This Christmas turkey recipe is a whole 5kg bird with orange, sage, thyme and garlic butter pushed under the breast skin, roasted under a loose foil tent, then uncovered to crisp. It takes about 4 hours in the oven and serves 10.
The thing that makes turkey less stressful is knowing it can wait. Mary Berry says a cooked turkey, covered in foil and clean towels, will sit for up to 2 hours and still be piping hot when carved.
The step that keeps the breast moist is the butter under the skin. It melts straight into the meat as the bird roasts, while the foil tent stops the top drying out before the legs are cooked.
Christmas Turkey Recipe
Course: Dinner, MainCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy10
servings30
minutes4
hours570
kcal5
hours10
minutesOur own centrepiece for Christmas Day, built around one rule: trust a thermometer, not the clock. The herb butter can be made a week ahead and kept in the fridge.
Ingredients
- For the turkey:
1 × 5kg (11lb) oven-ready turkey, giblets removed
1 onion, cut into wedges
a few bay leaves
- For the herb butter:
125g (4½oz) butter, softened
finely grated zest of 1 orange (keep the orange)
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 garlic cloves, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Rest: Take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7.
- Make the butter: Beat the butter with the orange zest, sage, thyme, garlic and plenty of salt and pepper.
- Butter under the skin: Slide your fingers between the skin and breast meat from the neck end, keeping the skin attached at the cavity end. Spread two-thirds of the butter over the breast meat, under the skin.
- Fill the cavity: Cut the zested orange into quarters and put it in the cavity with the onion and bay leaves. Tie the legs with string and rub the rest of the butter over the skin.
- Tent: Lay two large sheets of foil across a roasting tin, sit the turkey on top and fold the foil loosely over it, leaving a big air gap above the breast.
- Roast: Roast for 40 minutes, then lower the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/Gas 3 and roast for about 2¾ hours, basting now and then.
- Crisp: Turn the oven back up to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7. Fold back the foil, pour the juices into a jug for the gravy, baste the bird and roast uncovered for about 30 minutes until golden.
- Check and rest: Test the thickest part of the thigh (see FAQs). When it’s cooked, cover with the foil and a clean towel and rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.
FAQs
How long does a frozen turkey take to defrost?
Longer than most people expect. Berry’s Foolproof Cooking allows about 24 hours in the fridge for every 2.3kg, and says a large turkey can take up to 48 hours, so a 5kg bird needs about two days.
She also gives a simple check in her Christmas Collection: when it’s fully thawed, the meat feels soft, the cavity is ice-free and the legs move freely. If you can, buy fresh instead, which Berry says is best anyway.
How do I know when the turkey is cooked?
Ovens vary, so Berry relies on a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh. She cooks it to 75–80°C, not the 90°C some thermometer gauges suggest, which would dry it out.
Without a thermometer, pierce the same spot with a skewer: the juices should run clear. If they’re pink, Berry pulls the legs slightly away from the breast, covers the breast with foil and gives it another 15–30 minutes.
Can I put stuffing inside the turkey?
Not in the main cavity. Berry is clear that meat stuffing shouldn’t go in the body of the bird, and she only puts flavouring vegetables and herbs in there, which is why step 4 uses orange, onion and bay.
Cook your stuffing separately instead, where it gets crisp edges too. Mary Berry’s sage and onion stuffing picks up the sage in the butter here.
Can I prepare the turkey the night before?
Yes. Berry gets her turkey ready up to 12 hours ahead, then covers and chills it, which means steps 2 to 5 can all happen on Christmas Eve.
Just remember step 1 on the day. A bird straight from the fridge cooks unevenly, so give it its hour out first.
Why does the turkey need to rest so long?
Berry rests hers for at least 30 minutes, and resting lets the juices settle back into the meat before you carve. Cut too soon and they’ll run out on to the board instead.
It’s also your best Christmas Day trick. While the turkey rests under foil and towels, the oven is free to crisp the potatoes and reheat red cabbage with orange and star anise, and the bird stays hot.
How do I carve a turkey?
Berry carves one side at a time. She takes off a leg, cuts it into drumstick and thigh, slices the meat, removes the wing close to the breast, then slices the breast on the diagonal.
That way everyone gets some light breast meat and some dark leg meat. Serve it with Mary Berry’s roast potatoes, and keep the leftovers for Boxing Day sandwiches with our cranberry and apple Christmas chutney.
