½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter softened, divided
- 1 tablespoon grated garlic about 4-5 cloves Note 1
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon rubbed dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 apples cored and roughly chopped, optional
- 2 large carrots roughly chopped, optional
- A bunch of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, marjoram
- 1 bottle (750ml) champagne
- 2 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Begin to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator 2-3 days before roasting.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Pull the neck and giblets out of the cavity. Pat dry the turkey with paper towels. Carefully run your hand under the breast skin to create a pocket.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 stick of butter, garlic, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and lemon juice. Mix until well combined.
- Smear the butter evenly all over the turkey and under the breast skin. (If the skin is wet, butter won’t stick. So make sure to dry the skin with paper towel well.) Place the turkey breast side up on a V rack in a large roasting pan.
- Fill the turkey with carrots, apples and fresh herbs.
- If desired, tie the legs of the bird with twine. (I prefer this method over whole trussing, because it’s easier.)
- Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a bowl.
- Using a marinade injector, slowly inject each thigh and breast halves with about 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
- Pour champagne and chicken stock over the turkey and into the cavity.
- 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.)
- The turkey is cooked, when the deepest part of breast and legs registers 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the turkey from oven, cover with foil and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving.
- Reserve pan juices to make gravy. But add the drippings into the gravy little at a time, as the champagne is reduced and flavors are concentrated. So adjust it to your taste.
Can I leave it sitting in the champagne over night if I season the day b4
Hi, Vanessa. I wouldn’t. Add the champagne right before roasting.
Definitely a 5 Star recipe!!!!!
Thank you SO much!!!
By far the BEST turkey recipe! I used a recipe similar to this one last year but this recipe just perfected it! Delicious juicy turkey. The gravy was a big hit as well. I did choose to do a dry brine rub the night before and omitted the salt from the butter herb mixture. Finally found a turkey recipe that is absolutely perfect. I will be using this recipe every year. Thank you
So glad you tried and loved this recipe, Kristine!!! And I agree it makes the best gravy!! Thank you so much for your feedback!!
Thank you for sharing your recipe! Can’t wait to try it tomorrow. Can you confirm the roasting time for a 20 lb turkey?
Hi, Anna. I’d estimate about 5 hours for 20lb turkey.
This recipe sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it. I was wondering if there’s another wine substitute instead of champagne. Also, I’m considering seasoning my turkey and freezing it, to cook at a later time, do you have any suggestions on how it should be seasoned before freezing? For example should the wine be poured on the turkey before I freeze it or just when cooking? Thanks so much!
Hi, Michelle. What’s the reason for seasoning and refreezing the turkey? I actually wouldn’t recommend refreezing the turkey. And no, add wine only when ready to put it in the oven. You can use any white wine in place of champagne.
Just in general when we buy meats but are ready to cook them we season the raw poultry and freeze. It helps add flavor, preserves the meat a little longer and less prep when it’s actually time to cook it.
Interesting. I’ve never tried that before, so I had no idea.
Hi! This is going to be my first year making a turkey and I can’t wait to try this recipe. Quick question, can I not baste the turkey? Also, I don’t have a roasting rack so I plan to put some rolled foil underneath to lift it up, would that work with this recipe?thank you!
Hi, Stephanie!! I’m excited for your first roast turkey!!! You can skip the basting part. And yes, you can put rolled foils, but putting some vegetables would be even better. Like quartered apples, carrots, etc. Good luck! Let us know how it goes. Happy Thanksgiving!
Can I make this Turkey in a roasting bag, and get the same great result? Have you tried this before..??
Hi, Robyn. I have never used a roasting bag with this recipe to give an advice.
Hands down the BEST turkey recipe I’ve ever made! Every bit of the bird was done to perfection, was so juicy, tender and tasted AMAZING!!! I will make this every single year. Not to mention the gravy that these drippings give you. It was Thanksgiving Bliss thanks to this crazy-good recipe! Thank you!!
Yay, so happy you loved this recipe, Leighann!! And yes, the dripping makes the gravy SO amazing!! I appreciate your feedback. Happy Thanksgiving!
I have an almost 23 pound turkey. What time should I start cooking for a 2:00pm dinner?
You’re looking at almost 5hr45min of cooking time and 30 minutes to let cool before serving, so I’d start prepping at 7am or sooner depending on how long it takes you to prep.
Hi, Lorin. I agree with Alicia. I’d estimate 5-6 hours to cook 23 pound turkey. Start preparing it around 6-7am, with a goal to put it in the oven no later than 7:30am. Hope this helps and please let us know it turns out. Happy Thanksgiving!
Awesome receipt
Thank you, Shirlet!!