Brushed with a rich maple syrup glaze and roasted to perfection, this maple glazed turkey is the perfect centerpiece for any Thanksgiving dinner! No brining or extra prep work required.
Happy November and welcome to the official start of turkey month! It seems only fitting that we kick off the month with a killer roast turkey.
And I truly do mean killer because this maple glazed beauty did not come to play games.
Even if you’ve never roasted a turkey before, please keep reading! I’m going into all the details of how to roast this turkey to perfection. You’ve got this!
The best part about this turkey recipe is that you don’t need to fuss around with a brine! I do a simple seasoning mix on the outside and underneath the skin on the turkey and then the whole thing gets brushed with a sweet maple glaze while it bakes.
The result? One dang juicy and flavor-packed turkey that’s worthy of any Thanksgiving table!
This Roast Turkey features…
- Easy day-of prep with minimal ingredients needed
- A sweet and flavorful maple glaze
- A perfect juicy interior with a crispy skin exterior
Making the Turkey
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Orange zest
- Thyme
- Turkey
- Unsalted butter
- Maple syrup
- Apple cider vinegar
- Shallots
- Orange
- Fresh herbs
Equipment You Will Need
- Carving knife (you can also use a sharpened chef’s knife)
- Roaster pan or large baking dish
- Roasting rack (you can also use an oven-safe metal cooling rack)
- Kitchen thermometer (this is an essential for roasting turkey)
Tips for Perfect Turkey
- Rub seasoning mix underneath and on top of skin – use a paring knife and your fingers to gently loosen the skin over the breast and rub seasoning mix underneath. This helps extra flavor soak into the turkey while it roasts.
- Tie legs together with kitchen twine – this helps the legs roast evenly.
- Remove turkey from fridge 1 hour before roasting – this helps the turkey come to room temperature a bit and gets it ready for roasting.
- Reserve some of the maple glaze – set aside 1/4 cup of glaze for drizzling over the turkey after roasting. The rest of the maple glaze will get brushed over the turkey periodically throughout roasting.
- Pour water in pan for roasting – this keeps the pan from getting too dried out (nobody likes scrubbing an hours-baked on pan!)
- Cover turkey with foil – if at any point your turkey is browning too fast, lightly cover the top with foil.
- Use kitchen thermometer – insert the thermometer in the thickest part of the breast to gauge doneness and add additional roast time as needed until your turkey reaches 160F.
- Allow turkey to rest – tent the turkey loosely with foil to keep warm and allow to rest 30 minutes before carving. I typically use this rest time to whip up the gravy.
Storing Leftovers
Leftovers of this turkey store extremely well! Store leftovers in refrigerator up to 6 days or freeze up to 2 months.
There are endless ways to use turkey leftovers but we especially love putting them in soups, salads, sandwiches, or any casseroles. Use it like you would chicken.
It’s the maple glaze that really changes the game with this turkey, friends! While it roasts the maple glaze infuses all its flavor into every inch of the turkey and turns the exterior a picture-perfect crispy texture while still keeping the inside juicy!
This is the one you wanna have on the table this Thanksgiving, trust me!
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
Try these other Thanksgiving favorites!
Maple Glazed Turkey
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Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 (18 lb) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 medium shallots, halved
- 1 medium orange, thinly sliced
- Fresh rosemary or thyme for roasting
- 1/2 cup water plus additional if needed during roasting
- Additional orange slices, fresh herbs, and cranberries for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F and arrange oven rack to the bottom rack. Arrange a roasting rack in a large roasting pan and place turkey breast-side up on top. Set aside for a moment.
- In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, orange zest, and thyme. Rub evenly over turkey, using a paring knife and your fingers to gently loosen skin and rub seasoning under the skin.
- Melt butter, maple syrup, and vinegar together in a medium pan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer 3-5 minutes until sauce is reduced, stirring occasionally. Set aside 1/4 cup glaze for garnishing turkey later.
- Brush some of remaining maple glaze all over turkey. Use kitchen twine to tie the legs together and tuck wings underneath bird. Scatter halved shallots, orange slices, and a few fresh herb sprigs around turkey and inside cavity. Pour 1/2 cup water in the bottom of pan.
- Roast turkey at 325F for 2 hours (check occasionally and cover turkey loosely with tin foil if it is browning too quickly) then remove from oven and brush with some more of the maple glaze. Continue roasting turkey an additional 1-1/2 to 2 hours (add additional water to pan if it looks too dry) until turkey registers 160F when a kitchen thermometer is inserted into the breast, brushing turkey with glaze 3-4 times during this last cooking period
- Remove turkey from oven and lightly tent with foil. Allow to rest 30 minutes.
- Reheat reserved 1/4 cup maple glaze in pan over medium heat until warmed, stirring occasionally 3-5 minutes.
- Carve turkey and arrange on a serving platter. Garnish with fresh herbs, orange slices, and cranberries if desired and drizzle maple glaze over turkey. Serve immediately and enjoy!
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