Herb and Citrus Roasted Turkey

This citrus herb roasted turkey is decadent and fresh tasting, giving your Thanksgiving meal the brightness that it needs. Tender juicy turkey is brined with citrus, garlic, and herbs for maximum flavor and moisture and paired with a luscious, silky gravy that makes you want to melt in your seat.

If you love turkey meat, try Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast and Slow Cooker Boneless Turkey Breast next.

Why This Roasted Turkey Method Works

This turkey recipe works because it combines strategic brining, effective seasoning, and key cooking techniques (oven temperature and turkey prep) to maximize juiciness, flavor, and an appealing, golden-brown skin.

• Citrus and Herb Brine Maximizes Juiciness: Soaking the turkey in a citrus and herb brine helps the meat absorb moisture and flavor, resulting in a juicier and more flavorful turkey after roasting.
• Butter Under and Over the Skin Locks in Moisture: Rubbing softened butter under and over the turkey skin bastes the bird during cooking, preventing dryness and creating a beautiful, crispy skin.
• Aromatics in the Cavity Infuse Flavor: Filling the cavity with fresh herbs, citrus, and onion gently infuses delicate, complex flavors throughout the meat while it roasts.
• High-Heat, Uncovered Roasting Yields a Golden Skin: Roasting the turkey uncovered at 375°F ensures even cooking while helping the skin brown and crisp without overcooking the interior.
• Minimal Basting Reduces Oven Heat Loss: Avoiding frequent basting minimizes the need to open the oven, helping the turkey cook evenly and preventing the meat from drying out.
• Resting Before Slicing Maintains Juiciness: Allowing the turkey to rest before carving lets the juices redistribute within the meat, resulting in moist, tender slices.

Each step in this recipe is designed to simplify the process while producing a turkey with balanced moisture, vibrant flavor, and a visually striking presentation.

Ingredient Guide: What Each Ingredient Does

• Turkey: A whole turkey (12-18 pounds, depending on your needs). Make sure it's thawed with giblets removed.
• Unsalted butter (softened or melted): Rubbed under and over the skin, it helps brown the skin, lock in moisture, and meld the flavors of herbs and citrus throughout the meat.
• Lemons (zest and wedges): The zest is combined with the butter for a fresh, citrusy aroma, while the wedges can go inside the cavity to steam and infuse the meat during roasting.
• Oranges (zest and wedges): Adds subtle sweetness and a vibrant, complex citrus note to balance the herbs and enhance the juiciness.
• Fresh thyme and rosemary: To mix with butter and stuffed into the cavity.
• Onion: Adds foundational savory notes, keeps the flavor profile balanced and aromatic.
• Garlic: You can swap whole garlic cloves for 2 Tablespoons minced garlic.
• Salt and Pepper: Simple seasonings-don't skimp! They make flavors pop.
• Seasonings: Garlic powder and Italian Seasoning.
• Brine: Lots of salt (1 cup salt per gallon of water), orange and lemon juice combined with sweet onion, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary. 
• Bay leaves - These are optional but they add a nice, earthy flavor that is noticeable in the brine.
• Turkey broth - Chicken, vegetable, or turkey broth all work. 

How To Roast the Turkey

1. Thaw with Patience: Allow enough refrigerated thaw time-about one day for every five pounds of turkey. Add an extra day for safety.

2. Prep the Bird: Remove packaging, neck, and giblets. Pat dry for crisp skin. Skip washing-heat destroys bacteria, and rinsing only spreads germs.

3. Season the Cavity: Generously salt and pepper the inside. Fill the cavity with aromatics: onion, apple or citrus, and a generous handful of rosemary, thyme, and sage. These ingredients infuse subtle flavor while roasting

4. Make the brine: In a large pot or brining bin large enough to submerge your turkey, add the salt, garlic cloves, orange juice, lemon juice, lemon slices, orange slices, onion, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary.  

5. Dissolve the salt: To the spice and fruit mixture, add 2 cups of water and stir well until the salt has dissolved. 

6. Brine the turkey: Add your turkey to the brine, and then fill the brining bin with enough cold water to cover the turkey. (If the turkey floats, turn it until bubbles come out of the body cavity and the cavity is filled with brine.) 

7. Refrigerate overnight & rinse:.= Refrigerate for 8 hours (up to 24 hours). The turkey will plump up a bit as it absorbs the brine, so make sure your brine isn't going to overflow when you fill the bucket.

Once you remove the turkey from the brine, rinse it well, or it will be too salty. Set aside the herbs and fruits to place inside the turkey when cooking!

8. Make the herb garlic butter: In a small bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice, orange juice, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper until smooth. If there is liquid that won't combine with the butter, you can microwave the mixture for 10 seconds to soften it a bit more and allow it to combine.

9. Stuff your turkey: Place your turkey, breast side up in your roasting pan, and stuff the cavity with half of the herbs and fruits from the brine.

10. Create a pocket for the butter: With clean hands or a spatula, make pockets over each breast by separating the skin from the meat. 

11. Butter the turkey: Use half of your butter under the skin of the breasts, smoothing it out as much as you can. Rub the remaining butter over the skin of the bird, making sure to get the legs and wings as well as the breast.

12. Tuck the wings and tie the legs: Tuck the wing tips behind the body of the bird and use butcher's twine to tie the legs together at the end if needed. In the bottom of the roasting pan, add a cup of broth and the remaining brine herbs and fruits.

13. Bake: Bake at 375 F., uncovered for 10-12 minutes per pound. My 11 pound turkey took about an hour and 45 minutes to cook. Check the internal temperature of the turkey in the thickest part of the breast and along the thigh bone at the thickest part of the thigh. Once it reaches 165°F your turkey is done.

14. Rest the turkey: Remove the turkey from the roasting pan and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

15. Skim the drippings: Allow the turkey drippings to cool slightly in the roasting pan, and using a spoon or turkey baster, remove the fat that surfaces once it has settled. 

16. Make the gravy: In a small pot over medium heat, whisk together the turkey drippings, broth, flour, salt, and pepper. Allow the gravy to barely simmer whisking frequently, until it has reached the desired consistency. If it seems too thin, you can add a tablespoon of flour until thickened, but be careful not to add too much to alter the taste.

Essential Equipment

• Large pot or brining bucket -  My brining bin is a 28 cup food safe storage bin. You can use any food safe container that will fit your turkey safely. Some people use a 5 gallon bucket, just make sure you have room in your refrigerator to store it or be prepared to add ice and monitor the temperature frequently if you must brine outside of your refrigerator. The turkey must stay below 40 degrees to be safe.
• Roasting pan - My roasting pan is a 13x11 roasting pan and it fit my 11 pound turkey well.
• Spatula - Use a spatula if you don't like to touch the turkey but I often find it easier to just get in there and use my hands. If it makes you feel more comfortable, you can also use gloves. 
• Butchers twine -  You can also use unflavored dental floss if you're out of twine. 
• Instant Read Thermometer: Digital Meat Thermometer, but if you are really want to be a bit more scientific with your cooking, then use this professional meat thermometer.

You will also need aluminum foil, saucepan, spoon or turkey baster.

FAQ

• What does this taste like? This citrus herb turkey is savory and herbaceous, filling your house with the most delicious aroma. The meat stays juicy and tender while the crispy skin is buttery with a slightly sweet tang from the citrus. 
• Do I have to make the brine and gravy, or can I use store-bought?You can use store-bought gravy or brine to save time and energy on a big cooking day. Just make sure that you get a neutral flavor for the brine or gravy so it doesn't clash with the flavor of the turkey.
• Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it? Yes! This citrus herb turkey is perfect to make ahead of time and freeze. Make the turkey as directed and then allow it to cool completely. Carve the meat from the bones and store it in a labeled and dated resealable bag or an airtight container. When you're ready to enjoy, thaw the turkey completely in the refrigerator before reheating.
• My gravy turned out watery. If your gravy is watery, you can add more flour a tablespoon at a time, until you reach the consistency that's perfect for you. Make sure you give it a minute or two to cook in between additions so the raw taste of the flour cooks off. 
• What's another method I can use to cook this turkey? You could start cooking the turkey breast side down and then halfway through cooking, flip the bird breast side up. This lets the juices from the dark meat run down into the breast of the bird. Some people swear by this method, but during testing this recipe, I didn't see enough of a difference to make it worth doing. It's very difficult to flip the bird without burning your hands, so be careful, and use silicone oven mits or heavy-duty tongs to flip it gently without splashing the juices in the roasting pan.
• How long does it take a frozen turkey to thaw? About 24 hours per 5 lb of turkey in your refrigerator. A lot of people thaw in chilled water, this is less safe, but if you choose to go this route you'll need to thaw for 30 minutes per pound. Add ice as needed to keep the turkey at the right temperature. The turkey should remain below 40°F the entire time. 
• What size turkey do I need to feed my family? The rule I follow is 1 ½  pounds per person. To feed a table of 5 you'll need an 8 pound turkey or a table of 10 would need a 15 pound turkey. For leftovers, I always estimate for 4 extra people.
• Do I need to rinse or wash the turkey? Washing the turkey before brining it is not necessary. It contaminates the sink and kitchen (water splashes farther than you would think) and takes some flavor away, just an unnessisary step to clean up after. However, it is necessary to rinse the turkey after it has been brined or you'll end up with a salty turkey. 
• Do I need to baste the turkey? The butter packed under the skin allows the turkey to baste itself without having to open the oven excessively. Opening the oven lowers the temperature each time, leaving you with a dry turkey. I try to only baste the turkey once, halfway through the cooking time, or if I need to tent my turkey with foil.
• Should I put stuffing in the turkey? I don't recommend adding stuffing to the cavity of the turkey. You can, but be aware the stuffing may soak up too much moisture from the bird, leaving you with a dry turkey and soggy stuffing. If you do cook stuffing inside the turkey, make sure the center of the stuffing also reaches 165°F.
• Can I trust the little temperature poppers that come with the bird? I prefer not to use the popping timer. They can fail too easily. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your bird in 2 places, in the breast and along the thigh bone. It needs to reach 165°F and will also continue to cook a few more degrees while resting.
• Do I HAVE to rest the bird? No, but it does allow the meat to relax and soak the juices back into the meat fibers. Although it isn't 100% necessary, resting your turkey (and almost all meats) will keep your meat juicy and tender. 
• Do I HAVE to brine the bird? No, you don't have to brine your bird but it allows the flavors to soak deep into the meat where it otherwise wouldn't.

Substitutions and Variations

• Lemon - You can use limes in place of lemon for another variation. 
• Orange - You could also try using a grapefruit.
• Sweet onion - I love a sweet onion in this recipe but you could also use a yellow onion for a similar flavor or if you like a sharper onion flavor, you could use a white or red onion. 
• Salted butter - Margarine is also a great choice or if you like unsalted butter, you can use that and add a large pinch of salt

Serving Suggestions

• Mashed Potatoes: Irish mashed potatoes and Creamy Garlic Potatoes pair perfectly with the silky turkey gravy for a comforting, traditional touch.
• Roasted Vegetables: Honey Roasted Carrots, Creamy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, or parsnips tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper echo the fresh, herbal notes in the turkey.
• Fresh Salad: Blackberry and Avocado Salad, and Brussels Sprout Cranberry Salad with a honey vinaigrette harmonize with citrus in the turkey and add brightness to the plate.

Leftover Ideas

• Turkey Sandwiches: Layer sliced turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing on toasted Dutch Oven Bread for a hearty post-holiday meal.
• Turkey Soup: Use the bones and any remaining meat to make a rich, flavorful turkey soup with leftover vegetables. Use Chicken Pesto and Green Bean Soup as an inspiration (replace chicken with turkey).

Storage and Leftovers

• Refrigerate: Properly store your leftover turkey by first allowing it to cool to room temperature (not longer than 2 hours). Transfer the carved turkey (Save the bones in the freezer to make stock on another day.) to an airtight container or resealable bag and keep refrigerated for 3-4 days. 
• Reheating: You can reheat larger portions of your citrus herb turkey in your oven, or for individual servings, reheat in the microwave. 
• Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place the turkey into a 9x13 casserole dish with ½ to 1 cup of turkey broth to keep it from drying out. Cover with foil and heat the turkey for about 15 minutes or until warmed throughout.
• Microwave: Add individual servings to a microwave-safe plate and heat for 3-4 minutes at 50% power.