Overnight Turkey

Overnight Turkey sounds too good to be true, right?  Pop a turkey in the oven at night and wake up to the wonderful aromas of roasting turkey, freeing up oven space for stuffing and other baked goodies?  If that sounds just about perfect, then check out this recipe!

It’s really a very old concept.  Back in the day, when most households had only one small oven, people had to get creative about how to time everything for Thanksgiving.  Rather than waking up at the crack of dawn to roast the turkey, wait for it to be done, then bake the stuffing, etc., they roasted the turkey overnight on a very low heat.  Slow cooking at its best.

So, how exactly does this work?  The first thing you want is a defrosted turkey.  This can take time, so plan accordingly.  Normally I prefer fresh turkey, but since I roasted this for the blog post before the fresh ones were available, I used a frozen 15-pound turkey.  It took three days in the refrigerator to defrost.  Never roast a frozen turkey!  Bad idea!

Once your turkey is defrosted, you are ready to prep it.

Remove the gizzards, liver and neck from the turkey cavity (don’t throw them away). Rinse and pat dry the bird.

Rub a light coating of olive oil all over the turkey and then sprinkle the spices all over and inside the cavity.

Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up.  Place the onions, celery, parsnips and garlic under the rack and add enough water to reach the bottom of the rack but not touching the turkey.  Add the reserved turkey neck, gizzard and liver to the pan.

Completely cover the roasting pan in heavy-duty aluminum foil.  It’s important to seal the pan so that no moisture escapes. This is what will keep the turkey so moist.

Now, we’re slow-cooking the turkey at a very low heat.  There are different thoughts about how low to go, but I like 170-180°F for smaller turkeys and 200°F for larger turkeys (20-24 pounders).  Some recipes suggest starting at a high heat for an hour and then lowering it for the remainder of the time but I prefer to keep it simple and keep it low until the very end.

Roast the turkey while you sleep. Ideally, put the turkey in the oven around 10:00 pm. Dream of yummy things and wake up to the incredible smells of roasting turkey!

If you put the turkey in at 10:00 p.m., by 8:00 a.m. the next morning, you’ve had it in for 10 hours.  I would check it at 7:00 a.m., after 9 hours.  Using an instant-read thermometer, check the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh. It should read 155°F.  If it isn’t there, leave it in the oven until it gets close.  Don’t worry that the internal temperature sounds too low.  We’re going to pop the heat up to brown the turkey and that will finish the cooking, along with the rest period.

Once you get to about 155°F, remove the turkey from the oven, turn the heat up to 450°F and, once preheated, roast the turkey another 15-30 minutes, until the skin is browned and crispy and the internal temperature of the breast is 160°F and the thigh is 170-175°F.

Remove the roasting pan, lift the turkey and rack out of the pan and pour all of the drippings and vegetables through a sieve or colander so that you have the drippings separated from the vegetables.  Throw the vegetables away and save the drippings for Delicious Turkey Gravy.

Place the turkey and rack back in the roasting pan and tent with foil for 20-30 minutes.

What if the turkey is done, but it’s 10:00 a.m. and you aren’t serving it until 3:00 p.m.?

The timing of this turkey is a big question that I get and I have some answers!

The turkey will stay warm for hours as if it’s in a warming drawer if you cover the turkey with aluminum foil and then place heavy beach-type towels over it.  I used three heavy towels and set the turkey on my washing machine for four hours and it was still warm and safe from harmful bacteria.  The towels act as a warming drawer but also keep it from drying out.

You can also leave the turkey in the oven for a few more hours.  It won’t dry out since it’s being slow-cooked; it may just fall off the bones (which will be unbelievably delicious but not as pretty to display).

Another option is to place it in the refrigerator, whole or carved and reheat it in a 300°F oven.  Make sure that you cover it with foil when you reheat it.  If it’s carved, you can place the pieces on a baking rack in the roasting pan with a bit of chicken stock under it to keep it moist.  You will probably need about 20 minutes to reheat it.  If the turkey is left whole, reheat it for about 30 minutes.

There’s a lot of flexibility on this recipe.  If you find that it’s not cooked to the internal temperature of 155°F after 10 hours, just increase the heat (if you need the oven or are tired of checking it) to 300°F and check the temperature every 15 minutes.

This is a wonderfully easy way to cook your turkey.  It will be moist and delicious and you will have kept your sanity with all that needs to be done the day of Thanksgiving!  Happy holidays!

Share Your Thoughts...

Lastly, if you make Overnight Turkey, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is one of my favorite things to do!

Overnight Turkey

Makes: 8-10 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 hours

Total Time: 10 hours & 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 14-16 pound turkey (see Chef’s Note)
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • salt & freshly ground pepper
  • poultry spice
  • paprika
  • garlic powder
  • 2 heads of garlic, peeled
  • 2 yellow onions, cut in thick slices
  • 4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
  • 3 parsnips, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • Heavy duty aluminum foil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°F. If oven won’t go that low, set it to its coolest setting; anything up to 200°F is fine. Thoroughly wash turkey inside and out. Pat dry. Rub turkey with olive oil and then sprinkle spices all over it. Season inside as well as outside. Place turkey in a large roasting pan on a rack.

Place garlic, celery, parsnips and onions under the rack. Add enough water to come to the bottom of the rack and not touch the turkey itself. Add the turkey neck, liver and gizzard to the water in the pan.

Cover the pan completely by making a tent of heavy-duty aluminum foil. You must make sure that all the edges of the pan are covered so that the moisture will remain in the pan. This is the only tricky part to cooking a turkey like this.

Cook the turkey for 9 hours. Use a meat thermometer to check the turkey’s internal temperature and make sure the thickest part of the turkey thigh is at 155°F. The turkey will continue to cook so don’t worry that it’s too low.  See notes below if the turkey isn’t at 155°F.

Raise the oven temperature to 450°F, remove the foil tent and cook an additional 15-20 minutes until the skin is browned and crispy and the breast is at 160°F and the thigh is 170-175°F.

Remove the turkey from the oven and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes, with the foil loosely covering the turkey. Save the drippings for the Delicious Turkey Gravy.

Carve the turkey and serve!

Chef’s Note:

If you are making a larger turkey, just increase the temperature to 200°F and follow the same instructions. The key is to remove the turkey when it reaches the correct internal temperature of 155°F for the thigh. I tried a 22-pound turkey and it took 10 hours at 200°F.

If, after 10 hours, turkey hasn’t reached 155°F and you need the oven space, increase the temperature to 300°F and check every 15 minutes.

You can leave the turkey in the pan to cool. Cover with foil and then put heavy towels over it if you need to leave it for a while.

Strain the drippings and refrigerate them. Remove the fat layer and use the drippings as a base for your gravy (see Delicious Turkey Gravy recipe).

See additional tips in blog post.

Ingredients

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    Recipe Reviews

    Avarage Rating:
    • 5 / 5
    Total Reviews:( 1 )
    • Harry

      I love Turkey. This recipe looks delicious Fran. Cooking it overnight is ideal for the person who prepares it, so they don’t have rush on Thanksgiving day. Cheers.

      • Francine

        This is such a good way to make turkey…and the drippings make a phenomenal gravy!

    • Harry

      I saw the gravy recipe too. It was easy. I thought gravy would be hard to make. But when I first Googled it I realized how simple it is to make. The key to making great gravy is to put in good ingredients.

    • Deanna

      I made this overnight turkey recipe. Very easy to put together. Loved the waking up to a perfectly cooked turkey. Mine was 15 pounds and had been frozen. I waited too late to order that size fresh but this Butterball truly was the most moist turkey we’ve ever had. The breast was very moist and made great sandwiches days later. I highly recommend this recipe!

      • Francine

        I’m glad the turkey worked out, Deanna…I always find turkey to be a little scary and I’m thrilled that yours turned out great!

        • Paul

          I do my Turkey exactly the same but put a good quality butter under the breast skin, cover with streaky bacon, water in tray & upside down! Everyone comments on how delicious & moist it is!

          • Francine

            Sounds incredible, Paul! Thanks for sharing this with us!

    • Amber

      I would just like to know if anybody did this recipe overnight with the turkey stuffed? It also doesn’t say what to do with the liver, neck, etc.

      • Francine

        Amber, I’m sorry that it isn’t clear. Just remove the neck and giblets, etc. You can use them in a turkey stock for gravy or simply discard them. I didn’t stuff my turkey (I’m not a big fan of that). I feel like slow-cooking wouldn’t be ideal for stuffing the bird.

      • Shirley

        I have done something similar with a stuffed turkey. There’s been a lot of trial and error on my end on getting the slow roasting right. This one sounds perfect. My Mom always stuffed and slow roasted the turkey overnight. Nobody got sick from her turkey in the 50+ years she was cooking it that way. She actually used raw sausage in her stuffing but I’m not that brave. I’m following these directions this time so hopefully will have better results.

    • Alison

      Hey, found this recipe on Thanksgiving Eve 2024 so hopefully you will see it. We fry a big turkey but I roast a turkey breast. I am going to do your method for a 7.5lb turkey breast, bone-in and wondered if the 180 degree oven temperature would be the same? Do you happen to know how many hours that would be? I may cook it and then slice it up and plate it and then just warm up in the oven with a little chicken broth to moisten it.

      • Francine

        Hi, Alison…I have never done the breast using this method but I assume it can work. For a 7.5 pound breast, I’m just cutting the timing in half, so approximately 4.5 hours. It might be easier to cook it at 350° for 2.5-3 hours. Just make sure you pull it when the internal temperature reaches 165°. Good luck, happy holidays, nd let me know how it turned out!

    • Shirley

      If you roast it breast side down using this method, it’s even juicer! I know it won’t look perfect, but it’s so much more tasty than breast side up.

    • Shirley

      I want to Thank you for posting this recipe. I’ve always cooked my turkey like this (50+ years) as this is how my mom made hers when I grew up. There isn’t a turkey I’ve tasted that is as juicey as ours cooked this way. Many people can’t belive that a slow roasted turkey can turn out so moist and not dried out. I hope that this way of cooking turkey will become popular again as it was back in the early days. Nothing compares to waking up to the smells of Thanksgiving. Have a Blessed holiday.

    • Renee

      I love cooking our turkey overnight. It takes the stress out of Thanksgiving morning and also provides a delicious Turkey. I’ve been doing this for years, but each year I google how to do it. This year I found your instructions. They are the best combination of all the ways I have tried. I’m saving this one so no google searches next year. I’m thankful this morning for you and your recipe. Have a blessed day! About to take the 14 pound turkey out of the oven….

      • Francine

        I’m so glad you found this, Renee! And, I hope you have a lovely holiday, now that the stress of the turkey is gone!

      • Francine

        I am so happy that this was a success! And that now you don’t have to google it each year! Happy holidays!

    • Stormy

      I always slow roast, but I put the breast side down. You don’t get a pretty turkey, but all of the juices keep the breasts moist and it is the best I’ve had.

    • Shirley

      So just pulled my 14lb turkey out of a 180 degree oven for 8 hours and it already reads 165 in the breast and 175 in the thigh. Were not eating until 2pm. What now?

      • Francine

        Hmmm…it should be fine. I would cover it with foil and then place heavy blankets or towels over it to keep it warm. I might suggest that you double check the accuracy of your oven. It seems like it might be hotter than it’s saying it is. It shouldn’t have cooked that quickly.

    • Shirley

      Thank you for sharing this recipe. I purchased a 24 lb turkey, so was a bit skeptical. It was the most perfect turkey Ive ever made. Super easy. Very juicy and browned beautifully . My go to, now!

      • Francine

        So happy to hear it, Shirley! Thanks for sharing!

    • Austin and Bonnie

      We have explored a number of novel and delicious ways to prepare holiday turkeys, and this is without a doubt, the easiest, tastiest, most full proof recipe we have tried. Got creative with fruit/veggies in the drippings pan, and separated them when done to puree a spread for crackers/bread. Rest of the drippings made a superb gravy! Turkey was tender, juicy, and browned beautifully. Thank you so much for this information, Francine! Officially now a part of our go-to recipe archive.

      • Francine

        I am so glad to hear this. And the veggie purée sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing this!

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