After hours spent roasting in the oven, there's nothing worse than taste-testing that first bite of turkey only to find out it tastes like, well... nothing. But it doesn't always have to be that way! In fact, there are plenty of easy ways to make a bird juicy and flavorful—you just have to know how to season a turkey.
The first place to start is with a really tasty turkey recipe. No matter if you cook a turkey breast in an air fryer, or a whole bird in a smoker, turkey fryer, or oven, you can season a bird to perfection with just a few easy tips. You can let your turkey absorb the flavors of Ree Drummond's favorite brine, give a bird a good rub down with compound butter, or coat it in an easy spice blend—even just salt and pepper can work wonders! Below, find out how to use ingredients like fresh herbs, citrus, and aromatics to up your turkey game for this year's Thanksgiving menu. And once you've got a plan of action for seasoning, find out how much turkey per person to prepare for this year's feast.
Should I season my turkey before cooking?
Yes! It doesn't so much matter when you season your bird—whether it's just before popping it in the oven or several days in advance for a dry-brine technique—as long as you season it before it gets cooked. This is essential for the butter, herbs, and whatever other seasonings you use, to flavor the skin and meat of the turkey.
How do you season a turkey?
You don't have to concoct any complicated spice blends to make a great-tasting turkey. Simple seasonings go a long way, but before you go to town with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, be sure to pat the turkey completely dry with paper towels—this helps crisp up the skin. Once the bird is as dry as possible, season away! Stick with salt and pepper, put herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage to work, or take spicy Cajun seasoning for a spin for some kick. Whatever blend you choose, spread it all over the turkey—on top, underneath, between the body and wings and legs, under the skin, and even in the cavity of the bird. If you plan on brining your turkey, skip seasoning the bird with any more salt. It'll absorb plenty from the brine! But feel free to rub on pepper or any other spices.
How do you season turkey breast?
Just like with a whole bird, a turkey breast can be brined or dry-brined before cooking. If you're looking for a quicker solution, simply rub the turkey breast with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a fresh herb butter—it's perfect for a Thanksgiving dinner for two. When shopping, look for bone-in and skin-on turkey breast. It'll have the best flavor!
How do you add flavor to a turkey?
The possibilities are endless: You can add flavor to a turkey via marinade, flavor injector, rubs, compound butters, basting, and glazing—take your pick!
Marinate your turkey.
Marinating a big bird the traditional way can be tricky—you'd need quite a bit of liquid to submerge it fully. Instead, slather your turkey with a paste-like marinade and refrigerate it for a few hours. You can also use flavor injectors to inject a marinade or other flavorful solution deep into the flesh of the turkey—just make sure the liquid is pureed or finely ground enough for seamless injections. If using an injector, you don't need to plan on any additional time for the liquid to permeate the turkey flesh (like you would with a marinade).
Slather on butter and seasoning.
Spreading on a spice rub or herbaceous compound butter is a genius way to bring big flavor to a turkey. Either can be applied directly to a turkey. Rub a spice blend all over the skin of the bird, and sprinkle it in the cavity, too, to season the turkey from the inside out. A compound butter can be tucked beneath the skin of the turkey, and also spread on top to make it golden and flavorful. Ree coats her roasted Thanksgiving turkey in rosemary-orange butter!
Stuff it with herbs, onions, and citrus.
Another simple, easy way to add flavor to a bird is by stuffing the cavity or roasting pan full of aromatics. Think fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, or oregano), onion, shallots, garlic, and citrus halves. They'll gently perfume the meat and pan drippings with flavor. Plus, flavorful drippings means a flavorful giblet gravy!
Baste or glaze away.
Basting a bird with its own pan juices (or butter that has pooled in the bottom of the roasting pan) can make for golden brown skin that tastes great too. Try Ree's method of basting the turkey toward the end of roasting rather than basting throughout the entire cook time. Opening the oven too often can increase cook time significantly! You can also brush a sweet glaze on the turkey for a golden, almost caramelized finish. Just be sure to give the turkey time to cook a few minutes longer after the final application of either—this allows for the liquid to cook off and the skin to become crispy.
