Perfect Herb Roasted Turkey for Thanksgiving

Last Updated on November 21, 2023 by Babita

Herb Roasted Turkey is a recipe that I marinate with a paste made from poultry herbs such as thyme, sage & rosemary. I also add some jalapenos for a touch of heat for our Indian taste.

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About the Recipe

Growing up in India, my husband and I never ate turkey and we were not used to its aroma, taste or flavor. So when I first made a proper 26 lbs turkey for our first Thanksgiving here in the US in 1997, it was inedible for us.

Don’t get me wrong. The turkey was well done, cooked to perfection and without a hint of dryness. Yet, my husband and I had a tough time consuming it as we were used to heavily spiced food and the aroma of turkey was difficult to get past our nose, tongue as well as down our throat.

That experience led me to not cook turkey again for several years. It was not until I had kids and they asked (begged) me to make it, that I decided to experiment with the traditional recipe and overcame my fear of cooking and eating roast turkey.

So how did I solve our turkey dilemma

One year I decided to use poultry herbs and seasoning to marinate the turkey. This was my recipe for roast chicken and I adapted it to make turkey.

The experiment was a success and everyone loved the herb-flavored turkey. This recipe is not heavily spiced either, but somehow the combination of all herbs and the most important jalapenos makes it just right for our Indian palate.

Herb-roasted turkey is a nice blend of traditional American flavors with a bit of Indian heat and spiciness thrown into the mix.

I assure you that this foolproof recipe for Herb Roasted Turkey for Thanksgiving will turn out right every single time you make it.

Herb Roasted Turkey for Thanksgiving (See video below)

Ingredients for Turkey Prep:

10-11lbs young frozen turkey
2 packets of Poultry Herbs (Rosemary, Thyme & Sage)
2 Jalapenos
2 sliced lemons
1 roughly sliced onion
2 tbsp oil (optional)
salt to taste
1/2 softened butter

Instructions for Thawing and Marinating the Turkey

• Thaw the turkey 36 hrs before use. Once it has thawed remove the neck pieces and bag of giblets which are inside the cavity of the bird. Set those aside.
• Rinse the turkey under running water. Make sure to rinse it properly including the cavity. Allow all of the water to drain and then pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
• Next, in a small food processor chop rosemary, thyme, sage, and jalapenos. Save the stems of all the herbs. Add salt and oil to this herb mixture and pulse some more.
• Lay the turkey on a clean surface and season it with salt and black pepper on both sides including the cavity.
• Next, apply softened butter generously on both sides of the turkey.
• Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin on the top of the turkey and apply some butter underneath.
• Apply the herb mixture on both sides of the turkey including below the skin of the breast, neck, thigh, and drumstick. Apply some of the herbs paste inside the cavity.
• Stuff the cavity with the stems from the herbs, and lemon and onion slices.
• Once the turkey has been completely marinated with the herb mixture, tuck the wings under the turkey and use some twine to tie the turkey legs together.
• Cover it with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight or until you ready to pop it in the oven.
• Marinate the neck piece and giblets (this will be used later for the gravy) with a tsp of the leftover herb paste and refrigerate it along with the turkey.

Roasting Instructions for Turkey:

• Remove turkey from the fridge. Place it in a roasting pan over a rack. Place the neck piece and giblets around the turkey in the pan. Cover the pan completely with foil.
• Place it in the oven and roast it at 350 degrees for 2 hours.
• For the last hour, remove the foil and allow the turkey to brown. Baste the turkey every 25 mins after this. For the turkey this size, it will take around 3 hours total of cooking time.
• Remove from oven and set the turkey aside to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

Useful suggestions:

• Tucking the wings underneath the turkey helps them from burning off.
• If you don’t have a roasting pan, you can use the foil roasting pan.
• If your roasting pan is missing a rack, no problem. You can add a layer of hardy vegetables like potatoes, carrots along with onion and place the turkey on top of them.

Roasting pans for turkey:

I personally use the Granite Ware 18″ Oval roaster. However, you can use any of the roaster pans including the foil roasting pan.

You can either serve the turkey whole or carve it into pieces. I have a porcelain serving platter on which I serve the turkey. However, you can use any of the platter shown below.

If you liked this post and have tried it don’t forget to tag/follow me on Instagram @babsprojects or Like my Facebook page. You can also comment below.