Spatchcock Turkey Recipe
Published November 21, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This spatchcock turkey recipe is exceptionally juicy and tender, with crisp skin, and cooks in a fraction of the time, making it perfect for serving guests. You will love how simple this is to prepare and how delicious the turkey is.
What would a family holiday be without side dishes next to that turkey or glazed ham you made? They make the meal. If you want to get these tasty sides right, check out my green bean casserole or scalloped potatoes.
Spatchcock Turkey
Spatchcock turkey is an older cooking term and procedure in which the backbone is removed from the turkey and then flattened. It’s like butterflying, but spatchcock is used only when referring to poultry. This method has come back on the scene in raging popularity due to its ease of cooking and shorter cooking time.
Once the bird is spatchcocked, it is roasted or broiled until crispy and cooked. I took the liberty to go a bit further with this recipe and dry-brined it to ensure the skin crips even more while the meat retains more moisture. In addition, you’ll find that I used the neck, backbone, and giblets to make a fantastic gravy alongside this turkey.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Turkey – Any sized fresh, frozen, and thawed, whole turkey will work for this recipe.
- Herbs — I used a combination of fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and parsley. However, you can substitute all of these for dry herbs, as they will work just the same, but the fresh herbs will be more intense in flavor.
- Onion — I used a shallot in the herb butter, but you can substitute it with a yellow, red, sweet, or white onion. I also added fresh garlic. Instead of fresh onion and garlic, use 1 teaspoon each of onion and garlic granules or powder.
- Lemon — This is optional, but you can add lemon zest to the herb salt to give it some acidity.
- Butter — I always use unsalted butter in my cooking and baking to control the sodium content.
- Wine — Any dry white wine, such as chardonnay, pinot grigio, or sauvignon blanc, will work well in the butter for the turkey.
- Seasonings – I used coarse salt, freshly cracked pepper for the turkey, herb salt, and herb butter.
How to Make a Spatchcock Turkey
Remove the neck and giblets and set them to the side to use in my turkey gravy.
Lay the turkey breast side down, and using kitchen shears, remove the backbone by cutting it on either side from the front to the back. Reserve the backbone with the giblets and neck.
Flip the turkey over, and placing one hand on the other, press down on the sternum, breaking the wishbone and flattening the turkey.
Pat the turkey dry on both sides with paper towels.
Next, transfer it to a rack and place it over a sheet tray or a baking pan. I used this rack, and this pan. This pan will also work.
Generously season the turkey on both sides with salt. Gently season it with freshly cracked pepper. Do not worry about going under the skin.
Dry brine the turkey uncovered in the fridge for 12 to 48 hours.
When you’re ready to bake it, remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425° convection or 450° non convection.
Combine the salt, pepper, parsley, lemon zest, thyme, rosemary, and sage in a food processor. Process on high until everything becomes finely ground. Please set it to the side.
Next, in a small-sized pot, add the butter, shallot, garlic, wine, and 1 ½ tablespoons of the herb salt and heat over low heat just until melted.
Using a meat injector, suck up the herb and wine butter and place the injector needle. Directly into the breasts, thighs, drums, and wings until all of it has been used. See the notes below for an additional option.
Pierce the thickest part of the breasts with a thermometer.
Place the turkey in the pan on a middle rack in the oven at 425° convection until it reaches 160° internally, which takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes for this sized turkey.
Once the turkey reaches the desired internal temperature, remove it from the oven and rest for 20 to 25 minutes. The internal temperature will rise to and most likely past the FDA-recommended 165 °.
Serve the turkey with optional garnishes.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: Keep the turkey warm by completely wrapping it in foil or placing it in a cooler for up to 90 minutes before serving it.
How to Store: It will hold in the refrigerator covered in plastic for up to 5 days. In addition, you can freeze it covered for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge for a full day before reheating it.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of turkey to a saucepan and ½ to 1 cup of chicken stock. Cover and cook in the oven at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until warm.
Chef Notes + Tips
- If the turkey is wet-brined, it will not need to be dry-brined uncovered in the refrigerator. No seasonings or herbs are necessary if it is wet brine.
- You can also remove the backbone using a meat cleaver.
- Drying the turkey beforehand with paper towels will help the skin brown.
- There will be plenty of the herb salt left over for other recipes. You can store it covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- If you don’t have an injector, you can make chilled herb butter by whipping the butter with the same amount of herb salt, garlic, shallot, and half the wine until combined in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Evenly distribute the butter underneath the turkey skin in the breasts, thighs, and drums.
- You’ll use about 1 tablespoon of salt per 4 pounds of turkey when seasoning it for dry brining.
- You do not have to tuck the wings behind the turkey; they help stabilize it.
More Turkey Recipes
Video
Spatchcock Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
For the Turkey:
- 1 12-14 pound fresh or prefrozen-thawed turkey
- 3 tablespoons coarse salt
- ½ teaspoons freshly cracked pepper
For the Herb Butter:
- 3 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1 ½ tablespoons thyme leaves
- 1 ½ tablespoons rosemary leaves
- 15-18 fresh sage leaves
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled shallots
- 2 finely minced garlic cloves
Instructions
- Be sure the turkey is completely thawed. Remove the neck and giblets and set them to the side to use in my turkey gravy.
- Lay the turkey breast side down and using kitchen shears remove the back bone by cutting it on either side from the front to the back. Reserve the backbone with the giblets and neck.
- Flip the turkey over and placing one hand onto the other press down on the sternum, breaking the wishbone, and flattening the turkey.
- Pat the turkey dry on both sides with paper towels.
- Next, transfer it to a rack and place it over a sheet tray or a baking pan.
- Generously season the turkey on both sides with salt. Give it a gently season of freshly cracked pepper. Do not worry about going under the skin.
- Dry brine the turkey uncovered in the fridge for 12 to 48 hours.
- When you’re ready to bake it, remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425° convection or 450° non convection.
- In a food process combine the salt, pepper, parsley, lemon zest, thyme, rosemary, and sage. Process on high until everything becomes finely ground. Set it to the side.
- Next, in a small sized pot add the butter, shallot, garlic, wine, and 1 ½ tablespoons of the herb salt and heat over low heat just until melted.
- Using a meat injector, suck up the herb and wine butter and place the injector needle. directly into the breasts, thighs, drums, and wings until all of it has been used. See notes below for an additional option.
- Pierce the thickest part of the breasts with a thermometer.
- Place the turkey in the pan on a middle rack in the oven at 425° convection until it reaches 160° internally, which takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes for this sized turkey.
- Once the turkey reaches the desired internal temperature, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 20 to 25 minutes. You’ll notice that internal temp will rise to and most likely past the FDA recommended 165° temperature.
- Serve the turkey with optional garnishes.
Absolutely the best way to cook a turkey. Most flavorful, and so easy!
I did need to reduce the temp down from 425 (convection) as the vegetables were done, and turkey nearly done too quickly. Still, best turkey in 25 years 🙂
Excellent!
I made this yesterday and it was perfect! I had a 16# turkey and we dry brined it overnight then I made the herbed butter to stuff under the skin. It cooked so quickly I almost I overcooked it! But it was amazing and my family loved it. I’ll be doing this again and again!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Appreciate you giving it a try!
Great recipe! I made this for Thanksgiving dinner. I followed the ingredients and temperature to the letter I did a few things different though, and it turned out well. First off I cooked on a pellet grill. Second I mixed a little avocado oil with a little of the injection mixture and used as a baste one time when the turkey was at about 145°.
Hi! Thanks for posting. I’m excited to try spatchcocking and looking forward to also trying the turkey tetrazzini, soup, and pot pie recipes on your site with the left overs. (Love holiday meal preps!!)
If I place the turkey directly over root veg, are the veg safe to eat and tasty (not mush) after the roasting? The drippings on the veg seem like they would enhance the flavor of the root veg. I was thinking of using celerac, sweet potato, onion, carrotts, parsnips, turnips. Can the neck, back, and heart also be included during the roasting, but used to make gravy (save the veg to eat roasted)?
safe to eat. I did include those things when roasting in the video.
My hubby is the turkey cooker for Thanksgiving and he made spatchcock turkey last year in the smoker. Wow it went by so much faster! Love this recipe, ideas and even the platter prettiness with cranberries, orange and herbs. Gobble til you Wobble!
Excellent!
Perfect. Just what I needed. Love all your recipes. I always look on your site first to see if you have a recipe I want to make. Thanks for your posts.
Thank you so kindly!