This is the EASIEST Turkey recipe to make because you only need 4 ingredients and these helpful tips! Make this your Christmas or Thanksgiving turkey and fear not to make a turkey with this easy step-by-step tutorial!
I’ve read reviews and did research to bring to you the EASIEST turkey recipe! With helpful tips from the Ladies that brought the turkey to Thanksgiving potlucks, I’m covering everything from how to roast a turkey, make a turkey for a big crowd and give ideas on how to use up leftovers! Watch me step-by-step of the way and learn how to make the simple turkey the delicious way!
4-ingredient Turkey Recipe:
So why only 4-ingredients? What about a seasoned butter rub or lots of fresh herbs and veggies? Well, to answer all that you only need the basics. Anything from there is preference and you can dress your turkey any way you’d like, but I come to believe easy recipes can be tasty.
The 4 Basics covered:
- Mayo- Oil, butter, or any fat to give the turkey a crisp skin!
- Lawry’s Seasoned salt- This seasoned salt has all the basic spices like salt, paprika, onion, and garlic powder!
- Rosemary- The only herb you need! It gives a ton of aroma!
- Water- Gives the turkey moisture and makes for the perfect broth that could be used for gravy!
How to make a whole turkey:
Easiest Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
4-ingredient Turkey
- 10 lb Turkey thawed, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp Lawry's Seasoning
- 1 tsp dried Rosemary
Instructions
How to make Easiest Turkey:
Make sure you are working with a thawed turkey. Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove the giblets. Rinse and pat dry turkey.- Combine the mayo and spices. Rub all over the turkey including the cavity. Place turkey neck back inside the cavity (that's meaty too.)
- Place the turkey into a large roasting pan with a removable rack. Pour 2 quarts of water onto the bottom of the pan.
- Roast turkey 1 hour uncovered. Then reduce heat to 325°F and bake for an additional 2 1/2 hours or until done. Allow turkey to rest 20 minutes before serving. Save liquid for gravy if desired.
Notes
Nutrition per serving
Q&A
How to make a picture Perfect Turkey?
You don’t have to impress family but if you’re curious to know how to get that perfectly browned turkey here’s a tip. After the first hour of roasting time, you find the turkey isn’t evenly browned, cover the really browned spots (like the top of the bird in most cases) with foil and broil over high while watching the turkey. This will create more evened browning.
How to serve a Turkey for a big crowd or potluck:
Let’s get real when you’re serving 20+ people, carving a freshly roasted turkey is the last thing you want to do in a buffet line. If you’re taking care of the turkey for a large party, no worries! Roast the turkey; cool then shred into chunks (it’s fall-off-the-bone-easy.) Make a slurry for all that liquid to make a gravy and toss everything together. You’ll have ready-to-serve turkey with gravy in one! Then you just need to keep warm for the special event in an electric roaster oven. Isn’t that Brilliant! A huge thanks to the ladies I learned this from (Sandra and Doreen!)
Do you have to brine a turkey?
Fresh wild-caught turkey: Yes.
Store-bought turkey: No.
Why? Most store-bought turkeys have an injected water solution with seasoning already in them. So there is no need for anymore brining or soaking.
How to make a large turkey:
This recipe is for a 10 lb turkey but if you’re using anything around 20 lbs just double the recipe.
What to stuff the Turkey cavity with?
The most commonly used ingredients for the turkey cavity are celery, onions, herbs, and carrots. Some add lemons or oranges but on-hand vegetables or fresh herbs are your call. I only stuffed the turkey photographed with leftover mayo rub and the turkey neck it came along with for extra meat. You could also stuff the cavity with this uncooked easy mushroom rice for a complete dinner!
How to use leftover turkey:
Here is a list of recipes where leftover turkey can be used in place of the meats:
Conventional Oven vs Roaster Oven:
Using a conventional oven is nice but when your oven is full or you want to make the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner and are away from home a roaster oven will be one of the best investments! Not only can you roast a big bird in this unit but the removable tray can be used for other big-sized recipes that can either be baked in a regular oven or the plug unit it comes with. A total win for the buck! And that’s not sponsored at all!
Turkey Servings:
10 lb turkey serves 6-8 people.
20lb turkey serves:12-15 people.
How long to roast a turkey:
Most turkey packages come with instructions and guides but here is a quick guide in case you threw out your wrapper.
10-lb turkey: 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 hours. I baked mine for the full 3 1/2 hours.
How to thaw Turkey quickly:
Submerge turkey (wrapper on) into warm water and change the water every 30 minutes. If the time allows thaw in the fridge 2-3 days prior to serving.
Tips
- Start defrosting your turkey 2 days ahead of time to ensure it thaws properly.
- Cover up the dark brown spots with aluminum foil to prevent any more darkening.
- Make a quick gravy using 1/4 of the slurry recipe that I added to the recipe card.
- Shred turkey pieces and freeze for other recipes!
