Have you decided to cook your first turkey this year? Here’s the perfect recipe for you to use. This traditional stuffed roast turkey recipe is perfect for the holidays or any special occasion. It’s tender, juicy and full of flavor. The best part is it is easy to make.
According to Wikipedia the earliest records of stuffed foods were in a Roman cookbook. It included foods like poultry, hare, and pigs. Stuffing the body cavities provides two important benefits. The first is it helps keep the meat moist. The second is the seasonings for the stuffing and the juices from the meat add additional flavors to one another.
We highly recommend brining your turkey to further enhance the flavor of the turkey. Brining will also make your turkey even juicier. We have a great “Turkey Brining Recipe” to share with you. It’s easy to do and only adds 1/2 hour preparation time to your turkey. Just let it set in the brine overnight and follow the below recipe to cook the turkey.
The cook time rule of thumb in the recipe below, based on the weight of the turkey, will help you plan your turkey dinner. You’ll still need to cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, but it will get you very close.
- 1 Turkey 20 pound turkey will roughly feed 12 people
- 1 Stick Butter
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Pepper
- Fresh thyme, sage, rosemary and/or marjoram works best
- Thaw turkey 2-3 days in the refrigerator prior to brining the turkey.
- Brine the turkey overnight. We highly recommend brining. If you choose not to, move to the next step.
- Prep your turkey and dry inside and out. Season both cavities with salt and pepper. Place stuffing in the large body cavity and neck cavity (stuffing recipe below).
- In a bowl, add 1 stick salted butter (room temp) with salt & pepper, fresh thyme, sage, rosemary and/or marjoram (chopped fine).
- Loosen turkey skin on breast and spread some butter under the skin and rub the rest on the outside of the turkey.
- Start in 400° oven in a covered roaster. After 30 minutes, drop the temp to 350°. Baste every 30 minutes. Uncover the last ½ hour. Cook to an internal temperature of 165°.
15 minutes per pound + extra 15 minutes. (21# = 5 hours and 30 minutes)
- 1 loaf bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ C fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 T fresh thyme, fine
- 1 T fresh marjoram, fine (optional)
- 1 T fresh rosemary, fine (optional)
Or use 2 tsp poultry seasoning
- ½ C butter, melted
- Chicken broth, enough to moisten
Add dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix in melted butter.
- Slowly add chicken broth, while continuing to mix, until moist.
- Stuffing is ready for the turkey
Easiest Way To Carve A Turkey
Do you struggle each year with carving your turkey? Or are you hosting your first Thanksgiving dinner and want everything to be perfect? In the below short video, I demonstrate the easiest way I have found to carve a turkey. It’s fast and there is less waste. Check out the video and give it a try this Thanksgiving.
Both the turkey brining and stuffed roast turkey recipe are easy to follow and are sure to please your entire family. If you like cranberry sauce with your turkey, be sure to give our fresh, whole cranberry sauce recipe a try. We also have a delicious cranberry pepper relish recipe you can eat with your meal or it makes a great appetizer too. These recipes and this turkey carving method are sure to make your roast turkey dinner a complete success. Enjoy!
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