The Juiciest Whole Roasted Turkey Recipe

Is there anything more quintessential than a golden whole roasted turkey for the holidays? Let's put aside the usual holiday stresses, a long to-do list, planning, cooking, and being the hostess with the mostest. So while maybe some parts of the holidays are let's say, bittersweet, follow our holiday tried-and-true recipe for the juiciest roasted turkey and remove one stress off your, plate.

Our Must-Follow Guide for Roasting a Turkey

1. Completely thaw your turkey if frozen.
2. Determine cooking time by multiplying the weight of the bird by 13 (10 lb turkey = 130 minutes).
3. Cook the stuffing separately, not in the turkey.
4. Start on high heat to brown and reduce heat until cooked through.
5. Use a meat thermometer. Fully cooked turkey should ready 165°F.

Whole Roasted Turkey Recipe Ingredients

• 1 whole turkey
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• ¼ cup celery leaves, divided
• ¼ cup Italian parsley, divided
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup olive oil or softened butter
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cups chicken stock

Directions & Method for a Juicy Whole Roasted Turkey

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush the entire turkey (inside and out) with lemon juice and sprinkle with sea salt. Place onion, celery leaves and parsley inside the main cavity. 
2. Truss the turkey with twine such that the legs and wings are held together and tucked under the turkey's body. Generously rub the outside with butter or olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a roasting rack over a large deep roasting pan to catch the juices. Top the bird with rosemary and thyme.
3. Calculate the cooking time according to the weight by multiplying the weight of the bird by 13 to determine the number of minutes required.
4. Cook the turkey at 400°F for 30 minutes to brown.
5. Reduce heat to 350°F. Add chicken stock to the bottom of the roasting pan (1 cup at a time). This helps to retain moisture in the turkey. Cook until the internal temperature read from the meatiest part of the thigh reads 165°F. Add stock to the base of the pan as needed. Tent legs and wings if needed with tin foil to prevent burning. 
6. Remove the turkey from the oven and allow it to rest tented with tin foil for at least 20 minutes before carving to allow the juices to settle.

Finding the Right Size Turkey

We've factored in the weight of the inedible parts and also accounted for some shrinking during the cooking process, however follow our simple guide to determine the correct size bird you need:

• 10 - 12 lbs serves 7 - 9 people;
• 12 - 15 lbs serves 10 - 12 people;
• 15 - 18 lbs serves 13 - 15 people;
• 18 - 20 lbs serves 16 - 20 people

Of course you can scale back if you're serving other proteins alongside it.

Humanely Raised, Free-Run Turkeys in Toronto

Pusateri's sources humanely raised, free-run turkeys and birds from local Ontario farmers based on our built relationships spanning decades allowing preferred access to the best, the juiciest birds, available in Toronto. But don't forget to pre-order your turkey directly with our butchers at 1539 Avenue Road, Toronto, while we aim to secure your requested bird size, availability from our farmers can be limited.