Greek Roasted Turkey Recipe- Tips On Roasting The Best Turkey

This Greek Roasted Turkey Recipe is so moist, tender, and flavorful! This will be the turkey you make every year!

How To Roast A Turkey In The Oven

I know roasting a sizeable turkey can be intimidating, but with a few simple instructions, you can conquer the turkey and serve your family the best turkey you’ve tasted!

Let’s start from the beginning, as roasting a turkey really starts with some prep work. How big should my turkey be? I would figure you need roughly 2 lbs per person. This will certainly depend on your guests and their preferences.

What kind of turkey should you buy? I always start with a Honeysuckle White Turkey. Honeysuckle White Turkeys are grown by passionate, independent farmers whose utmost concern is the welfare of their turkeys and the happiness of their consumers and I know this from first-hand experience as I had the opportunity to meet a Honeysuckle White Farmer in person! Their turkeys are raised with no growth-promoting antibiotics and are raised on family farms by people who absolutely love what they do. You can read more about my experience here.

1. After opening your turkey, remove the neck and the giblets (some people repurpose these; I am not one of them) from the body cavity. Rinse the turkey and pat it dry. Place it on a rack in a roasting pan.
2. Spread butter between the meat and the skin to trap in flavor. The butter can be seasoned in any way; this recipe features Greek seasoning, but I’ve also done a Cajun Turkey too!.
3. A touch of olive oil or melted butter can be drizzled over the entire turkey to crisp up the turkey skin and deliver that beautiful golden look.
4. I do not stuff the bird with stuffing, instead, I like to fill it with veggies and fruit. Not only does this help with flavor, but the vegetables will also add moisture making your turkey extra tender.
5. If your turkey starts to brown too much, tent foil over the top of the turkey.

At What Temperature Is a Turkey Done?

A turkey is ready when an internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. You need to make sure the thermometer is placed in the thickest part of the turkey. Fortunately, most turkey’s come with their own pop-up timers that will let you know when the turkey is ready to come out of the oven.

How Long Do I Roast My Turkey?

The general rule of thumb is to roast your turkey for 15 minutes per pound. Once the turkey comes to temperature, allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

What To Serve with Roast Turkey?

Try serving up this Easy Scalloped Potatoes, Balsamic Green Beans, or Easy Cornbread Stuffing! Leftover turkey tastes great in the Turkey Pot Pie! Try this Spice Cake Roll for dessert!

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Greek Roasted Turkey Recipe- Tips On Roasting The Best Turkey

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This Greek Roasted Turkey Recipe is so moist, tender, and flavorful! This will be the turkey you make every year!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours 4 seconds

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes 4 seconds

Ingredients

• 1 13 lb Honeysuckle White Turkey, thawed
• ¼ cup softened butter
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• The zest from 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1ay leaf
• 1 small bunch of parsley
• 2-3 lemons halved
• 2 heads of garlic

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat the rack of a roasting pan and set aside.
2. Remove the giblets and the neck from turkey, pat the turkey dry with a paper towel and place the turkey, breast side up on the roasting rack.
3. In a small bowl, combine the thyme, oregano, garlic powder, basil and lemon zest with the softened butter.
4. Cut a pocket between the skin and the meat. Work the butter mixture in the pocket; working it in between the legs and wings the best you can.
5. Drizzle melted butter this over the on the outside of the entire turkey  if you want your skin to be golden and crisp (warning, your oven will be a little smoky from the butter; just a heads up)
6. Place the onion, parsley, garlic, and lemons inside the turkey cavity.
7. Turkey should take 3 to 3 ¼ hours or until meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees when inserted into the thigh. If the turkey begins to brown too soon, place a loose piece of foil over the turkey.
8. Remove turkey and allow it to stand for 10-15minutes before carving.

Notes

Be sure your turkey has thawed completely! Allow 2-3 days for your turkey to thaw. Keep frozen turkey in the refrigerator while it is thawing.

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