Save time and enhance flavor this holiday season with a simple shortcut to juicy roast turkey with just a few snips of your kitchen shears!
This summer, after discovering how easy it is to spatchcock a chicken for a perfectly roasted bird that’s super moist and flavorful, I just knew I had to use this simple method for roasting a whole turkey as well!
And the results are just as amazing – a beautiful turkey with unbelievable flavor and moistness in less time and with less effort! If haven’t tried this easy foolproof method yet, let me encourage you that it’s a real game changer for ensuring a more evenly cooked, juicer bird!
Another reason to love spatchcocking is its sheer simplicity – there’s nothing fancy or difficult about it. All that’s required is a large rimmed baking sheet and a simple pair of poultry shears, which are used to remove the backbone in order to flatten the turkey.
And that’s the secret to this classic cooking method … Flattening the turkey exposes more surface area to heat, which reduces overall cooking time, and also results in the white breast meat and dark leg meat reaching doneness at the same time. And even cooking means juicer meat and a crisper skin! Just look at that perfectly golden bird! It really is so simple! Just give it a try and see for yourself!
This beautiful roasted spatchcock turkey is definitely as delicious as it is stunning! The flavorful surprise of a fresh herb mixture stuffed under the skin helps to keep the breast meat moist and juicy, and oh-so-flavorful! This easy & tasty technique will have your family “oohing-and-ahhing” with every delicious bite!
That’s why this gorgeous bird is the shining star of my family’s Thanksgiving Menu. And it pairs beautifully with my bread-free Savory Grain-Free Stuffing, which is so remarkably similar in flavor and texture to traditional stuffing, you’ll swear it’s the real deal!
How to Spatchcock {Butterfly} a Whole Turkey
Step One: Rinse and pat dry a whole turkey (about 12-14 pounds). Place the turkey breast side down on a work surface with the legs facing you.
Grab the bird by the tail. Using sharp poultry shears, remove the backbone by carefully cutting along both sides of the backbone from the tail to the neck. If you hit a tough spot, try cutting with just the tip of the shears.
P.S. Be sure to save the backbone (and giblets) for making delicious and healthy homemade stock.
Step Two: Flip the turkey over and open it up like book, laying it flat on a work surface. Use the palm of your hand to firmly press down on one side of the breast, close to the breastbone, until you hear a crack. Repeat on the other side. (For better leverage, stand on a step stool.)
Step Three: Tuck the wing tips under the thighs of the turkey to keep them from overbrowning. It’s easy to see why they also refer to this method as “butterflying,” since the shape of a spatchocked bird resembles a butterfly. (Maybe it’s just me, but I think it looks more like a turkey with its hands on its hips!)
That’s all there is to it! Now that you’ve learned how to spatchcock turkey, you’re ready to season your beautiful bird with a flavorful mixture of herbs and ghee for the moistest, most delicious turkey you’ve ever tasted! (See recipe below.) Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 whole turkey (12-14 lbs.)
- 3 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3 Tbsp minced fresh sage
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 Tbsp Ghee or softened butter (if DF, use oil of your choice)
- Paprika for sprinkling on top, if desired
Instructions
- Spatchcock the turkey following the how-to photo tutorial above. (Reserve the turkey parts for making homemade stock, if desired.)
- Place turkey on a large rimmed baking sheet as shown above. (Or cover and refrigerate spatchcocked turkey up to a day in advance of roasting.)
- When ready to roast, preheat oven to 425°F. Pat dry the turkey and season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
- In a small bowl, combine the fresh herbs, lemon zest, salt, garlic and ghee to form a paste.
- Carefully detached the skin from the turkey breast by gently sliding your fingers under the skin to separate the skin from the breast meat.
- Evenly distribute half of the herb-ghee mixture underneath the skin of the turkey onto the breast meat. Then rub the remaining herb-ghee mixture all over the skin of the entire bird. Then sprinkle the top of the entire bird with a little ground paprika, if desired. (This adds additional flavor and beautiful color!)
- Roast turkey at 425°F until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast and thigh, but not touching bone, registers 160°F, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on size of the bird. (Cover breast with foil, if turkey is browning too quickly.)
- Let turkey rest at least 20 minutes before carving. Serve with your favorite healthy holiday sides like my Savory Herb Seasoned Grain-Free Stuffing. Enjoy!
Best Turkey recipe ever! It looks beautiful and it tastes delicious! Thank you!!
Woo Hoo! So glad you enjoyed this recipe too! Spatchcocking has made Thanksgiving turkey roasting (and frankly roasting a whole chicken) so much more enjoyable! I just love the consistent, delicious results! Happy Thanksgiving! Appreciate you taking the time to leave a kind note! 🙂