Roasted Savory & Citrus Turkey
on Nov 11, 2016, Updated Nov 06, 2021
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Roasted Savory & Citrus Turkey is made with a couple of ordinary herbs and common fruit. The finished product is anything but ordinary. This Citrus Turkey has taste and flavor that you won’t ever forget.
What is it?
For this Thanksgiving turkey recipe, we used some fresh rosemary, some fresh thyme, and the zest from a couple of oranges and a couple of lemons.
Together with some salt, pepper, and garlic, a dry rub is created. The bird is then allowed to rest, uncovered, overnight in the refrigerator.
What makes this turkey taste so great
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Orange
- Lemon
- Apple
- Love
The usually savory aromatics are added to the pan to flavor the drippings from this easy roast turkey.
Carrots, onions, celery, and some apples are dispersed in the pan, beneath the turkey.
Fresh squeezed orange juice from the zested fruit is added mid-way into the roasting process, along with a quick surface bath of melted butter.
The best turkey recipe
The result of this process gives a rich texture and dynamic flavor to this holiday recipe.
Indeed, several guests proclaimed this the best turkey they’ve ever tasted. I wasn’t a guest but rather the host, and before any of them made that proclamation, I had already thought it. Please give this easy turkey recipe a try.
It’s easy to make, and it is incredibly wonderful to experience! -Dan
Be sure and try the Rich Roasted Turkey Gravy that goes with this Turkey Recipe!
For a simpler, scale-down turkey dinner, try our Turkey Tenderloin, it’s oven-roasted with a few basic savory herbs!
If y0u are wondering what to do with turkey leftovers, we have an answer for you.
And it’s pretty darn tasty!
Try our Turkey Pot Pie with Homemade Crust!
Other delicious turkey recipes
Finally, if you’re looking for a butternut squash recipe for Thanksgiving, be sure to try our Hasselback Butternut Squash.
Savory and Citrus Roast Turkey
Ingredients
- 10 pound whole turkey
- 4 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 6 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane or minced
- Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
- Finely grated zest of 2 oranges, save the oranges for juicing
- 2 bunches rosemary
- 1 bunch thyme
- 1 white onions, peeled, halved and sliced
- 2 inch large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2- coins
- 2 inch celery stalks, sliced 1/2- thick
- 1 apples, cored and sliced
- Dry white wine, as needed
- ¾ cup melted butter or olive oil
Instructions
- Remove giblets from inside the turkey; reserve for stock or gravy. Pat meat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, allspice, garlic and citrus zests. Pat mixture all over turkey and turkey parts (including inside the whole turkey cavity). Stuff one bunch of rosemary in cavity of whole turkey. Strew remaining rosemary and the thyme all over turkey and turkey parts. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.
- Remove turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before you plan to cook it so it can come to room temperature. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Distribute onions, carrots, celery and apples into pan, scattering them on the bottom of the large roasting pan under the turkey, and pour 1/2 cup wine in the bottom of the turkey pan.
- Place turkey (with herb branches clinging to it) on a rack in a roasting pan.
- Transfer whole turkey to the oven and roast for 1 hour.
- Squeeze the juice from the 2 zested oranges. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees and place orange juice into the bottom of each of the pan.
- Drizzle the butter or oil all over the whole turkey. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meat registers 165 degrees, about 20 to 30 minutes more. (Note: The turkey breasts may cook faster than the dark meat, so keep your eye on them.) If the breast of the whole turkey starts to look too brown before the bird is cooked through, cover it loosely with foil.
- When the whole turkey is cooked through, remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 20 minutes while the parts finish cooking.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This turkey looks so tasty and amazing, I think orange and lemon zest make a great flavoursome addition
All of those herbs look amazing! Can’t wait for Turkey Day.
Thanks, Michelle. It’s always amazing what “fresh” can add to any recipe!
Oh boy. Do you deliver?
That could always be arranged!
Such a beautiful turkey! I love the addition of orange and lemon zest. Such a unique flavor for Thanksgiving!
Tis that turkey time of year. We love it here, and this looks great. I love buying a HUGE turkey so I have lots of leftovers. I could eat it all year long.
This sounds absolutely wonderful!! I love the citrus flavors in this – show stopper!!!
Your turkey looks amazing. I’m sure it tastes even better with all the fresh herbs!
Thanks for the comments, the turkey is every bit as wonderful to taste as it is to see!
This looks like an INCREDIBLE turkey! Oh my! I love the flavor combinations of the citrus, wine, veggies, and spices. I am sure it is absolutely delicious.
Thanks, Katie. Truly, the best turkey I’ve ever tasted.
I was just about the ask the same question as Elizabeth above! Does a little orange juice and zest turn the turkey so red? It’s such an unexpected unique color!
Julie, it’s all in the beauty and taste of drizzled butter, as the turkey roasts! Thanks so much for the great question.
That sounds fantastic, but what’s making the flesh so red? I wondered if you’d added paprika or tomato puree to the rub! 🙂
Elizabeth, thanks for the great question and truly one that I should have addressed. The deep, rich color comes from the drizzled butter that coats the turkey as it roasts. This not only gives it a gorgeous visual finish but adds an understated and sweetened finish to every bite.