Kick'n Holiday Turkey
By: Mike, Posted: 9/22/2023
Turkey, Turkey, Turkey. If you love turkey try our Kick’n Holiday Turkey, it is sure to hit the spot this holiday season.
Our Kick'n Holiday Turkey
Minda and I love turkey. I make 2 to 3 turkeys a year. It has been one of my most requested dishes during the holiday season. I have been making our Kick’n Holiday Turkey for about 15 years now. I took over the job of making the turkey and wanted it to be perfect, but I had to practice, practice, practice. For what I call my, “practice turkeys” many different methods were used. I have now incorporated many of these techniques to come up with our Kick’n Holiday Turkey. If you love turkey as much as Minda and I do our Kick’n Holiday Turkey is sure to be a winner this holiday season.
Ingredients, Substitutions, and Additions
Brine – If you have never brined your turkey, I highly recommend it. Brining your turkey will help give you a moist turkey every time. If you want to try and brine your turkey, try our Holiday Turkey Brine.
Turkey – I prefer cooking a turkey between 12 and 16 lbs. When cooking a turkey larger than 16 lbs. I feel that the breast meat tastes a little dry after cooking.
Margarine – I use margarine when putting it under the skin of the turkey breast for extra flavor. You can substitute butter here if you want but I am always running out of butter for other recipes during the holiday.
Fresh Herbs and Spices – Use herbs that you like. I always have rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, and onion.
Citrus – I love oranges. Putting a sliced orange in the cavity of the turkey while roasting helps give some moisture and a citrus flavor.
Dry Seasonings – I only put coarse kosher salt and black pepper on the exterior of my turkey. In the cavity I use coarse kosher salt, black pepper, granulated garlic and onion.
Tips for Making a Kick'n Holiday Turkey
- Try using a brine to help take your turkey game to a whole new level. Our Holiday Turkey Brine a great way to bring some moisture into your turkey. It is an easy process that is completed the day before you roast your turkey.
- When you’re ready to pull the turkey from the brine or its packaging to rinse make sure there is no food nearby that can be contaminated. Particles from the turkey can travel around 3 feet in all directions. Always disinfect all areas when the turkey is transferred to the roasting tray.
- When trying to get margarine under the skin of the turkey use your index and middle finger to gently separate the skin from the breast. By using a slow left to right movement, you can prevent tears in the skin. When the skin is separated, I find it easiest to form a ball with the margarine and place it on the middle of the breast then using your palm on the exterior of the skin flatten in in a slow rotating motion.
- My uncle taught me a trick that will help you keep your oven at the right temperature when putting your turkey in the oven. Preheat it to 375 degrees when it is preheated put your turkey into the oven then decrease the temperature to 325 degrees. Every time you open the door to your oven it drops in temperature. This trick will help your oven start out at the desired temperature of 325 degrees.
- When cooking at 325 degrees cook your turkey 15 to 20 minutes per pound.
Ingredients for Kick'n Holiday Turkey
- 1 14 lb. thawed Turkey
Cavity Ingredients
- ½ bundle Fresh Thyme
- 4 sprigs Rosemary
- 2 sprigs Sage
- 1 Orange
- 1 heads Garlic
- 1 medium Onion
- 1 tbs Coarse Kosher Salt
- 1 tbs Black Pepper
- 1 tbs Granulated Garlic
- 1 tbs Granulated Onion
- 1/3 cup Margarine
Skin Ingredients
- 2 tbs Oil
- 2/3 cup Margarine
- 1 tbs Coarse Kosher Salt
- 1 tbs Black Pepper
Directions
Prep for Cavity
Rinse and dry thyme, rosemary, and sage.
Cut orange into ¼ inch slices. Dice onion into ½ inch pieces.
Slice garlic in half.
Combine 1/3 cup margarine and 1 tablespoon each of coarse kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, and onion then mix well.
Turkey Prep
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove turkey from brine or packaging and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry with paper towels and place on a rack in a roasting pan. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Coat cavity with margarine mixture and stuff with thyme, rosemary, sage, orange, onion, and garlic.
Gently separate the skin from the breast. Evenly distribute the margarine for the skin and massage between the skin and the breast. Coat skin with oil and sprinkle with coarse kosher salt and black pepper.
Cover turkey with aluminum foil making sure not to touch the skin.
Roasting Turkey
Place roasting pan into the oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees.
Cook turkey for 4 hours. At the 3-hour mark remove the aluminum foil and baste. If the turkey is golden brown replace aluminum foil to help prevent burning. The turkey is fully cooked when the internal temperature of the breast is 165 degrees.
Remove turkey from oven when fully cooked and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Carve and serve turkey then enjoy.
Hi, We are Mike and Minda. Thank you for stopping to take a look at our Kick’n Kitchen! We are a husband and wife team that have a love for food and cooking. Come with us on our journey of rediscovering recipes from our youth and find new recipes to fall in love with.
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Kick'n Holiday Turkey
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minutesTurkey, Turkey, Turkey. If you love turkey try our Kick’n Holiday Turkey, it is sure to hit the spot this holiday season.
Ingredients
1-14 lb. thawed Turkey
- Cavity Ingredients
½ bundle Fresh Thyme
4 sprigs Rosemary
2 sprigs Sage
1 Orange
1 heads Garlic
1 medium Onion
1 tbs Coarse Kosher Salt
1 tbs Black Pepper
1 tbs Granulated Garlic
1 tbs Granulated Onion
1/3 cup Margarine
- Skin Ingredients
2 tbs Oil
2/3 cup Margarine
1 tbs Coarse Kosher Salt
1 tbs Black Pepper
Directions
- Prep for Cavity
- Rinse and dry thyme, rosemary, and sage.
- Cut orange into ¼ inch slices. Dice onion into ½ inch pieces.
- Slice garlic in half.
- Combine 1/3 cup margarine and 1 tablespoon each of coarse kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, and onion then mix well.
- Turkey Prep
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove turkey from brine or packaging and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry with paper towels and place on a rack in a roasting pan. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Coat cavity with margarine mixture and stuff with thyme, rosemary, sage, orange, onion, and garlic.
- Gently separate the skin from the breast. Evenly distribute the margarine for the skin and massage between the skin and the breast. Coat skin with oil and sprinkle with coarse kosher salt and black pepper.
- Cover turkey with aluminum foil making sure not to touch the skin.
- Roasting Turkey
- Place roasting pan into the oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees.
- Cook turkey for 4 hours. At the 3-hour mark remove the aluminum foil and baste. If the turkey is golden brown replace aluminum foil to help prevent burning. The turkey is fully cooked when the internal temperature of the breast is 165 degrees.
- Remove turkey from oven when fully cooked and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Carve and serve turkey then enjoy.
