Easy Overnight Roast Turkey

Amy Massey
by Amy Massey
12 Servings
11 hr 20 min

After trialling and testing many different variations, this roasted turkey recipe is officially my go-to, never-fails recipe for the Christmas dinner.


The recipe itself requires very little prep time. By spreading butter onto the skin you create a beautiful golden finish to the turkey and by setting the turkey over some hot chicken stock, the turkey slowly steams in the juices meaning no basting is required! This allows me to prepare the turkey on Christmas Eve, pop it in the oven and then on the big day itself, all that's left to do is carve!


I'd highly recommend you keeping hold of this recipe for next Christmas or Thanksgiving, but turkey is equally delicious for big roast dinners throughout the year. So why not give it a test drive first?

Beautifully golden, succulent turkey every time.

Ensure your turkey is thoroughly cleaned inside and out first.

A large orange and a bunch of rosemary fill the cavity, allowing the turkey to be infused by their flavours throughout the slow cooking process.

The flavoured butter is massaged into the meat to keep it from drying out and the turkey is mounted on top of the hot chicken stock to allow it to steam as it cooks, keeping everything moist.

Then the turkey is put into a tent of foil to keep all of the steam and juices inside while it slow roasts.

Easy Overnight Roast Turkey
Recipe details
  • 12  Servings
  • Prep time: 20 Minutes Cook time: 11 Hours Total time: 11 hr 20 min
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Ingredients

  • 1 large turkey, around 5kg in weight
  • 1 large orange
  • 1 small bunch fresh rosemary
  • 1 litre hot chicken stock
  • 100g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • Large pinch salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions

If using a frozen turkey, ensure it is thoroughly defrosted.
Remove the giblets from the turkey and any excess feathers that may still be attached.
Preheat your oven to 82 degrees celsius or 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pat the turkey dry both inside and out using kitchen paper until any blood is removed.
Place the orange and the bunch of rosemary inside the cavity of the turkey.
In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried herbs together.
Pour the hot chicken stock into the bottom of a roasting tin with a rack set over the top.
Place your turkey on top of the rack.
Rub the butter mixture all over the outside of your turkey, ensuring the breasts and thighs are thoroughly covered.
Cover the turkey with aluminium foil, ensuring it is rented to allow the steam to move inside. The foil should not be touching the turkey itself and should be well sealed around the edge of the pan.
Place the turkey into the centre of the preheated oven and leave to cook covered for 10 hours.
When the cooking time is up, use a meat thermometer to test the temperature of the breast and thigh meat. The temperature should be 71 degrees celsius or 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If so, increase the temperature of your oven to 230 degrees celsius or 450 Fahrenheit, remove the aluminium foil and let the turkey cook for a further 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
Leave the turkey to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.
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