Oven Roasted Herb Turkey
I’m sure most food sites out there have an oven roasted herb turkey recipe. Since I have a number of holiday and Thanksgiving recipes on this site, I thought I’d include the turkey recipe for convenience.
I like to use oven cooking bags. It reduces the mess, the turkey self-bastes, and as long as it it thawed completely, the cooking time is really easy to determine. So the baking time for this turkey assumes it is in an oven cooking bag of some type.
I use the Reynolds oven cooking bags. Their instructions say to put a tablespoon of flour in the bag to keep it from exploding. But I am gluten-free. What can I do?
A little research turned up the reason and the alternatives. What happens when the turkey cooks is that water and fat collect in the bottom of the bag. The fat will tend to float on the top of the water. In the high cooking temperatures of the oven, the water can start to bubble up through the fat, causing it to pop. This fat popping on the inside of the bag can cause it to burst.
The solution is to put something that absorbs some of the water into the bag. It turns out you can use any kind of flour or starch. So for you gluten-free cooks you can use:
- rice flour
- potato flour
- any nut flour
- gluten free flour
- corn starch
- corn meal
Some people with gluten issues cross-react with corn, so the corn starch and corn meal may not be good options for you.
I also put some stalks of celery in the bag on top of the flour. This is to keep the turkey from sticking to the flour while is is baking.
Be sure to make some Gluten-free Turkey Gravy with the pan drippings from the turkey.
I have included this recipe in my Low-Carb Gluten-Free Midwest Thanksgiving meal plan. This is a meal plan for a complete Thanksgiving dinner including portion sizes, shopping lists, make ahead schedule, and adjustments for dairy, tree nut, and egg allergies, vegetarians, and further carb adjustments to take it into the keto zone. You can find out more by clicking here: https://www.alifeinharmony.me/Thanksgiving/.
Oven Roasted Herb Turkey
Ingredients
- Turkey sized oven cooking bag
- 12 pound whole turkey, thawed
- 3/4 stick (3 ounces) butter, soft but not melted
- 4 Tablespoons dried herbs – I like Italian seasoning blend
- Salt and pepper
- 1 Tablespoon of some water absorbing food powder (rice, potato, nut, or gluten free flours, corn starch or corn meal)
- 4 stalks celery
Instructions
- Be sure the turkey is completely thawed! Preheat the oven to 350F. If there is anything inside the cavity of the turkey (such as giblets or gravy packet) remove it. Check both ends. Then rinse out the cavity with cool water.
- With a fork, mash the herbs and butter together. Gently loosen the skin on the breast of the turkey and rub the butter herb mix onto the breast (under the skin). If you have any extra you can rub it on the legs and thighs as well. Generously season the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper, or a mix such as Morton’s Nature’s Season blend. If you wish, tie the legs together to keep the turkey in a nice shape as it roasts.
- Take a large roasting pan or 13x9 pan – whatever you have that is large enough for the turkey in the bag.
- Open the turkey sized oven cooking bag and set in in the pan. Sprinkle the bottom with the flour, starch, or nut flour that you have chosen. (This is to prevent hot grease from popping inside the bag and possibly exploding it.)
- Put the celery stalks on top of the flour. This is to keep the turkey from sticking to the flour as it cooks. Put the turkey (breast side up) into the bag on top of the celery. Close the end of the bag with the tie that is provided. Cut 6 half-inch slits in top of the bag.
- Tuck any loose ends of the bag into the pan your turkey is in. You do not want loose ends hanging out - they can fill with liquid, possibly bursting, and getting water/fat all over your oven. You want the liquid for gravy, not to bathe the oven.
- Put the pan in the oven. Be sure the bag does not touch the sides or top of the oven. Be sure it does not touch the heating element. The bag will expand a bit, even with the slits on top, so give it room.
- Cook according to the bag directions. Since I do not stuff my turkey, a 12 pound whole turkey takes 2 hours to cook. Measure the temperature on a thick part (thigh, breast). It should be at least 165F.
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Carefully cut open the top of the bag, making a hole large enough to get the turkey out. Be careful of steam! Lift the turkey out onto a serving platter. You may need someone to pull back the edges of the bag when you do this. Cover with a tent of aluminum foil until ready to serve.
- Pour the liquid out of the bag into a saucepan so you can use it to make turkey gravy. Leave the celery and any sediment behind in the bag. Dispose of the bag.
Nutrition Facts
Oven Roasted Herb Turkey
Serves: 8-12
|
Amount Per Serving: 7 ounce
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 380 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 14 | 21.5% | |
| Saturated Fat | 0 | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | |
| Sodium | 0 | |
| Total Carbohydrate 0 | 0 | |
| Dietary Fiber 0 | 0 | |
| Sugars | ||
| Protein 58 | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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