Description
This easy roast turkey recipe provides a juicy, flavorful centerpiece for your holiday feast. With simple ingredients and straightforward steps, it ensures crispy skin and tender meat, perfect for serving 8 to 10 people. The recipe involves roasting the turkey in the oven with a flavorful chicken stock base, with minimal fuss and maximum deliciousness.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 turkey - approximately 4.5kg (10 lbs)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 240 ml (1 cup) chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 160°C Fan/180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. This ensures the oven is at the right temperature for roasting the turkey evenly.
- Prepare the turkey: Remove giblets and neck from inside the turkey cavity. Tuck the tips of the legs into the cavity and fold the wing tips underneath the bird to promote even cooking and neater presentation.
- Position the turkey: Place the turkey on a large wire rack set over a large roasting tray. This allows hot air to circulate evenly around the bird for a crispy skin.
- Season the turkey: Rub the entire surface of the turkey with olive oil, then sprinkle evenly with salt and black pepper for flavor and crispy skin.
- Add liquid to tray: Pour the chicken stock into the base of the roasting tray. The liquid helps keep the turkey moist and creates drippings for gravy.
- Cover with foil: Lightly grease a large piece of foil with oil, then tent it over the turkey and tray, ensuring it doesn’t touch the bird. This traps steam, keeping the turkey moist.
- Roast the turkey: Place in the oven and roast uncovered for the remaining hour after the initial 2 hours. This helps develop a golden, crispy skin and ensures the meat is cooked through.
- Rest the turkey: When cooked, transfer the turkey to a warm plate and let it rest for 30-60 minutes. Resting allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in moist, tender meat.
Notes
- Adjust cooking times for different turkey sizes, roughly 13 minutes per pound (about 29 minutes per kg) at 350°F (180°C).
- Do not cover the turkey during the last hour of roasting for crisp skin.
- Letting the turkey rest is crucial for juiciness; extension to 60-90 minutes is fine if resting while making side dishes.
- Use the juices at the bottom of the tray to make flavorful gravy.
- Ensure the foil tent does not touch the turkey skin to prevent sogginess.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (about 200g)
- Calories: 430 kcal
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 55 g
- Cholesterol: 125 mg
