Learning How to Spatchcock a Turkey is the ultimate way to get juicy meat with perfectly crisp skin in less time than traditional roasting. This simple method ensures even cooking and frees up oven space for all those delicious holiday sides.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
- Faster Cooking: Spatchcocking cuts the cooking time nearly in half.
- Even Results: The turkey lays flat, so the breast and thighs cook at the same rate.
- Better Flavor: Exposing more skin means crispier bites and richer browning.
- Holiday Friendly: Leaves extra oven space for casseroles, stuffing, and pies.
Looking for other tasty turkey recipes? Try my oven-baked herb butter turkey, cranberry molasses smoked spatchcock turkey, and this delicious smoked turkey breast recipe!
What This Recipe Needs
Whole Turkey: The star of the show-choose a fresh or thawed bird for best flavor.
Olive Oil: Helps crisp the skin and lock in moisture.
Butter: Adds richness and enhances browning.
Fresh Herbs (like rosemary, thyme, and sage): Infuse aromatic flavor into the meat.
Veggies: Celery, Carrots, and Onion add extra flavor when cooked with the turkey.
Garlic: Brings depth and a savory balance to the herbs.
Salt & Pepper: Simple seasoning that enhances the natural taste of turkey.
Equipment: Sharp Kitchen Scissors (or Sharp Knife), an extra-large cutting board, Instant Read Thermometer, an extended reading Thermometer, Turkey Baster, Roasting Pan, and Cooling Rack.
Make sure to check out my other delicious Thanksgiving Recipes and Christmas Recipes like homemade stuffing, filet medallions with blackberry sauce, cream cheese green bean casserole, and fluffy sweet potato biscuits!
Substitutions
- Olive Oil: Use avocado oil for roasting.
- Fresh Herbs: Dried herbs work fine-just reduce the amount by a third.
- Butter: Swap with ghee or plant-based butter for dietary needs.
- Garlic: Use garlic powder if fresh isn't available.
How to Spatchcock a Turkey?
- Step 1: Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey.
- Step 2: Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears (this is my preferred tool), cut along the spine of the turkey from tail to neck. Remove the spine and discard it or freeze it for making stock in the future.
- Step 3: Using a knife, slice through this nob. It will be very easy to cut through. Alternatively, you can flip the bird over and press on this spot with your hands until you hear it break.
- Step 4: Once cut through, flip the bird and lay it out flat. Pat dry, then rub with salt. Place on a wire rack in a baking sheet and refrigerate overnight.
How to Cook Spatchcock Turkey?
- Step 5: Preheat the oven and get your roasting pan ready. Fill the bottom with cut celery, carrots, lemon, and onion. Carefully separate the skin from the muscle of the turkey.
- Step 6: Mix up the herb butter and spread it over the turkey, and place some between the skin and muscle, then drizzle with olive oil.
Save this for later!
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Don't worry, I promise not to spam you!
- Step 7: Place the turkey in the roasting pan, tucking the wings under, then bake.
- Step 8: Baste the turkey with its own juices every 20-30 minutes until it is done.
Check out my fun turkey cheese ball for a great-tasting centerpiece.
Variations
- Citrus Twist: Add orange under the turkey for a bright, fresh flavor.
- Spicy Kick: Rub with smoked paprika, cayenne, or chili powder.
- Maple Glaze: Brush with maple syrup in the last 15 minutes for a caramelized finish.
Expert Tips
- Sharp Shears Are Key: Use heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut through the backbone easily.
- Pat Dry: A dry turkey skin = crispier results after roasting.
- Use a Thermometer: The turkey is done with an internal temperature of 165°F. Place your thermometer probe horizontally in the breast, near the neck cavity, parallel to the spine, and avoid touching any bone. It should be ½-1 inch from the internal cavity. For more information, please refer to this link. Alternatively, you can place the probe in the thigh, making sure it doesn't touch any bone. I like to spot check with a second thermometer so I can test different areas.
- Carry Over Cooking: You can pull your turkey when the breast hits 160°F and then allow it to sit for 30 minutes. The carryover cooking will bring it to 165°F. You can read more about the perfect turkey cooking temperatures here.
- Save the Backbone: Don't toss it-use it to make rich homemade stock for gravy.
- Size of Turkey: Plan for 1-1 ½ lbs. per person. Even though this may seem high, this takes into account all the bones. I recommend a 6lb turkey for four people, a 12lb turkey for 8 people, and an 18lb turkey for 12 people. If you have a lot of people, you might consider cooking several small or medium-sized turkeys so they cook faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
It means removing the backbone so the turkey can lay flat, which helps it cook evenly and quickly.
No, just strong kitchen shears or a sharp knife will do the trick.
Typically 6-10 minutes per pound at 400°F, depending on your oven. This will change, though, based on the size of the turkey and if you cook it at a different temperature.
Birds under 14 pounds are easier to handle, but larger ones work if you have space.
Both work-use a rack for extra airflow or a sheet pan if you prefer crispier skin.
More Related Recipes
If you have leftover turkey, make sure to use it in my tasty leftover turkey recipes: Turkey Enchiladas, Turkey Cranberry Sandwich, Open Faced Hot Turkey Sandwich, and Turkey Tacos!
If you like this recipe make sure to give it a 5-star review and leave a comment down below!
Also, don't forget to sign up for my newsletter, and make sure to follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Video
How to Spatchcock a Turkey
Equipment
- Kitchen Shears or Knife
- Cooling Rack
- Baking Sheet
- Roasting Pan
- Thermometer
Ingredients
- 8-15 lb Turkey thawed
- 4-6 tbs coarse salt
Herb Butter
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3 tbs garlic minced
- 2 tbs rosemary fresh, or 2 teaspoon dried
- 2 tbs thyme fresh, or 2 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon sage fresh, or ⅓ teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Additional Ingredients
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 2 Lemons
- 2 Carrots
- 1 Onion
Instructions
How to Spatchcock a Turkey
- Remove the neck, giblets, leg trusses, oven thermometer, pop-up, and anything else inside or attached to the turkey. You can save the neck and giblets to make broth or gravy.8-15 lb Turkey
- Locate the spine along the back of the turkey. Cut along the spine on both sides, then remove it. You can save this for making broth or throw it away.
- Locate the nob or cartilage/bone that is at the top of the breast on the inside of the bird. Using a sharp knife, slice through this nob*- it should be pretty straightforward.
- Flip the bird over and lay it out flat. Pat turkey with a paper towel to remove any excess water. Sprinkle turkey with salt. Make sure to get all sides.4-6 tbs coarse salt
- Place on a cooling rack or on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or overnight.
- Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
Herb Butter
- Combine butter, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, sage, and pepper in a small bowl.1 cup butter, 3 tbs garlic, 2 tbs rosemary, 2 tbs thyme, 1 teaspoon sage, 1 teaspoon pepper
- Gently separate the skin and place ½ of the butter between the skin and meat. Rub the remaining herb butter all over the turkey breast. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil.¼ cup Olive oil
Cooking the Turkey
- Preheat the oven to 450°F with the oven rack positioned in the center.
- Place turkey in roasting pan, breast side up. Tuck the wing tips behind the breast if possible. Place chopped carrots, onion, and lemons around the turkey. You can also add the neck and spine.2 Lemons, 2 Carrots, 1 Onion
- Roast turkey for 30 minutes at 450°F. Then remove from the oven and baste the turkey with the juices in the pan.
- Return turkey to oven, lowering the temperature to 350°F. Bake for another hour, basting the turkey every 20 minutes. If the turkey is getting too dark, cover with foil.
- Turkey is done when the internal temperature taken at the thickest part of the thigh is 165°F, read on an instant-read thermometer. I like to remove the turkey from the oven at 160°F, cover it with foil, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. The turkey will continue to rise in temperature to 165°F while retaining all the moisture.
- While resting, you can make gravy. If you want to use the dripping from the pan (highly recommended), you can carefully move the turkey to a cutting board and cover with foil to rest, or use chicken broth. Then remove the large pieces of vegetables, neck, and spine, and use the juices in the gravy. Check out this recipe for how to make gravy without drippings!
Notes
- These are my favorite kitchen shears.
- Cooking Times: Average cooking times are 6 minutes per pound of turkey.
- Refrigerate or freeze any leftover turkey.
- Eat leftover turkey within 4-5 days.
- Nutrition info averaged on a 15lb turkey serving 12 people.
Lisa says
I never realized how easy it was to spatchcock a turkey until this recipe!