Oven Roasted Turkey with Gravy

a whole roasted, stuffed, turkey in a roasting pan on a counter

This oven roasted turkey is seasoned with butter and seasoned salt, roasted until golden brown, and served with homemade gravy made from the pan drippings. A classic holiday centerpiece with simple ingredients and plenty of flavor.

Beth

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 4 30

Rest Time: 20

Total Time 5 5

Servings

Ingredients

For the turkey:

15 lb premium young turkey (defrosted)
1 cup butter
2 Tbsp seasoned salt (divided)

For the gravy:

4 cups chicken broth (you may not need all of it)
½ cup all purpose flour (or Wondra fine flour)

Instructions

Prepping the Bird

Remove the packaging and place the turkey on a clean work surface. Remove the neck and giblet packet from both cavities, then pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels. Do not rinse the turkey. Wash your hands and thoroughly clean and sanitize any surfaces that touched the raw bird.
Place the turkey on a roasting pan (preferably with a rack, but it will still work if you don't have one). Sprinkle 1/2 Tbsp of the seasoned salt inside cavity.
Carefully loosen skin with your hand in the breast and thigh areas to create a pocket. Push back as far as you can without tearing the skin.
Cut 4 Tbsp of butter into at least 8 pieces and place them in different areas under the skin.
If stuffing the turkey, combine the wet and dry stuffing ingredients just before roasting. Loosely fill the larger cavity, then lift the flap of skin and fill the smaller cavity without overstuffing. Place any remaining stuffing in a covered casserole dish to bake separately.
Fold flap of skin over smaller cavity, then fold the wings under to hold the skin in place. This may take a little force. It will look like the bird is resting on its wings.
Spread the remaining butter all over skin of the turkey. Use more if you feel like you didn't cover everything. Sprinkle the rest of the seasoned salt evenly over turkey. Cover tightly with foil.

Roasting the Bird:

Preheat oven to 275º F. Place covered turkey on bottom rack and cook for 10 minutes per pound. This 15 pound turkey cooked for 2 1/2 hours at this temperature.
Uncover the turkey and insert an oven-safe thermometer into the thigh. The turkey will still look raw, but don't worry! Increase the oven temperature to 350°F and continue roasting, basting every 30 minutes. Cook until the innermost thigh, innermost wing, and thickest part of the breast all reach 165°F. If you've stuffed the turkey, the center of the stuffing must also reach 165°F. For a stuffed, 15-pound turkey, this took about 2 hours. An unstuffed turkey will cook faster.
Carefully remove turkey from oven, place on a platter, and lightly cover with aluminum foil. Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes while you finish prepping the rest of the sides and make the gravy.

Making the gravy:

Place roasting pan with juice from turkey on a stove burner over medium heat (make sure it's stovetop safe, first!). Add enough chicken broth to make 4 cups of liquid. This bird did not release much juice which is good, because it all stayed in the turkey, but didn't leave much to work with for the gravy. Use a whisk to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. All of those little "burnt" spots are actually filled with flavor!
Slowly whisk in flour a little at a time. I like to use Wondra flour for gravy because it is really fine and doesn't clump as much. Don't worry if it does clump up! Just strain it through wire mesh strainer and keep cooking. Add a little more flour if it still needs thickening.
Remove the stuffing from the cavities to a serving dish, carve up the bird and enjoy this tender, moist and flavorful classic holiday dish!

Notes

Thaw ahead: Allow about 4–5 days to thaw a frozen 15-pound turkey in the refrigerator. Keep it in a pan to catch any drips.
Check the temperature: Use a meat thermometer to confirm the thickest part of the breast, innermost thigh, and innermost wing reach 165°F. If stuffed, the center of the stuffing must also reach 165°F.
Make the gravy: If your roasting pan isn't stovetop-safe, transfer the drippings to a saucepan before making the gravy.

Food safety: This recipe uses a traditional low-temperature roasting method. Current USDA guidelines recommend roasting turkey at an oven temperature of at least 325°F and cooking stuffing separately for optimal safety. The cooking times listed are specific to the method described and will differ at higher temperatures.

Nutrition

Disclaimer: All nutrition values are per serving and approximate. They will vary depending on products and quantities used.