Instructions for how to cook an unstuffed turkey in an oven. Recipe and details for how long to roast a turkey.
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 3 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Total Time: 3 hourshours40 minutesminutes
Servings: 1turkey
Ingredients
1wholeturkeyabout 14 pounds
2tspsalt
1 1/2tspblack pepper
1mediumonionpeeled and quartered
1lemonhalved
3bay leaves
3clovesgarlic
1cupwater
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F.
Use a paper towel to pat dry the skin of the turkey. Season all sides of the bird with salt and pepper. Fill the cavity with onion, lemon, garlic and bay leaves.
Place the turkey on a roasting rack and in roasting dish. Pour in the 1 cup water.
Place the turkey in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 325F.
Cook until the turkey is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165F (checked in the inner thigh meat and in the thickest part of the breast). For a 14 pound turkey this takes around 3 1/2 to 4 hours. A general guide is that it takes approximately 15 minutes per pound to cook an unstuffed turkey.
Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes before carving.