If you’re pressed for time (or oven space), Make Ahead Roasted Turkey is just what you need. This method keeps the turkey tasting delicious and freshly carved even when it is cooked the day before, the week before, or even the month before.
Of all the easy Thanksgiving turkey recipes out there, this one just works. I finish all of the carving well in advance of the guests arriving, make the gravy and the broth using the turkey carcass, and then I’m ready to handle anything else the day may bring.
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe. Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Absolutely! Preparing your turkey the night before is a fantastic way to save time and ensure a perfectly cooked bird on Thanksgiving Day Here’s how you can do it:
Step 1: Prepping the Turkey
- Buy a fresh turkey: Aim for 1 pound per person. You can order it fresh or buy it at a grocery store, but remember frozen turkeys need at least 3-5 days to thaw in your fridge.
- Seasonings: Pick up butter, thyme, rosemary, sage, a lemon, garlic, an onion, and chicken stock.
- Brining: Consider skipping the brine. It’s extra work and makes the turkey unsuitable for making stock later due to the saltiness.
- Night before: Unwrap the turkey and remove the neck and giblets from the cavity. Rinse it inside and out with cool water, pat it dry, sprinkle with salt, and place it unwrapped in a pan in the fridge overnight. This helps the skin crisp up.
Step 2: Cooking Day Prep
- An hour before cooking: Remove the turkey from the fridge to bring it closer to room temperature. This helps it cook faster.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees: Adjust the racks to make space for the turkey.
- Seasoning: Rub the turkey generously with 3-4 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle with pepper inside and out.
- Stuffing: Fill the cavity with chopped onion and lemon quarters, 4-6 garlic cloves, and remaining thyme and rosemary sprigs.
- Wrap the drumsticks: Use aluminum foil to prevent them from overcooking and drying out.
- Tie the legs: Use butcher’s twine to tie the drumsticks together.
Step 3: Roasting the Turkey
- Place the turkey in a roasting pan: Breast-side up, preferably on a rack for even cooking.
- Insert thermometer: Use an in-oven instant-read thermometer to monitor the temperature constantly.
- Sprinkle remaining herbs: Thyme and rosemary over the turkey.
- Cooking: Start at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then reduce to 350 degrees. Check on the turkey and tent it with foil if needed to prevent burning.
- Pan drippings: Pour chicken broth into the pan as needed to prevent burning.
- Resting: Once the turkey reaches 165 degrees, remove it from the oven, wrap it in foil, and scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Pour all the pan drippings into a glass container.
Step 4: Making Gravy
- Melt butter: 1 tablespoon in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour: 1 tablespoon, cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
- Turkey drippings: Use a baster to suck up the drippings, below the fat line.
- Whisk into gravy: Add 1/2 – 1 cup of chicken stock and let it simmer, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5: Carving the Turkey
- Rest the turkey for 30 minutes: Then carve it. You can either remove the entire breast and carve it or slice directly from the turkey.
Bonus Tip: Make turkey stock with the leftover bones for a delicious soup!
Additional Resources:
- Make Ahead Roasted Turkey: https://www.culinaryhill.com/make-ahead-roasted-turkey/
- Step by Step Instructions for Cooking a Thanksgiving Turkey: https://thekittchen.com/step-by-step-instructions-for-cooking-a-thanksgiving-turkey/
FAQs:
- Can I use this method for a chicken? Yes, you can! Reduce the roasting time and baste more often to keep the chicken moist.
- Do I have to carve the turkey the night before? No, you can carve it after reheating.
- Can I use this recipe on a pre-brined bird? It’s intended for un-brined turkeys. Brined birds can’t be used for making stock.
Remember: Cooking a turkey the night before saves time and ensures a perfectly cooked bird on Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy your delicious and stress-free Thanksgiving feast!
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: For your Thanksgiving meal, budget 1 ¼ pounds of turkey per person (part of the weight comes from the bones). This recipe calls for a 15-pound bird, which should feed roughly 12 people (18 cups total, or 1 ½ cups of turkey per person). The math is: 12 people x 1. 25 pounds per person = 15-pound turkey.
- Storage: For up to four days, keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
- Safe thawing: Slowly thawing a frozen turkey in the refrigerator over several days is the best (and safest) method. It takes longer, but it is infinitely safer. Never thaw a turkey at room temperature, in the microwave, or in warm or hot water as these methods allow bacteria to grow before the turkey is fully thawed.
- Brine: If you have the time and inclination, a dry brine is a great way to add extra flavor to your turkey. If brining, choose a turkey whose label states, “no salt added.” Avoid “self-basting” or Kosher turkeys that have already had a brine injection.
- Because you might be cooking a slightly smaller or larger turkey, roasting times can vary. Roasting an unstuffed turkey at 325 degrees takes about 15 minutes per pound. Nonetheless, an excellent meat thermometer—165 degrees at the thickest part of the thigh—is the best tool for determining whether a turkey has been properly roasted.
- Carving: Starting with the first side and working your way down to the second is the easiest. For more details, view my comprehensive carving tutorial for a turkey.
The majority of modern recipes discourage stuffing turkeys because it compromises food safety and results in a bird that cooks more evenly. If you choose to stuff your turkey, mix the wet and dry ingredients right before stuffing the bird; make sure that any raw meat, poultry, or seafood that is used in the stuffing has been thoroughly cooked beforehand. Do not stuff a bird with cooked stuffing. Loosely pack the body and neck cavities using a large spoon or your hands (do not pack it tightly because the stuffing expands while it cooks). Truss the main cavity with trussing pins to keep the stuffing inside. The stuffing must register 165 degrees on an internal thermometer to be safe to eat. Stuffing a chicken or Cornish hens is also discouraged. For more information, see the USDA website.
