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Make your next holiday turkey a star with my spatchcock turkey. This quick and easy technique butterflies the bird for evenly cooked juicy meat and extra crispy skin.
Love cooking with turkey? Try my baked turkey tenderloin, roasted boneless turkey breast, turkey wings, and turkey drumsticks next.
Thanks to my spatchcock turkey recipe, our Thanksgiving and holiday dinners have become an absolute breeze.
If you are new to this method, Spatchcocking or butterflying refers to preparing a whole chicken or turkey for cooking by removing the backbone and then flattening it to create a flat surface and butterfly-like shape.
Compared to a classic Thanksgiving turkey, cooking the poultry using this method is extra speedy and cooks the meat more evenly, so every bite is juicy, tender, and moist.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Easier to cook AND season. Trust me, it’s so much easier to rub every inch of a flattened turkey compared to the whole bird intact.
- Never overcooked and dry. Our biggest worry when cooking traditional Thanksgiving turkey recipes was overcooking the breast meat while waiting for the things and leg to cook. Not here, though! The flat, even shape ensures that every piece cooks to temperature in the same time frame.
- Crispy turkey in a flash. Not only is this method so much faster, but it also exposes the turkey skin to the heat, resulting in beautifully golden and crispy exterior.
Ingredients needed
- Whole turkey. While this method works for any turkey, I find a turkey weighing 11-13 lbs to be the perfect size to feed a crowd (6-8 people) and fit in the oven easily.
- Turkey dry rub. I like to season turkey with coarse kosher salt, brown sugar, poultry seasoning, and smoked paprika. Plenty of other spices and herbs go well with turkey, which you can find below.
How to make it
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Spatchcock. Place the turkey breast side down on a chopping board with the neck cavity facing you. Carefully cut along one side of the backbone through the ribs and bones. Repeat on the opposite side, then remove the backbone.
Step 2- Flatten. Turn the turkey over so the breast side is facing up. Gently apply pressure to the breastbone with the palm of your hand to flatten the bird.
Step 3- Season. Rub the turkey seasoning blend all over the bird, then place it in the fridge (on a wire rack).
Step 4- Roast. Place the turkey on a roasting rack set inside a roasting pan filled with a few inches of water. Roast the turkey in the oven until the thigh meat is cooked through.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use sharp kitchen shears. Sharp kitchen or poultry knife are key for making a clean, continuous cut along the backbone.
- You’ll know the turkey is fully cooked once it reaches an internal temperature of 165F (use a meat thermometer to check). I like to remove it from the oven around 160F and let the turkey rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. Adjust the cooking time based on the size of the bird.
- Don’t skip refrigerating! The seasoned turkey should sit in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours. This helps dry out the skin (yielding crispy golden skin) and gives the seasonings time to seep into the meat. I find 12 hours (overnight) to be the happy medium.
- Baste the bird. I always baste the turkey in its juices to keep the meat moist and flavorful as it’s roasting. Trust me, the flavor difference is noticeable.
- Add more seasonings, like garlic, onion, celery salt, rosemary, fresh thyme leaves, and black pepper.
Storage instructions
To store: Wrap the leftover carved turkey in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container, then refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
To freeze: Leftover cooked turkey freezes well for 2 to 3 months.
Reheating: Reheat the leftovers on a baking sheet, covered, at 325F. You can also zap it in the microwave.
Frequently asked questions
According to the USDA, it’s best to thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator. Allow about one day for every 4-5 pounds of turkey. For example, my 12-pound turkey needs roughly three days to thaw fully. After thawing, plan to cook the turkey within two days.
My rule of thumb is to cater for 1-1 1/2 pounds of turkey per person (bone included). My 12-pound spatchcock turkey easily feeds 8 people with sides.
More Thanksgiving mains
Spatchcock Turkey
Video
Ingredients
- 11-13 pound turkey
- 2 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Remove the giblets from the turkey then cut the backbone and flatten it. Once flat, pat dry with a paper towel.
- In a small bowl, mix salt, brown sugar, poultry seasoning, and paprika. Rub over the turkey. Refrigerate uncovered for 8 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 225C/450F. Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan with one cup of water.
- Roast for 70-90 minutes or until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F.
- Tent with foil and rest for 5-10 minutes before carving.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published September 2023, updated and republished November 2024
Wow this turkey is prepared on completely different way. I will try.
This is the BEST spatchcock turkey recipe ever. It’s so juicy and tender.
Under instruction 3, it says 1 water. Is it cup or inch?
1 cup 🙂
This looks so good I can’t wait to try it. Can you do this with a larger turkey? I usually cook a turkey that’s at least 20 pounds. How long would you cook it?
Yes that will work! Aim to cook it for around 2 hours for that size!