Easy Oven Roasted Citrus Turkey – 🍋🍊🦃 This EASY turkey recipe makes the JUICIEST and most FLAVORFUL roast turkey that everyone loves! The cavity is stuffed with aromatics including a lemon, an orange, fresh herbs, and the skin is coated in a citrus herb butter so it’s moist AND bursting with FLAVOR! This is a SIMPLE recipe that uses basic ingredients to create a PERFECT Thanksgiving or holiday turkey that your family and friends will rave about for years to come!
Table of Contents
Juicy Roasted Citrus and Herb Turkey
Say goodbye to dry, underseasoned turkey this Thanksgiving! If roasting a whole bird intimidates you, this recipe will show you how easy it actually is to make perfectly moist and juicy turkey every time.
My family loves this citrus stuffed turkey and I’m confident it’ll become your go-to whole bird recipe. What makes it so great?
- The aromatics and citrus fruits stuffed into the cavity of the turkey infuse it with flavor from the inside out and add moisture.
- The citrus flavor is more subtle and not overbearing and it’s nicely balanced from the herbs and garlic.
- You can scale this recipe to suit any size turkey.
- The citrus herb butter can be prepared 2 days in advance to reduce your prep work on the big day.
- There’s minimal basting or babysitting involved once the turkey is in the oven!
If you love a traditional herb-roasted turkey at Thanksgiving, this citrus variation is a play on my classic recipe. It has all the same comforting flavors of a classic roast turkey, plus citrus fruit flavors to add that little something “extra” that will have your guests coming back for seconds!
Ingredients for Roast Citrus Turkey
Ever wondered what you’re supposed to put in a turkey cavity? This recipe uses aromatics like fresh citrus fruits and herbs, which add both flavor and moisture to the roast turkey.
Gather the following to roast the herb and citrus turkey:
For the turkey:
- Whole turkey – fresh if you can get your hands on one, or a frozen bird that you’ve properly thawed* (see my Tip below)
- Onion – I used a white onion, but yellow works too
- Lemon
- Orange
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Fresh thyme sprigs
- Fresh sage
- Kosher salt and pepper – to taste
- Water – or use chicken broth
For the citrus herb butter:
- Unsalted butter
- Lemon zest – zest the same lemon you’ll be cutting up to stuff in the cavity
- Orange zest – zest the same orange you’ll be cutting up to stuff in the cavity
- Fresh rosemary leaves
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Fresh sage
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Roast an Herb and Citrus Turkey
Below is simply an overview of the turkey cooking process. Be sure to read the FAQs if you have any questions on how long you’re supposed to roast a turkey, how to tell when it’s done, and more.
The roasting process for this ultra moist citrus stuffed turkey can be condensed into five straightforward steps:
- Prep the turkey: Thaw your turkey (read above). Remove the packet of giblets from the turkey cavity. Pat the skin with clean paper towels to remove excess moisture. Place the turkey breast side-up on a roasting rack (or use a disposable large roasting pan).
- Stuff the turkey cavity: You’ll be placing orange wedges, lemon wedges, and a chopped onion inside the bird alongside a few sprigs of fresh herbs.
- Rub with citrus herb butter: Carefully work a mixture of softened butter, citrus zest, garlic, and herbs under the skin of the turkey and over the top as well.
- Roast at 350ºF: Tie the turkey legs closed with kitchen twine. Pour water or broth into the bottom of the roasting pan, then roast until done (see FAQs for troubleshooting tips).
- Rest before carving: Remove the roasting pan from the oven, cover the turkey tightly with foil, and let rest for a full 20 to 25 minutes before carving. This step is essential if you want a super juicy turkey!
Recipe FAQs
Plan on serving 1.50 pounds of turkey per person. Remember that your guests won’t eat the full pound and a half of turkey meat! This number takes into account the inedible parts of the bird that you’ll be discarding (the bones, giblets, etc.) and ensures you’ll have enough juicy meat to serve everyone.
This recipe calls for a 10- to 12-pound whole turkey, which should serve six to eight people. However, feel free to buy a larger turkey and scale up the recipe as desired!
Please see the above Tip box about Properly Thawing a Turkey.
Always thaw frozen turkeys in the fridge! If you leave the turkey out on the counter to thaw, you risk bacteria growing on the meat and giving all of your Thanksgiving guests food poisoning. They won’t come back next year.
Plan on letting your frozen turkey thaw in the fridge for one day per 5 pounds of bird. That means a 10- to 12-pound turkey needs at least 2 1/2 to 3 full days to thaw fully in the fridge. Plus, I add a day or so of cushion in case the turkey is taking longer to thaw than planned. Basically by Monday of Thanksgiving week, that bird ought to be in your fridge thawing.
The magic number you’re looking for is 13 minutes per pound at 350ºF. Use the regular setting on your oven, NOT convection (or “fan”). If the turkey skin is browning too quickly as it roasts, loosely tent it with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning.
That means a 10- to 12-lb turkey needs to roast for roughly 2 hours 10 minutes to 2 hours 35 minutes. And then it should rest for 20-30 minutes. So it’s a 2 1/2 to 3 hour event.
The turkey needs to reach an internal temperature of 160ºF in the thickest part of the thigh before you can pull it out, and then rest it until it come up to 165-170F.
The only surefire way to know if your Thanksgiving turkey is done roasting is to test the temperature with a meat thermometer or laser thermometer. Then, cover the roasting pan tightly with foil and let the bird rest for 20 to 25 minutes. As it rests, the turkey’s internal temperature will rise to 165-170ºF and you’ll be safe to dig in!
Turkey purists will say yes, a turkey has to be basted. But…I rarely baste mine! On Thanksgiving, I’m juggling so many different dishes that are coming in and out of the oven, on and off the stove, or being added to a slow cooker to keep warm — and you know what, my turkey is never dry. So, baste your citrus turkey if you have time, or don’t.
I do not brine this turkey nor do I brine my Easy Foolproof Roasted Turkey either. While you of course could (it won’t hurt), I don’t find the extra step necessary.
If you’re making this for Thanksgiving or Christmas, I suggest going the extra mile and using fresh herbs. While technically you could use dried herbs for the herb butter (in about half the quantity that I list for fresh herbs), you need fresh herbs to stuff into the cavity. Plus, if you’re doing any cooking at all for the holidays, you’ll likely already have them on hand. Team Fresh Herbs gets my vote.
A whole turkey is big and it needs quite a bit of time for the carry-over heat from the oven to finish bringing the internal temperature up to 165ºF. If you skip the rest time, the meat will be slightly underdone and won’t be safe to eat.
The rest time also allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, which creates a super juicy and tender slice of turkey. If you carve the turkey as soon as it comes out of the oven, the juices will run all over the cutting board and the turkey itself will be drier than it needed to be.
Please do! This is my gold standard turkey dripping gravy recipe. It’s very simple and can be whisked together while the turkey rests and makes use of the lovely pan juices and brown bits at the bottom of the pan with their rich flavor. It comes together quickly in a saucepan with a bit of melted butter, all purpose flour, and a whisk. Now you see, resting the bird is important – so you can also make gravy!
what to serve with turkey
Many of my favorite side dishes are listed here. Don’t forgot Classic Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, too!
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Easy Oven Roasted Citrus Turkey
Equipment
- 1 large roasting pan with rack preferred, but disposable is ok
Ingredients
Turkey
- 10 to 12 pound whole turkey, thawed from frozen or a fresh turkey (read the blog post for thawing tips, start 3-5 days prior to Thanksgiving in your fridge)
- 1 whole white onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 medium lemon, quartered (zest it for the butter below before you quarter it)
- 1 medium orange, quartered (zest it for the butter below before you quarter it)
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 cups water or chicken broth
Herb Butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- Zest of 1 medium lemon
- Zest of 1 medium orange
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped (or about 1 1/2 teaspoons dried)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or about 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped (or about 1 1/2 teaspoons dried)
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- Garnishing
- Extra fresh herb sprigs, (or lemon/orange slices, cranberries, etc; optional and as desired for garnishing)
Instructions
- Thawing – Read the blog post for more complete info about thawing a turkey from frozen, but the general rule of thumb in the refrigerator is 24 hours for each 5 pounds of turkey. Meaning a 10-pound turkey = 48 hours and a 15-pound turkey = 72 hours. I like to also add ~24 hours of cushion time in case things are going a bit slower than anticipated. Meaning, no later than Monday morning of Thanksgiving week I have my frozen turkey in my fridge, with a drip pan underneath it to catch the turkey water that's coming out as it thaws.
- Turkey – Preheat your oven to 350F and place the turkey on a large roasting pan (with a rack is preferrable) with the breast side up. Pat the turkey skin with paper towels to dry. Remove the neck and giblets from the inside of the cavity.
- Place the quartered onion, lemon, orange and fresh herb sprigs inside of the cavity of the turkey and season the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper.
- Herb Butter – To a small bowl, add the softened butter, lemon zest, orange zest chopped herbs, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and stir to combine. Tip – This is much easier with softened butter so make sure to set it out at least 30-45 minutes beforehand.
- Using clean hands (wear kitchen gloves if you'd like), rub the butter mixture both underneath the turkey skin and all over the outside of the turkey evenly. Tip – Use caution when lifting up the turkey skin to rub butter underneath it so you don't rip the skin. The butter does not have to coat or reach every single inch but the more you can spread it, the better.
- Tressing – Using cooking string or twine, tie the turkey legs together; called tressing or to tress the turkey. Alternatively, use a piece of the turkey skin pulled over the legs to hold together if you don't have twine.
- Roasting – Pour the water or broth into the bottom of your roasting pan. Roast the turkey uncovered for 13 minutes per pound, basting occasionally with the pan juices if desired. Roast until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the turkey meat is 160 to 165F.
- Resting – Remove the roasting pan from the oven and place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the turkey to seal in the heat, during which time the internal temp will come up to 165F (the safe temp to eat dark meat) to 170F. juices. Allow the turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
- Carving and Garnishing – Discard the herbs in the turkey cavity. Slice the turkey and serve warm, or garnish on a serving platter with additional herbs and citrus slices, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipes to Make Using Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey:
ALL OF MY THANKSGIVING RECIPES!
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Turkey Tetrazzini — Wondering what to do with your leftover Thanksgiving turkey? This rich casserole features al dente spaghetti, a decadent cream sauce, tender vegetables, cheese, and of course your extra turkey!
Easy Turkey Pot Pie — Wondering what to do with that leftover turkey from the holidays? Make this easy turkey pot pie recipe! It’s hearty, creamy, comforting, perfect for chilly weather, and EASY to make!
Hawaiian Roll Turkey and Cheese Sliders — Juicy turkey, Swiss cheese, and cranberry sauce all nestled in soft Hawaiian rolls that are brushed with butter and topped with poppy seeds for the BEST turkey sliders!
Turkey Wild Rice Soup — Take advantage of leftover holiday turkey, and make this rich, creamy, and very hearty soup! Made with an array of vegetables, seasonings and herbs, and of course plenty of wild rice and turkey! EASY, ready in an hour, and made in one pot!
Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Crescent Rolls — Looking for a recipe to use a variety of your Thanksgiving leftovers? These stuffed crescent rolls are QUICK and EASY to make using leftovers from your Thanksgiving dinner including turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy!
Thanksgiving Crunchwrap Supreme — Not sure what to do with all of those Thanksgiving leftovers? Turn them into Thanksgiving Crunchwraps! A soft flour tortilla and crunchy corn tostada base is piled high with your favorite Thanksgiving leftovers including turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and more before sealing them, toasting, and dunking them in gravy.
