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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
No more arguing with my Mom over when the turkey is done! This method is SO forgiving that I’d bet the white meat will never dry out. The turkey turns out incredibly tender and delicious, and it practically falls apart when you carve it!
This recipe is up there with my Deconstructed Turkey and Roast Turkey Breast recipes as one of my favorites. Not a fan of turkey? Try my Pork Loin Roast or Sirloin Tip Roast instead – they’re just as delicious!
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This turkey is easy to make, so beginner cooks shouldn’t shy away from making it!
- Total Time: You’ll need about 5 hours and 15 minutes from start to finish, but it’s worth the wait. Most of the cooking time is low and slow, so you can focus on getting the rest of your holiday meal ready.
- Variations: Add my Turkey Seasoning to the spices you rub onto the turkey, or give it an extra boost of flavor with paprika, cayenne, chili powder, or your favorite herbs. Pair your delicious turkey with my Oven Baked Turkey Stuffing or Mom’s Homemade Stove Top Stuffing and these Rosemary Garlic Smashed Potatoes for the ultimate holiday meal!
- Tools For This Recipe: You will need an oven bag, a knife for chopping, a bowl for mixing the seasoning, a roasting pan, a meat thermometer, and a platter for serving.
What You’ll Need for Ingredients
Turkey: You’ll need a 15–25 pound turkey for this recipe. Karlynn’s Tip: The turkey shown in these photos is 13 pounds, but the first one I made was 20 pounds, so you can absolutely use this method with the turkey size that works best for you!
Seasonings: Use sea salt flakes or coarse salt and dried parsley to season your turkey. Feel free to add any other seasonings you enjoy, like black pepper, my Homemade Poultry Seasoning, or your favorite herbs and spices.
Turkey Broth: You can use turkey broth or chicken broth in this recipe, whichever you have on hand.
Olive Oil: Olive oil is rubbed on the turkey and helps the seasonings stick to the skin. Karlynn’s Tip: You can also use butter instead of olive oil if you prefer!
Vegetables: You’ll need a white onion, peeled and quartered, plus a couple of celery stalks. They add flavor to the turkey and work especially well with the quartered apple used in the recipe.
How To Make The Juiciest, Most Tender Oven Roast Turkey
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Preheat your oven to 300°F. The USDA recommends cooking turkey in an oven set to a minimum of 325°F, which you can also do if you want the turkey to cook faster.
- Pat the top and sides of the turkey dry with paper towels, then throw the towels away and wash your hands.
- Place the turkey completely inside the oven bag, positioning it so the opening is angled toward the top rather than straight across.
- Place the quartered onion, celery, apple, and any other vegetables into the turkey cavity.
- Mix the salt with the dried parsley in a small bowl. If you’re cooking a larger turkey, you can double the seasoning mixture.
- Drizzle a small stream of olive oil over the turkey breast, thighs, and legs.
- Rub the olive oil all over the turkey skin, making sure it’s evenly coated.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mixture evenly over the turkey, then rub it into the skin.
- Pour the turkey or chicken broth into the bottom of the oven bag, being careful not to wash the seasoning off the turkey.
- Seal the bag using the tie that comes with it, then cut a few small holes in the top of the bag to allow steam to escape.
- Place the turkey in a roasting pan and cook for 3–4 hours for a 13-pound turkey, or up to 5–6 hours for a larger turkey.
- When the thigh meat reaches 180°F and the breast meat reaches at least 165°F, remove the turkey from the oven. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then carefully remove the oven bag.
- Transfer the turkey to a platter, or carve it right in the roasting pan.
- Save the drippings and use them to make turkey gravy!
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Oven Roast Turkey
- Use a Turkey-Sized Oven Bag: The simple secret to this turkey is using a turkey-sized oven roasting bag. And to be clear, I mean an oven bag, not a brown paper bag! Brown paper bags are NOT safe for cooking, so you should always use a food-safe oven bag. The oven bag is key to this recipe, so don’t skip it!
- The Secret Is Braising: This turkey turns out so well because the olive oil and salt help crisp up the skin, while the broth creates steam inside the oven bag and braises the turkey instead of simply roasting it. Braising is one of my favorite ways to cook meat, and it’s especially helpful with turkey because it helps you to get moist breast meat while still cooking the legs to the proper temperature!
Storage Instructions
Refrigerator: Let the turkey cool, then remove the meat from the bones and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, or place the turkey in a covered baking dish with a splash of broth and warm in the oven until heated through.
Freezer: Freeze leftover turkey in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months, following USDA food safety guidelines. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating!
More Delicious Turkey Recipes
Turkey isn’t just for the centerpiece at Thanksgiving dinner! Try one of my tried-and-true Poultry & Turkey Recipes for your next tasty meal:
- These Turkey Kebabs are the perfect way to combine tender turkey and vegetables in one easy meal.
- No roast turkey is complete without a classic Turkey Gravy!
- Put your leftovers from a great turkey dinner to good use with my savory Turkey Turnovers. What’s better than meat and puff pastry?
And that’s all there is to it! This oven-bag turkey is tender, juicy, and incredibly forgiving, so it’s a wonderful choice for your next holiday dinner.
Give this method a try for your next turkey and see why I’ll never make one another way! Let me know how it turned out in the comments below, and don’t forget to save those delicious drippings for gravy.
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
How to Cook the Juiciest, Most Tender Oven Roast Turkey
Ingredients
- one 15-25 pounds turkey
- 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes or coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 litre carton turkey broth
- 1 turkey sized oven safe roasting bag
- 1 small white onion, peeled and quartered
- 1-2 stalks celery ,washed and cut into sticks
- 1 apple, de-seeded and quartered
Instructions
- NOTE : This method cooks your turkey a LOT FASTER than usual! The USDA doesn't recommend cooking under 325 ° F However, this method steams the turkey and it will get crazy hot inside the bag. If you want an all day turkey, turn the heat down. IF it's cooking too fast, turn the heat down, the residual steam will keep it cooking. The choice is up to you!
- Pre-heat your oven to 300 °F.
- Pat the tops and sides of the turkey dry with paper towels and throw them out.
- Place your turkey so that it’s completely in the oven bag BUT so that the opening is slanted more towards the top instead of straight across . Take your chosen onions quarters, celery, apple etc and place them into the turkey cavity.
- Take one tablespoon of sea salt flakes or coarse salt and a tablespoon of parsley and mix them in a bowl. IF you have a larger turkey you can double this. Set aside for now, you just had to get this ready because now your hands are getting dirty again!
- Take a bottle of olive oil and drizzle a small stream across the skin on the breast of the turkey and some on the thighs and legs. Gauge how much you need to cover the surface area in a nice coating. Put the bottle away and roll up your sleeves.
- Rub the olive oil all over the turkey skin, getting it covered well. You don’t have to do the bottom.
- Take the salt/parsley mixture and rub it all over the turkey in an even layer. The olive oil will help it stick. It should look like the photo above. Then of course, wash your hands and move on to the next step.
- Pour the turkey or chicken broth into the bottom of the bag, making sure not to wash off the spices.
- Use the little tie that comes with your oven bags and seal the bag. Cut small holes into the top of the roasting bag to let steam out.
- Place in the oven and cook for 3-4 hours for my 13 pound turkey and up to 5-6 for a larger turkey. If you notice the breast is getting too brown and crispy. you can cover the top with tinfoil.
- When the thigh meat reaches a temperature of 185 °F and the breast meat is 165°F minimum, you can remove the turkey. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then remove the bag.
- You can either move it to a platter (it can be done, with two people and a few forks holding it together in key places) or simply carve it in the pan.
- Use the drippings to make what is the BEST turkey gravy you will ever eat.
Notes
- The USDA RECOMMENDS that you cook at a minimum of 325°F oven temp, which you can also do and the turkey cooks faster. The choice is up to you how you want to cook it.
- NUTRITIONAL VALUES shown are only for a slice of turkey breast meat, and NOT for the entire turkey or any gravy you make!
- You are only restricted in turkey size by what fits into the bag and closes up to cook! If it fits, it cooks!
- Add more cooking time on for larger turkeys.
- If the top of your turkey is getting too brown, cover the top with tinfoil.
- You can choose whatever vegetables you want to place in your turkey cavity, I like an apple, celery and an onion. Whatever you put in there WILL affect the taste!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Lauren says
I use this recipe for my turkey every year and turns out great!
Margaret Hess says
Please carefully consider the safety of cooking in any method in plastic no matter what plastic and chemical companies say. Research is discovering that plastic is toxic. Think about the scam of non-stick pans which now university research and governments are telling us not to use as well as other things 3M’s Teflon chemicals are used for, such as water proofing or stain resistant clothing, furniture, curtains, etc. Nano particles of plastic from water jugs and bottles, agricultural weed control plastic, plastic wrap, plastic refrigerator and freezer bags and containers, etc. These particles are now seen in our blood and organs. Little wonder cancer rates are sky rocketing. Please take care for yourself, your family and all who read your website.
Dianna says
You mention that you cook the Turkey slow all day, but the recipe says 300 degrees for a 14 pound Turkey for 3-4 hours
Karlynn J says
I do at least a 22-24 pound turkey, so I personally cook it all day slowly because it’s a much larger turkey. A 14 pound one takes 4 hours, larger takes longer.
Lawrence Marioneaux III says
tender and juicy
Jeanette says
I’ve been using the oven bags for my turkeys for several years now and thought I had a good turkey – that was until I tried your recipe. It really is the juiciest. Even the white meat was moist. I agree with some of the comments – you need to check the temperature with a thermometer to know when it’s done, not just go by the time.
Maureen Norris says
Good day Karlynn
May I please ask a couple of questions?
You didn’t stuff the turkey but can it be stuffed while using the bag?
Do you cook it with a lid on?
Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
Maureen, Waterloo Ontario
Karlynn Johnston says
Hi Maureen,
It is best to do the stuffing outside of the turkey, perhaps ins a slow cooker, as it will get soggy if you cook in in the roasting bag with all of the liquid and steam!