Jump to:📋 What do we need? 🔪 How to roast a turkey ⏲️ Turkey Roasting Time 🍽️ What to serve it with 📺 Watch how to make it 🍲 More fantastic roast dinner recipes Easy Roast Turkey Recipe 💬 Reviews
I’m just going to come out here and say it - I don’t stuff my turkey! In addition I don’t brine it, baste it, lay it on piles of vegetables, cover it in bacon or smother butter under the skin.Why? You might ask?
After years of roasting turkeys, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s best to keep it simple. A flavourful turkey, with any energy for fancy stuff being saved for the side dishes!
If you have a meat thermometer, the temperature should read 70C/158F. Test the thickest part of the thigh and the thickest part of the breast. The temperature will rise a little further when it’s resting.
Check the turkey is done by piercing the deepest part of the meat with a skewer – the juices should run clear, not pink. Give it a little longer in the oven if the juices are still a little pink.
⏲️ Turkey Roasting Time
Note: this is for whole turkeys (not turkey crowns).For turkeys under 4kg (8.8lbs), this is 20 minutes per kg (2.2lbs) plus 70 minutes.For turkeys 4kg (8.8lbs) and over, this is 20 minutes per kg (2.2lbs) plus 90 minutes. Time planning tip: It’s a good idea to work out your time plan backwards from the time you want to serve.You’ll need to consider not only the roasting time, but also taking the bird out of the fridge 1 hour before roasting, and then resting the bird after roasting.So if you want to serve at 2pm (and you have a 4.5kg/10lb bird) it would need to come out of the fridge at 9:15am. Then it would go into the oven at 10:15am. It would be done by 1:15pm, and can rest for 45 minutes before serving at 2pm. Stay updated with new recipes!Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos). Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
