What if I told you that you can make a roast turkey that will give you juicy meat, crispy golden skin and cooks up in just 90 minutes? Perfectly seasoned with a flavorful dry brine this spatchcock turkey cooks up quickly and evenly every time. This Spatchcock Turkey with Citrus-Herb Dry Brine will be the star of your holiday table.
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This turkey recipe utilizes two cooking techniques that will give you juicy meat in every bite and the crispiest skin. Spatchcocking, or butterflying, the turkey allows it to cook more evenly. A dry brine is a mixture of salt and other flavorings that is rubbed over the turkey. The salt simultaneously pulls out excess moisture resulting in crispy skin and then gets reabsorbed into to the meat flavoring every single bite. This is truly the best turkey recipe I’ve ever made. (If you’re looking for a smaller, but equally delicious turkey dinner recipe take a look at my Herb Roasted Turkey Breast or Maple Mustard Turkey Tenderloin).
Ingredients
- kosher salt
- brown sugar
- zest of one orange
- fresh rosemary
- fresh thyme
- ground black pepper
- 1 12-14lb turkey
- olive oil
How to Spatchcock a Turkey
Spatchocking, also known as butterflying, your turkey helps it to cook more evenly and more quickly while allowing the skin to crisp up beautifully ( I also like to use this technique for my Smoked Spatchcock Chicken). To spatchcock the turkey place the turkey on a cutting board breast side down. Using sharp poultry shears cut along each side of the backbone and remove it. Flip the turkey so the breast side is facing up and press down on the breastbone to flatten the turkey.
How to Make a Spatchcock Turkey with Dry Brine
This recipe starts with making the dry brine. Add the kosher salt, brown sugar, orange zest, 1 tbs each of rosemary and thyme and black pepper to a food processor and pulse to combine. Set the dry brine aside.
To spatchcock the turkey place the turkey on a cutting board breast side down. Using sharp kitchen shears cut along each side of the backbone and remove it. Flip the turkey so the breast side is facing up and press down on the breastbone to flatten the turkey.Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel and rub the dry brine liberally over both sides of the turkey. Place the turkey on a a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack skin side up and transfer it to the refrigerator. Chill uncovered for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450 ℉. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and pat dry, also taking care to remove excess fluid that collected in the baking sheet. Allow the turkey to come to room temperature for 30 minutes. In a small saucepan add olive oil and remaining rosemary and thyme. Cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes and set aside.
Brush the olive oil over the turkey and transfer to the oven. Roast the turkey for 30 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 ℉. Continue to roast the turkey, brushing it with olive oil every 30 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh reaches 165 ℉. Transfer the turkey to a platter or cutting board, cover with foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes before carving.
What to Serve with Spatchcock Turkey with Dry Brine
This turkey is sure to be the star of your dinner table and is a great match for any of these Thanksgiving side dishes. I especially love it with Fennel and Apple Salad, Butternut Squash and Mushroom stuffing, Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans, Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes, Maple Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and don’t forget to make a batch of my Homemade Turkey Gravy!
If you like this Spatchcock Turkey with Citrus-Herb Dry Brine be sure to take a look at some of my other recipes!
Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms
If you make this Spatchcock Turkey with Citrus-Herb Dry Brine please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Youtube, Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe please tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making!
Spatchcock Turkey with Citrus-Herb Dry Brine
Equipment
- kitchen shears
- baking sheet with wire rack
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- zest of one orange
- 2 tbs fresh rosemary, divided
- 2 tbs fresh thyme, divided
- 1 tbs ground black pepper
- 1 12-14lb turkey
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Add kosher salt, brown sugar, orange zest, 1 tbs each of rosemary and thyme and black pepper to a food processor and pulse to combine. Set the dry brine aside.
- To spatchcock the turkey place the turkey on a cutting board breast side down. Using sharp kitchen shears cut along each side of the backbone and remove it. Flip the turkey so the breast side is facing up and press down on the breastbone to flatten the turkey.
- Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel and rub the dry brine liberally over both sides of the turkey. Place the turkey on a a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack skin side up and transfer it to the refrigerator. Chill uncovered for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450 ℉. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and pat dry also taking care to remove excess fluid that collected in the baking sheet. Allow to come to room temperature for 30 minutes.
- In a small saucepan add olive oil and remaining rosemary and thyme. Cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes and set aside.
- Brush the olive oil over the turkey and transfer to the oven. Roast the turkey for 30 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 ℉. Continue to roast the turkey, brushing it with olive oil every 30 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh reaches 165 ℉. Transfer the turkey to a platter or cutting board, cover with foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes before carving.
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veenaazmanov; says
Thanks for such a lovely and easy to go recipe with all the detailing to making this perfect Turkey. This recipe is so perfect for this festive season. Looks yummy and delicious.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Spatchcocking is the way to go for sure! Such a gorgeous bird and I’m LOVING the citrus notes. And can we just take a minute to talk about your crispy skin on that bird! GORGEOUS!!!
Amy Liu Dong says
This turkey taste so good! The ingredients put inside is just perfect! It embossed the taste more!
Mikayla says
I loved the citrus dry brine, Our turkey turned out perfectly moist and delicious!
megane says
I’m really excited to try the Spatchcock Turkey with Citrus-Herb Dry Brine recipe! It sounds like a super tasty for our Thanksgiving feast, and I can’t wait to see how how it turns out.Thanks a bunch for sharing this awesome recipe – it’s going to be a game-changer for our holiday dinner! 🦃🍊🌿😊
Loreto and Nicoletta says
You have honestly made my mouth water! 😋 This turkey looks stupendous! 😍. Gotta love crispy skin and juicy moist turkey. We always brine our turkey over night, and for the last few times did a stuffed turkey breast roll. Thanks for sharing this great recipe, that is absolutely beautiful! ❤️
Jamie says
Oh my, another great-looking turkey dish, it looks incredibly delicious! The texture and color it gives make it so enticing and very tempting! An awesome treat for this Thanksgiving festivity! Loved it!
Ramona says
Spatchcock chicken is a really popular recipe at my house and this includes the most perfect flavours for a Christmas dinner! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Jenny says
This is the recipe we are using this year. I love it and all the spices you are using plus the sugar and orange. We are asking our butcher to spatchcocked it for us. Thanks so much for this recipe.