This spatchcock turkey recipe is the perfect way to cook a juicy, tender, delicious turkey in a fraction of the time it usually takes to cook a regular turkey -- only an hour and a half!
I show how to spatchcock the turkey as well as dry brine it so it's amazingly juicy and full of flavor inside and out with fantastically crisp skin. Absolute holiday perfection and the best way to eat a turkey!
Looking for more Thanksgiving mains? Try my classic roasted Thanksgiving turkey, my take on The Standard Grill Million Dollar Chicken, or easy Smoked Prime Rib!
A Reader Holiday Favorite - My Juicy Roast Spatchcock Turkey Recipe!
The first time I perfected this turkey recipe -- an equation of spatchcocking + dry brining = the perfect turkey -- my husband told me, "The juice from this turkey is ridiculous!"
Have ridiculously juicy holiday turkeys just been the thing of dreams for you? I've been told over and over again that most people can't stand turkey, that it's the worst part of the holiday meal. In fact, when I was in R+D for turkey recipes, I realized we never had a not-brined turkey. So we tried it...y'all ever had food so bad it made you physically angry? That was that unbrined turkey.
Honestly, I had to wonder if your family member loves you if they serve unbrined turkey. It was disrespectful to my taste buds ..and I finally understood why so many people were against turkey.
Honey, the dry turkey stops here.
This is my step-by-step guide to a foolproof Thanksgiving turkey: juicy, tender, flavorful, turkey meat and incredibly crispy skin -- and the best part is that your turkey doesn't take all day in the oven, only an hour and a half!
This post may contain Affiliate Links. Please see my Full Disclosure Policy for more details.
Jump to:
- A Reader Holiday Favorite - My Juicy Roast Spatchcock Turkey Recipe!
- What Readers Have Been Saying about this Recipe
- Why You'll Love this Spatchcocked Turkey Recipe
- What is Spatchcocking a Turkey?
- Is Dry Brine Better Than Wet Brine?
- Equipment Needed
- Ingredients
- How to Spatchcock a Turkey
- How to Dry Brine a Turkey
- How to Roast a Dry Brined Spatchcock Turkey
- How to Serve a Spatchcocked Turkey
- Pro Tips for the Best Thanksgiving Turkey!
- FAQs
- Perfect Holiday Sides to Serve with Turkey
- 📖 Recipe
What Readers Have Been Saying about this Recipe
"I’ve spatchcocked many a chicken but this was my first turkey. OMG it was to die for! Super moist and perfectly cooked. I was amazed that the beautiful flavors from the dry brine and herb butter went all the way through the meat. Winner winner turkey dinner!"
Marla
"I have been cooking turkeys for over 50 years and this was far and away the best turkey I have ever cooked or eaten. Very moist and the citrus flavor was very subtle and the fresh herb/butter was just perfect! I will never cook a turkey and other way. Also 14+bird was done in under 2 hrs!"
Ann
Why You'll Love this Spatchcocked Turkey Recipe
- Even cooking, nothing is overcooked - because the turkey is flat, everything cooks at the same plane at the same time.
- Juicy, juicy, juicy! - The dry brine not only seasons our turkey perfectly, it not only gives us crispy skin, but it also gives us superiorly juicy turkey! You'll see the moment you slice into the turkey breast: it will shock you.
- Cook the turkey in just 90 minutes - nothing is worse than having a turkey take up your only oven space literally all day. This butterflied turkey roasts fast and hot!
- Easier to cook than a whole turkey - no guesswork here, no wondering if the thighs are raw or the turkey breasts are done. Rub it down on all sides, fridge, butter, roast. It couldn't be more simple.
What is Spatchcocking a Turkey?
The spatchcock method (also known as the butterfly method) is a technique used where the spine of a bird, in this case, the backbone of a turkey, is cut out and the sternum is cracked so that your turkey is laying flat, butterflied and the entire inner cavity is now exposed.
A spatchcocked turkey cooks way faster (literally, a fifteen pound turkey roasts in 90 minutes!), can handle cooking at a high temperature, and cooks more evenly than a traditional roast turkey.
Is Dry Brine Better Than Wet Brine?
When it comes to something that needs a crisp skin along with a juicy interior, like a traditional turkey, dry brining is the way to go! It's basically a dry rub that absorbs into your proteins, seasoning it and brining it like a wet brine but with less mess, less fuss, and less space.
There's so many reasons why I love dry brining over wet brining for certain things:
- It doesn't take up as much space in the fridge. The first time I made a turkey, I wet brined its massive self in a big ole bag in a big ole bucket (in case the bag popped), I had to remove two shelves from my little apartment fridge, we had no room at all for anything else. And on Thanksgiving, I need all the room I can get! Dry brined turkey only needs half of one of my shorter shelves!
- I don't need to rinse the turkey off. As the turkey is resting in the fridge covered in the dry brine mixture, the salt is absorbed by the water on the outside of the turkey and soaks back into it. By the next day, all that is left on the skin is the citrus zest (which also works its magic by flavoring with its oils), the sugar (which helps the skin turn a beautiful golden brown), and the peppercorns (again, those oils!). Mm!
- We get crispier skin. That first turkey I made wet brining? Skin was golden brown...but not crispy. I didn't want to sacrifice crispy skin for juiciness, and I certainly wasn't going to sacrifice juiciness for crispy skin. Dry brining was the secret to success.
Equipment Needed
- Sharp Poultry Shears
- Wire Rack
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Butcher's Twine
- Chef's Knife and Cutting Board
- A Silicone Basting Brush
- An Oven Thermometer - this is my go-to for making sure my oven is at the correct temperature. The one the oven comes with can be off, especially on the older ones!
- A Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
A Medium Sized Turkey (around 14-15 pounds) - I suggest a 14-pound turkey to serve 10 guests without leftovers! This recipe, however, works with birds from 13-16 pounds.
Dry Brine Ingredients
- Citrus Zest - I often use a blend of lime, lemon, and orange, but using only one type is just fine. We just really want those oils in the skin to flavor the turkey.
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- Brown Sugar - this helps give us an evenly brown color while also adding a slightly sweet flavor.
Holiday Herb Butter
- Clarified Butter or Ghee - butter is full of moisture, so clarifying it gets rid of milky solids and water. This turns it into a flavorful fat that will keep our turkey skin super crispy without any water to steam.
- Fresh Herbs - I used the classic thanksgiving blend of thyme, rosemary, and sage in this recipe. It's not the holidays without them to me!
How to Spatchcock a Turkey
Spatchcocking the turkey is the most difficult part of the recipe, and that's not saying much, honestly, because all you have to do is cut out the spine and do really awful chest compressions.
Step 1 | Place the turkey breast side down on your work surface so the spine faces up and the tail end is toward you.
Step 2 | Have a good sturdy grip on your turkey and begin cutting up one side of the spine, starting at that tail end. Pro Tip: use a paper towel to keep a grip on the turkey if its slippery!
Step 3 | Once you have one side cut open, cut the spine off completely by cutting down the other side of it. If you want to keep the spine (I suggest doing so to make turkey stock and turkey gravy), cut the tail off. It holds glands that can have an unpleasant taste.
Step 4 | Flip the turkey breast-side up. Use the heel of your palm to break the breast bone, it will make a cracking sound. Now that you have a flat turkey, it's ready to dry brine. Place the turkey on top of a wire rack over a baking sheet. The turkey should be spread out with the thighs out to the side.
How to Dry Brine a Turkey
Step 1 | Mix the dry brine mixture together and rub the mixture all over the turkey on all sides, both on the turkey skin and the exposed cavity of the turkey.
Step 2 | Once the dry brine is rubbed all over the turkey, tie its legs together with twine. Place the turkey in the fridge on that wire rack over the baking sheet. Don't cover it with anything, we want the skin to dry out! You can brine between 1-3 days without a problem, so if you've got make-ahead plans this fits in there!
How to Roast a Dry Brined Spatchcock Turkey
Now it's turkey day, and we want this bird ready by dinner time. We need to start this section about 3 hours before dinner: 30 minutes of warming at room temperature, 90 minutes to cook, and 45 minutes to rest.
Step 1 | Bring the turkey out of the fridge to take the chill off at least 30 minutes before roasting. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Step 2 | Melt the clarified butter in the microwave or on the stove top in a saucepan with the finely chopped herbs. This can be done ahead of time and just remelted.
Step 3 | Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, getting rid of any excess moisture. Now brush the herb butter all over the skin of the turkey. Get every nook and cranny, just like with the dry brine. It's okay if the butter solidifies back up on the skin.
Put the turkey in the oven, still on the baking sheet with the wire rack. Keep an eye on your turkey, if it gets perfectly brown before the 90 minutes are up, cover it with aluminum foil.
Step 4 | Remove the turkey from the oven and let the turkey rest for 45 minutes. Why such a long time? Because we want all those juices to get redistributed; when proteins are hot, the juices are trying to push outward and escape. We want them to settle back into our turkey.
And don't worry about the pan drippings, we aren't using them, they'd be really salty from our brine anyway.
How to Serve a Spatchcocked Turkey
Time for the best part (aka everyone's favorite part) serving the turkey at the thanksgiving table!
The thighs and legs will easily pull away from the body. We eat the breasts on Thanksgiving, and save the dark meat for turkey and dumplings and turkey pot pie Thanksgiving weekend.
The breasts are easy to carve. Remove them from the rib cage whole with a sharp knife (save those bones for stock!) then slice to serve!
And that's that: scientifically juicy meat that is flavorful and seasoned, skin that's crispy and beautifully brown, and a turkey that is cooked in 90 minutes. The perfect whole roasted turkey for any holiday table!
Need some visuals? Check out this video on carving a spatchcocked turkey from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt for help.
Pro Tips for the Best Thanksgiving Turkey!
- If you're using a frozen turkey - let it thaw for 24 hours per every four pounds. So if Thanksgiving is on Thursday, you need to pull the turkey out of the freezer by Saturday at the latest for a 16 pound bird!
- Keep the 'unwanted parts' for gravy - Keep the neck, giblets, and spine for amazing turkey neck gravy or giblet gravy!
- Do not use a larger turkey for this recipe - 16 pounds is as large as I would go; the larger the bird, the harder it is to control the timing and the cooking temperature. And that's just my rule for turkey in general!
- In fact, if you're feeding more than 12 people, I say go for two smaller birds. you can cook both in the oven at the same time and you will be able to control them easier than one gigantic bird.
- Remove that red 'thermometer' in the breast - Those 'pop up' thermometers found in common commercial turkeys are meant to pop up at 185 degrees! An entire twenty degrees higher than what it needs to be, no wonder turkey ends up so dry and flavorless all the time!
- Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh until it reads an internal temperature 165 degrees F. Bonus points for using an instant-read thermometer.
- Don't want to fuss with clarified butter? Vegetable oil or another high-smoke-point oil like grapeseed, avocado, or peanut oil works well.
FAQs
Y'all have asked me a lot of questions over the years!
A dry brine uses osmosis (hey, science!) so the salt draws out liquid, dissolves into it, and then the meat reabsorbs the salty water while your turkey rests in the fridge overnight, resulting in the turkey meat being well seasoned, tender, and super juicy while also giving you amazingly crispy skin since the turkey is sitting uncovered in the fridge.
You'll want to completely cover the whole bird in the brine, the cavity side too. Get all into every nook and cranny, and don't forget those turkey elbows and armpits!
About 1.25 pounds per guest. So a 15 pound turkey will feed 12 dinner guests.
do not suggest roasting a turkey larger than about 15-16 pounds. This recipe works perfectly for turkeys between 13-16 pounds, as larger turkeys won't fit in most roasting pans, a wire rack, or rimmed baking sheet.
The smaller birds cook faster, they're more reliable when it comes to cooking time and temperature, and they're easy to find at your local grocery store.
Nope! We want the skin to dry out.
No. For the love of all that is holy, flavorful, and crispy-skinned...Don't rinse the brine off!
Nope, no basting needed! An added benefit to dry brining. Basting might actually ruin that crispy skin!
Perfect Holiday Sides to Serve with Turkey
Classic sides never disappoint when it comes to the holidays. Especially on Thanksgiving, my rule is that the holidays is not the time to be playing around. These recipes are tried, true, tested, and reader-loved. Take a peek:
Click here to subscribe SWEET TEA & THYME’S NEWSLETTER for free and fresh recipes right into your inbox!
To pin this recipe and save it for later you can use the Pin button on the recipe card, the sharing buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above.
Tag me @sweet_tea_thyme on Instagram to share your remakes with me, I love looking through your photos!
Leave a 5 star rating and comment on the recipe card to let me know if you enjoyed this recipe.
📖 Recipe
Juicy Dry Brined Spatchcock Turkey
This spatchcock turkey recipe is the perfect way to cook a juicy, tender, flavorful turkey in a fraction of the time it usually takes to cook a turkey -- only an hour and a half! I also show how to spatchcock the turkey as well as dry brine it so it's amazingly juicy and full of flavor inside and out with fantastically crisp skin. Absolute holiday perfection!
Ingredients
- 1 (13 lb-16 lb) whole turkey, giblet bag and neck removed
Citrus Dry Brine
- 2 large oranges, finely zested
- 3 lemons, finely zested
- 2 limes, finely zested
- ⅓ cup kosher salt
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
Herb Butter
- 8 tablespoon clarified butter or ghee
- 3 stems of fresh thyme leaves, off the stem and finely chopped
- 2 stems of fresh rosemary leaves, off the stem and finely chopped
- 4 sage leaves, finely chopped
Instructions
Spatchcock the Turkey
- OPTIONAL: Using a sharp paring knife, locate the wishbone in the neck area of the turkey. Gently cut around the wishbone, cutting it from the breasts.
- Flip the turkey onto its breasts so the backbone is facing up. Using sharp poultry shears, start at the butt end and cut up each side of the spine until its completely removed. Save the spine as well for turkey stock.
- Flip the turkey breast side up, then use the heel of your palm to crack the breastbone and make the turkey lay flat. Flip the thighs and legs onto the top of the bird.
Make the Citrus Dry Brine
- In a small bowl, mix the orange zest, lemon zest, lime zest, kosher salt, and light brown sugar together well.
- Dry the skin of the turkey well with a paper towel, then generously rub the dry brine mixture over all the skin and the flesh on the underside. Place the turkey on a wire cooling rack on top of a large baking sheet and let brine uncovered in the fridge overnight, about 8-10 hours at least.
Make the clarified herb butter
- Melt the clarified butter in a saucepan over low heat or in a microwave with the chopped herbs. Set aside
Roast the turkey
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- Pull the turkey out of the fridge 30 minutes to 1 hour before roasting, this helps get the chill off the as the cold will result in tougher meat.
- Blot the skin of the turkey gently with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture on the skin. Take a pastry or silicone brush and liberally brush the herb butter all over the skin.
- Roast the turkey on the wire rack on the baking sheet in your preheated oven. Keep an eye on the turkey breasts, put aluminum foil over the turkey breasts if they're becoming too browned too quickly.
- Roast the turkey for 90-110 minutes, or until a meat thermometer put into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Remove from the oven and let rest and cool for 40 minutes before serving.
Notes
Pro Tips for the Best Turkey
- Need some visuals on carving your spatchcock turkey? Check out this video on carving a spatchcocked turkey from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt for help.
- If you're using a frozen turkey - let it thaw for 24 hours per every four pounds. So if Thanksgiving is on Thursday, you need to pull the turkey out of the freezer by Saturday at the latest for a 16 pound bird!
- Keep the 'unwanted parts' for gravy - Keep the neck, giblets, and spine for amazing turkey neck gravy or giblet gravy!
- Do not use a larger turkey for this recipe - 16 pounds is as large as I would go; the larger the bird, the harder it is to control the timing and the cooking temperature. And that's just my rule for turkey in general!
- In fact, if you're feeding more than 12 people, I say go for two smaller birds. you can cook both in the oven at the same time and you will be able to control them easier than one gigantic bird.
- Remove that red 'thermometer' in the breast - Those 'pop up' thermometers found in common commercial turkeys are meant to pop up at 185 degrees! An entire twenty degrees higher than what it needs to be, no wonder turkey ends up so dry and flavorless all the time!
- Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh until it reads an internal temperature 165 degrees F. Bonus points for using an instant-read thermometer.
- Don't want to fuss with clarified butter? Vegetable oil or another high-smoke-point oil like grapeseed, avocado, or peanut oil works well.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Sweet Tea and Thyme!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 81Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 3758mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 8gProtein: 4g
Eden Westbrook is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Sweet Tea and Thyme. A classically trained chef, Eden has inspired home cooks into the kitchen with cultural comfort foods, easy family-friendly eats and sweets, and glorious spreads for date night and entertaining since 2015.
Kerry says
Hi,
I’m just preparing my turkeys for Thanksgiving day tomorrow. I am about to apply your dry brine, but just noticed that you mentioned it shouldn’t be brined for more than 8 to 10 hours. I planned on brining it for 24 hours. Will this be a problem? TIA.
Hi Kerry,
Thanks for catching the typo! I meant 8-10 hours at LEAST, not most. You can dry brine for up to 3 days with no problem.
Happy Thanksgiving! xo, Eden
Jorie says
Just want to tell you, as an avid cook and someone that rarely leaves a review on anything. This is the third year in a row making this turkey for my Friendsgiving and it is always a hit!
Comes out perfect every time. I did take the back bone out and cooked it in a roasting pan atop of carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cooked this simultaneously to the turkey — so I would have enough drippings for gravy. Came out great. Thanks again!
Hi Jordie,
I love that you used the back bone for gravy; I do the same, along with the neck and giblets! I am so happy you love this recipe and grateful you left a review. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving! xo, Eden
Marla Hutchison says
I had seen a few recipes floating around this year for spatchcocked turkey. Your sounded the yummiest! I’ve spatchcocked many a chicken but this was my first turkey. OMG it was to die for! Super moist and perfectly cooked. I was amazed that the beautiful flavors from the dry brine and herb butter went all the way through the meat. Winner winner turkey dinner! Many thanks for sharing your amazing culinary skills!
Hi Marla,
I'm absolutely thrilled you loved our turkey recipe! It's my go-to for Thanksgiving every year, I hope it'll be yours, too. Thanks for stopping by and trying my recipes! xo, Eden
Ann W Miller says
I have been cooking turkeys for over 50 years and this was far and away the best turkey I have ever cooked or eaten. Very moist and the citrus flavor was very subtle and the fresh herb/butter was just perfect! I will never cook a turkey and other way. Also 14+bird was done in under 2 hrs! Great Recipe!!!
Hi Ann,
Thank you for trying this turkey recipe! I’m so glad you loved it. Happy thanksgiving! xo, Eden
Nina says
Hi! I'm planning to make this recipe for Thanksgiving and am so excited to try it! Question: could I add stuffing to the pan beneath the wire rack and bake it together with/underneath the turkey? Thanks!
Hi Nina,
I wouldn't recommend it since the drippings from the turkey will be super salty from the dry brine. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo, Eden
Mandy says
Delicious.
I covered the whole bird with foil early on as it was browning. I also took my 8.4lb bird out at 158F and let it rest for 20 minutes. Moistest most flavorful turkey. Thank you for the recipe.
Sam says
I will be trying this recipe for the first time. How would you adjust the brine and butter for a 15-18lb turkey?
The recipe can be used for up to 16 lbs, I don’t suggest a turkey any bigger than that
Michelle says
I follow this step by step for my First ever thanksgiving dinner this year! It turned out amazing and was the best I’ve ever had!! Thank you for sharing this!! ❤️❤️
Poppy says
Trying this for the first time and am so excited. I have a lot of the brine left on the skin, should I remove that before basting with the herb/butter mixture or just leave it?
If there is still salt on the skin, wipe it off. There shouldn’t be any left and you may be mistaking the citrus and brown sugar as something to have been dissolved in the process. The salt would’ve left all the skin wet and that moisture would need to be removed before covering the skin in the clarified butter. So follow the recipe and pat it completely dry before moving on to adding the clarified butter.
jean Steffins says
Hi, I am using your recipe for my first ever spatchcocked turkey. I have a few questions, the amount of salt is a lot more than most recipes, will it be too salty for some do you think? Also all the other recipes call for 72 hours of sitting in the fridge with the last 24 hours uncovered, which is what I thought your's said so there it is in my fridge and will be more than 8-12 hours, will that ruin the turkey or make it too salty? The rub smelled amazing! excited and nervous 🙂
The process of osmosis is for all the salt and sugar to penetrate the meat and skin, and yes, I do mean all of it. The amount of salt is because we have spatchcocked the turkey, so we are able to directly put the dry brine onto every part of the exposed inside cavity, which is usually untouched by a dry brine otherwise.
You should be fine dry brining for this long, I’ve brined for two days uncovered and it’s yielded me extremely crispy skin and flavorful meat.
Here’s a well known secret: most home cooks do not use enough salt (or butter) in their cooking, it’s why restaurant food tastes so different.
Hope this helps.
Ben says
Curious what would happen if I Brined it for longer? By the time I want to cook the turkey, if I were to do this Wednesday night it'd be in the fridge brining for about 14-16 hours.
It will just dry the skin more for more crispy skin. The process of osmosis usually soaks all the salt in overnight, there’s nothing that could ruin it with just a few more hours.
Elizabeth Waterson says
I need to try brining a turkey! Your recipe looks delicious, next on my list!
Thank you! When you make it, tag #sweetteaandthyme on social media! I’d love to see it