Prep Time:  30 mins
Cook Time:  0 mins
Total Time:  30 mins
Servings:  1

This is a simple recipe for a perfectly seasoned turkey for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other time that you are craving delicious turkey.

Ingredients

Ingredients for Turkey

  • Whole turkey, 12-16 lbs
  • 3 cups apple cider
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • Couple sticks of celery
  • Green apple, quartered
  • A few cloves of garlic
  • Fresh mushrooms
  • Fresh herbs: rosemary, sage, thyme (it's up to you)

Ingredients for Turkey Seasoning

  • 1 stick butter
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
  • 2 tsp parsley
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • Zest of one lemon or orange, if preferred
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste

Items You'll Need

Instructions

Instructions for Seasoning

  1. Begin by making a butter paste using a diced stick of softened butter, a little salt and cracked black pepper to taste, three cloves of minced garlic, two teaspoons each of freshly chopped thyme, parsley, and oregano, and one teaspoon of rosemary.
  2. Add the zest of one lemon or orange if you prefer and using a fork, mash it together into a rough paste, drizzle in a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and blend it into a fairly smooth paste
  3. Mixing the ingredients for the butter and seasoning blend
  4. Once your paste is made, remove the neck, and spare parts from the inside of the turkey. Save these for later, it's what will make our gravy so amazing. It's time to rub the turkey down inside and out with some olive oil, which will help it to brown up nicely and help it retain some moisture.
  5. Add a little salt and pepper inside the cavity.
  6. Using your fingers gently separate the skin from the flesh on about sixty percent of your turkey; at the fronts and backs of the breasts and thighs.
  7. Where you separated the skin, begin to take small portions of your paste and liberally pack it inside, using your hands to spread it around. This is going to keep our turkey moist and give it tons of awesome flavor. Don't leave the cavity out, make sure to coat the inside well.
  8. Putting a handful of the butter and seasoning blend under the skin
  9. And we're ready to chop our aromatics, a little celery, a couple onions, a green apple quartered, one red bell pepper, a few cloves of garlic, and some fresh herbs; some rosemary, sage, and thyme. Stuff whatever will fit, inside of your turkey and the rest will go in your roasting pan.
  10. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Cooking Directions