If you're looking for a delicious, tender, soft, flavorful, and juicy turkey for your Thanksgiving gathering look no further! This is the best-tasting Lemon Pepper Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe you'll ever make!!!
We are so thankful to our God for all the mercy He extended to us throughout this year, and will be thanking for all we have. We're so used to having an abundance of everything that, oftentimes it's not appreciated.
I made this Lemon Pepper Turkey recipe last year, and for many years already, and I find that cooking the turkey in an oven bag turns out the best, tender soft, and juiciest meat.
No matter how much butter, oil, and spices you use, if it isn't cooked in the oven bag it still turns out dry. You will agree with me after trying this recipe. Let me know what you think.
Lemon Pepper Thanksgiving Turkey Ingredients
- Turkey
- Baby carrots
- Mushrooms
- Yellow onion
- Large lemon
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Black ground Pepper
- Lemon pepper seasoning
- Mrs. Dash seasoning
How to Make Lemon Pepper Thanksgiving Turkey
Day 1 (on Wednesday)
Measure out all the spices and combine them all together using a spoon or a hand whisker.
Remove the neck and the pack from the inside of the turkey (you can do whatever you want with it). Rinse the turkey. Cut off all the excess fat. Rub the entire turkey (inside and out) with olive oil. Sprinkle the mixed spices onto the entire turkey (inside and outside).
Place the turkey into an oven bag, and then transfer it onto a turkey pan. Place the turkey in a fridge for at least 12 hours for the turkey to soak all the spices in.
Day 2 (on Thursday)
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut mushrooms into half or quarters. Cut lemon and onion into wedges. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of all-purpose flour into an oven bag as instructed on the package (it should prevent the bag from bursting, although the bag did burst once for me).
Remove the turkey from a fridge 30 min before cooking. Pack 3 garlic cloves, cut vegetables, and carrots on the inside of the turkey. Place remaining vegetables on the outside of the turkey. Tie the bag with a bag tie provided.
Thanksgiving Turkey Roasting Instructions
Place the turkey on the lowest rack in the oven. Cook the turkey in the oven for 4 hours or until the temperature probe registers 165 F. Remove from the oven let the turkey cool for about 30 minutes.
Cut the bag open and carefully transfer the turkey onto a platter. Place all the cooked vegetables that were on the outside of the turkey onto a platter next to the turkey.
💭 Top Tip
The best way to make an easy, delicious Thanksgiving turkey that everyone will love is by choosing the right bird. I usually get a range-free homegrown turkey.
After rubbing the turkey using all the seasonings and herbs I let it soak in all the flavors by keeping the turkey in the oven bag refrigerated for about 12 hours before baking.
Next, I prefer cooking turkey in the oven bag where all the aroma and the moist are kept inside the bag during the cooking process.
Also, I prefer cooking the turkey at a lower temperature for a longer time period.
I hope these tips will help you gain the best results.
Lemon Pepper Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
- 20 lbs. – Turkey
- 1 – oven bag with plastic tie
- 1 lb. – baby carrots (or whole carrots sliced)
- 2 lbs. – mushrooms
- 1 large - lemon
- 1 large – onion
- 3 large – garlic cloves
- ¼ cup – olive oil
- 1 tbsp. – salt
- 1 tsp. – black ground pepper
- 1 tbsp. – Lemon Pepper
- 1 tbsp. – Vegeta
- 1 tbsp. - Mrs. Dash spice
Instructions
How to Make Lemon Pepper Thanksgiving Turkey
Day 1 (on Wednesday)
- Measure out all the spices and combine them all together with using a spoon or a hand whisker.
- Remove the neck and the pack from inside of the turkey (you can do whatever you want with it). Rinse the turkey. Cut off all the excess fat. Rub entire turkey (inside and out) with olive oil. Sprinkle the mixed spices onto the entire turkey (inside and outside).
- Place the turkey into an oven bag, and then transfer it onto a turkey pan. Place the turkey in a fridge for at least 12 hours for the turkey to soak all the spices in.
Day 2 (on Thursday)
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut mushrooms into half or quarters. Cut lemon and onion into wedges. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of all-purpose flour into an oven bag as instructed on the package (it should prevent the bag from bursting, although the bag did burst once for me).
- Remove the turkey from a fridge 30 min before cooking. Pack 3 garlic cloves, cut vegetables, and carrots on the inside of the turkey. Place remaining of the vegetables on the outside of the turkey. Tie the bag with a bag tie provided.
Thanksgiving Turkey Roasting Instructions
- Place the turkey on the lowest rack in the oven. Cook the turkey in the oven for 4 hours or until the temperature probe registers 165 F. Remove from the oven let the turkey cool for about 30 minutes.
- Cut the bag open and carefully transfer the turkey onto a platter. Place all the cooked vegetables that were on the outside of the turkey onto a platter next to the turkey.
Have leftover turkey meat? Try this delicious Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Rice Soup recipe with Homemade French Bread. Yum!
Check out all Thanksgiving recipes HERE.
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gisela says
can you use baking powder to make skin crispy?
Valya's Taste of Home says
I've never tried it that way. If you do let me know how it goes. Thank you for asking!
Helena says
What could you use to substitute the ingredient vegeta?
Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says
Vegetal can be substituted with Mrs. Dash seasoning.
Jo says
The pic of your ingredients shows a lemon, but is not in your “list” of ingredients.
Do you put the lemon inside the cavity?
www.valyastasteofhome.com says
Yes, (cut the lemon into 8 wedges) put some lemon wedges inside the cavity and few pieces on each the side on the outside of the cavity. I hope this helps. Happy Thanksgiving!
Joan Bartley says
I want to try this recipe for thanksgiving but have a 7 pound turkey breast. Do you think it would work?
www.valyastasteofhome.com says
Yes, it will. Just split the seasoning and vegetables in half. Enjoy! 🙂
Corin Greer says
Making this tomorrow for Friendsgiving! Following your recipe exactly except for the mushrooms, a lot of people don't like mushrooms I suppose! I'll let you know how it comes out.
www.valyastasteofhome.com says
Friendsgiving sounds great! Thank you for trying out my recipe, can't wait to hear back from you on how it turned out.
Ashley says
Do I cook it at the same temperature and same amount of time if I use a turkey roaster? My oven is not large enough to cook the turkey so I a having to use the turkey roaster.
valya'stasteofhome.com says
I've never cooked it in the turkey roaster. You might have to stand by it to check how fast the turkey is cooking.
Laura Alegria says
I want to make this turkey, let me just say it'll be my first time cooking for my family, I wanted to know if I have a frozen 22lb turkey, when do I take it out of the freezer for it to start thawing and prepping it to cook!??
valya'stasteofhome.com says
Hi Laura! That's exciting! You will do just fine with my step-by-step instructions. Take the turkey out of the freezer on Monday morning and let it thaw in the fridge until Wednesday. Place something like cloth under the frozen turkey for water absorption. Wash and prepare the turkey on Wednesday and let the spices absorb until it's ready to go into the oven on Thursday morning. Don't hesitate to ask more question, and I will appreciate if you can come back and leave feedback about your cooking experience. Thank you very much for stopping by and commenting. Have a very happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Cheesesteak says
Laura, the turkey bag is KEY...you'll never cook it another way...it'll be terrific. Happy Thanksgiving