Spatchcock Turkey made with herbs and spices has the backbone removed and is pressed flat for an incredibly flavorful and FAST turkey dinner, ready in only 90 minutes!
It’s less than a week until Thanksgiving and we’re in full swing over here cooking up turkey with all of the trimmings like Easy Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Baked Mac and Cheese, and Green Bean Casserole.
Spatchcock Turkey
Spatchcock Turkey is a quick and easy way to make a Thanksgiving turkey. It only takes a few short minutes to prepare, but your guests will be impressed because it looks like you spent hours preparing the bird! I love making this turkey when the holidays come around, because it’s only takes 90 minutes in the oven before it’s done. That means I have more time to spend doing family activities, instead of watching the kitchen. Not to mention, it frees up a lot of oven space for other dishes, like Ultimate Pumpkin Cheesecake!
A lot of recipes call for grilling a spatchcock turkey, but I prefer to cook mine on a sheet pan in the oven. You can finish this off under the broiler for a few minutes if you want a really crispy skin. It will also give you that golden brown color that makes the turkey look like you just cut it out of a magazine.
HOW LONG DOES SPATCHCOCK TURKEY TAKE TO COOK?
A spatchcock turkey takes WAY less time to cook than a roasted whole turkey. Because the turkey is basically flattened, heat can more evenly distribute throughout the bird, making it cook faster. This 16 pound turkey took only 90 minutes to cook in the oven.
WHY DO THEY CALL IT SPATCHCOCK?
Spatchcock comes from the phrase “dispatch the cock”, or split a bird open and grill it. It’s really similar to butterflying, but they term “spatchcock” is used when it relates to poultry. To spatchcock a turkey, you have to run your kitchen knife down the spine of your bird and remove the backbone, then crack the breast bone so the bird will lay flat. I discard the bone, but you can save it to make stock later, too.
HOW TO MAKE A SPATCHCOCK TURKEY REALLY MOIST
- Moist spatchcock turkey meat is REALLY easy to achieve with the right technique. First, don’t skip the butter. The butter adds fat to the dish which helps keep the meat really tender and juicy, and the skin super crispy.
- Watch your cook time and temperature. Cooking the turkey for too long or at too high of a temperature is a sure way to overcook it and end up with dry turkey breast.
- Season both sides of the turkey with salt and pepper. Salt helps bring both moisture and flavor to the turkey meat.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH SPATCHCOCK TURKEY FOR THANKSGIVING
- Ultimate Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Corn Casserole
- Cranberry Harvest Turkey Salad
- Easy Apple Sausage Stuffing
- Corn Pudding
- Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Pie
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TIPS FOR MAKING SPATCHCOCK TURKEY
- Spatchcock turkey cooks much faster than a roasted turkey, but it’s still important to make sure it’s cooked all the way through by using a meat thermometer to read the internal temperature of the middle of the thigh. It needs to be at least 165 degrees F.
- If you’re not comfortable using a knife, you can use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut out the backbone of the bird.
- Let your turkey rest after taking it out of the oven. Just like steak, a whole turkey needs the chance to let those juices settle before you cut into it.
- Don’t skip the butter step! It adds a lot of flavor and moisture to the meat, not to mention it is crucial for achieving the nice crispy skin we look for in a Thanksgiving turkey.
Ingredients
- 1 16 pound turkey
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, remove the giblets and dry your turkey well with paper towels.
- Mix the butter with the salt, pepper, sage, thyme, rosemary and parsley.
- Put the turkey on a large sheet pan backbone facing up and using either kitchen shears or a large chef's knife cut out the backbone (I use a chefs knife and it took about 30 seconds) then turn back over and press the turkey down flat (you'll hear some bones breaking as it lays flat).
- Rub the butter all over the turkey and tuck the wings under before roasting for 90 minutes before raising the temperature to 400 and roasting for an additional 15 minutes (don't forget to rest the turkey for 10-15 minutes before carving).
Notes
Nutrition
I want to roast the spatchcock turkey today and reheat it and serve tomorrow, on Thanksgiving. What would be the best way to warm the turkey without drying it out?
I’m so sorry I missed this question. You’d want to add a bit of liquid to the bottom of the pan, wrap tightly with foil and reheat at 350 degrees until the bird is warmed through.
In my opinion this is going to be my new way of cooking a turkey moist easy and very flavorful
This recipe is easy and comes out perfect every time (3 years now). Juicy, flavorful, beautifully browned and super fast! My husband commented on how much flavor it has (even though he usually doesn’t care for turkey). I cooked a 13-1/2 pound turkey for 75 minutes at 350° degrees and 15 minutes at 400°, basted once. Temp was a little over 165° when done, so I might have been able to cut a few minutes off the cooking time. Also had lots of drippings for a nice gravy. Thank you!
Hi Sabrina
1/ The title state cooking the bird @200 degrees F, but your instructions call for 180 F (if practical in your oven)
2/ I have a 28 lb bird; how long should I plan for @ 200 deg.
3/ Love this article. I have been roasting my birds @ 225 since the 90s, never with a 28 pounder. I usually roast @ 450 – 475 for 15 min. back side up, then flip the turkey over and roast another 5 – 10 min before lowering the temp
Thanks Sabrina
Do you get any juices from the turkey, cooking it this way? I would like to still be able to make gravy.
I’m cooking it right now and I have a bit of juice but not as much as you would if roasted the regular way. I will say it smells amazing, looks incredibly tasty and I can’t wait for dinner.
Hi Sabrina,
Can I use olive oil instead of butter?
Thank you 🙂
Yes you absolutely could!
Hi Sabrina! Messaging you from Manila. I am making this for New Year’s day and have a 12 pound turkey in my freezer right now. I’m a bit anxious about the preparation and just want to make sure no one gets food poisoning 🙁 My plan is this:
1. Let the whole frozen turkey thaw in the fridge for 3 days.
2. On the morning of Day 4/Roast Day (turkey should be fully thawed), I will spatchcock the turkey and return it to the fridge for the rest of the day, until around 5pm, when I’ll take it out again, rub the butter mixture all over it, and roast it.
So my question is about my item number 2 in my plan. Is it safe to take the thawed turkey out of the fridge, spatchcock it, and return it to the fridge for about 8-10 hours, before I take it out again around 5pm to roast it? Would really appreciate your advice. Thank you!
Yes, it’s safe to keep in the fridge until being cooked once spatchcocked. Enjoy!
My turkey is 11 lbs. can you give me cooking times. Also, can I use ghee instead of butter. Very excited to try this. I have never Spatchcocked before!
Your timing would be around 60 minutes at 350 and then the additional 15 min at 400. I haven’t tried it with ghee but it sounds amazing too! Enjoy!
I used this recipe last Thanksgiving and will use again this year. Great flavors. The white meat is the juiciest ever. My brother said he does not usually like white meat, but loved this. He asked me last week what plans I have for this year. When I told him the same as last, he said, “Great!!”
Thanks for coming back to let me know, Lori.
Hello – Can you use this method (spatchcock) is I am using only a breast? I love spatchcock chicken so thought I would like this too Thank you
I would recommend this recipe if you are using a breast.
https://dinnerthendessert.com/roasted-turkey-breast/
Enjoy!
Hi Sabrina. Trying this on Thursday! I am brand new to making my own turkey so I hope I can pull it off. Do you recommend brining the turkey?
We are trying spatchcock turkey tomorrow and wonder if you cover it with a lid or foil. Sorry this is last minute.
So sorry I didn’t see this until now. No need to cover with a lid or foil. I hope you enjoyed it.
Hello Sabrina,
I made your recipe here last Thanksgiving and was just delicious and we are going to make again next week for Thanksgiving! Super moist and tender, so easy. Everyone just gobbled up, sorry couldn’t resist that! Thank you for this, so happy I bookmarked.
Happy to hear that! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know, glad you bookmarked it as well!
I’ve used this method for chicken and loved the results. However, this filled my kitchen with smoke which would be a disaster on Thanksgiving. Any hints on preventing this? Thanks for the recipe!
It sounds like something was burning oil/fat which leads me to believe that your pan wasn’t deep enough. For Thanksgiving, I suggest finding the largest disposable foil roasting pan that has high sides so no fat can escape. You can spatchcock the turkey, cut in half and cook the two halves in separate pans. If you would like to troubleshoot, feel free to email me at contact @ dinnerthendessert. com
Wow. I hate white meat until today. Soo juicy and tender. Best turkey yet, approved by all including grandkids. Will make this again and with chicken.
20lb bird at 350° 2hrs. 400° for 15minutes at end & rest
Yay, so happy to have converted you! Haha!
Awesome that you made this first & then commented! Appreciate your review all that much more!
Wow. I hate white meat until today. Soo juicy and tender. Best turkey yet, approved by all including grandkids. Will make this again and with chicken.
20lb bird at 350° 2hrs. 400° for 15minutes at end & rest
So bake my 14lb bird for 80 minutes at 350° then an additional 15 minutes at 400° to crisp the skin? Should I cut the initial baking time down 15 minutes to accommodate the 15 minutes of higher temp at the end. I’m confused….. ?
Your timing is correct for 80 mins at 350 and then an additional 15 minutes as 400. Enjoy!
Thanks for the fast reply Sabrina, my 1st time this way, will put a post comment and picture after. Thanks again Happy Holidays
I’m making this on Saturday! I hope people making it today will comment on what they thought! I’m excited to try this!
Dead easy recipe and the beauty is that you can fit it under the grill to crisp up with this spatchcock method. Will certainly try this for the festive season. Many thanks Sabrina.
You’re welcome, Ian!
I’ve never heard of this method for cooking turkey, but I’m intrigued! I love that it cooks so much faster. The hardest part about Thanksgiving is waiting for the turkey to cook!
I hope you enjoy it, Kara!
Wow! Turkey in 90 minutes?! This sounds amazing sending to my hubby! He is always on Turkey duty!
It’s so quick and easy!
This is the perfect turkey. Thanks for all the amazing tips!
You’re welcome, Sommer!
This turkey looks incredible! I’ve never heard it called Spatchcock before! So interesting how you prepared it!
Thank you, Liz! I hope you enjoy it!
Totally giving this one a try this holiday!
Awesome, enjoy!
How often do i baste, every 20 minutes?
Cooking right now. Thanks
You certainly can! I did it twice and it was fine. 🙂