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–+ servings
A roasted turkey with vegetables and a glass of wine.
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How to Cook a Turkey Recipe

Mom didn't teach you how to bake a turkey? This simple recipe shows you how.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to cook turkey, how to make a turkey, how to roast a turkey
Servings: 12
Calories: 492kcal
Author: Kathy Owen

Ingredients

  • 1 12- pound Turkey or any size
  • Salt use sea salt for corn free
  • Pepper
  • Traditional Sage Stuffing optional

Instructions

  • Remove the interior parts of your thawed turkey (usually found in the cavity and in the neck of a store-bought turkey).
  • Rinse the turkey inside and out.
  • Preheat the oven to 425°F degrees.
  • Stuff the bird's cavity with Traditional Sage Dressing (stuffing). (Or cook the stuffing separately to be sure it is safe.)
  • Sprinkle the outside of the turkey with a little salt and pepper.
  • Place the turkey in the roasting pan or the free-standing roaster. It's best to have one that has a lift-out rack.
  • Cover and place in a preheated 425°F degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. This seals the juices in the bird.
  • Reduce the heat to 325°F degrees and bake the turkey for 20 minutes a pound (so for a 12 pound bird, you would bake it 12 x 20, or 240 minutes or 4 hours and for a 20 pound turkey, you bake it nearly 7 hours).
  • Baste it with its own juices 3-4 times during the roasting time.
  • Remove the cover prior to the final 20 minutes and return the pan to the oven. These last few minutes help the turkey to develop a nice, browned skin.
  • The legs will start to pull away from the body when it is done. If you are unclear about when it's done, check the temperature with a meat thermometer. The internal temperature of the thigh should be 180F degrees. The breast should register 170F degrees. And the stuffing should be 165F degrees.
  • Remove the turkey from the pan to a platter or another pan for carving. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Notes

  1. If you don't eat the skin, turkey is about 162 calories per 4-ounce serving. I think a 12-pound turkey would feed 12 and still have plenty of leftovers. The size of the turkey doesn't matter; you bake it for 20 minutes a pound no matter what size it is.
  2. Never pierce the skin of the turkey while it is baking. Poking a hole in the skin allows the wonderful juices to run out. It makes the turkey dry.
  3. Let the turkey rest. Letting the turkey sit (or rest) for 10 minutes before carving it allows the juices to reabsorb into the meat.

Nutrition

Calories: 492kcal | Protein: 75g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 251mg | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 782mg | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 3mg