Both chickens or turkeys can be spatchcocked (or butterflied) which means the back bone is removed and the bird is opened to lie flat. Roasting a spatchcock turkey results in a juicy and crispy turkey you can depend on having ready in half the time of a whole bird. And carving is a whole lot easier.* I recommend ordering your turkey from your local butcher, so they can remove the back bone for you in advance. Another plus is that the preparation and roasting time is shorter and there is no basting! Serves 8-10 with leftovers.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a deep roasting pan, layer the carrots, onion, celery and garlic cloves. Pour over stock. Place a roasting rack over the top. Rinse and dry turkey with paper towels. Place on a cutting board skin side up and press down until the turkey is completely flat. Rub the entire bird (front and back) with olive oil. Salt and pepper both sides. Sprinkle thyme, rosemary and sage mixture on front and back. Place on the roasting rack over the vegetables
Bake for a couple hours or until the leg and breast reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. If the skin isn’t crispy enough by then, raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and roast until the skin is crisp. That should be about 15 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a large sheet of foil tightly and allow to rest for a half hour before carving*. Happy holidays!
*Carving a spatchcock turkey is different than a conventional turkey. Start by cutting legs from the breast. With a sharp chef’s knife, remove each leg by cutting through the turkey where the thigh connects to the breast. Separate the drumsticks from the thighs at the joint of each leg. Transfer thighs and legs to warmed serving platter. Cut the wings and breast at the joint connecting them. Cut the breast meat into two pieces, slicing along either side of the breastbone. Slice the breast meat across the grain about ½ inch slices. Arrange the wings and breast meat on the warmed serving platter. Now you are ready to serve
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a deep roasting pan, layer the carrots, onion, celery and garlic cloves. Pour over stock. Place a roasting rack over the top. Rinse and dry turkey with paper towels. Place on a cutting board skin side up and press down until the turkey is completely flat. Rub the entire bird (front and back) with olive oil. Salt and pepper both sides. Sprinkle thyme, rosemary and sage mixture on front and back. Place on the roasting rack over the vegetables
Bake for a couple hours or until the leg and breast reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. If the skin isn’t crispy enough by then, raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and roast until the skin is crisp. That should be about 15 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a large sheet of foil tightly and allow to rest for a half hour before carving*. Happy holidays!
*Carving a spatchcock turkey is different than a conventional turkey. Start by cutting legs from the breast. With a sharp chef’s knife, remove each leg by cutting through the turkey where the thigh connects to the breast. Separate the drumsticks from the thighs at the joint of each leg. Transfer thighs and legs to warmed serving platter. Cut the wings and breast at the joint connecting them. Cut the breast meat into two pieces, slicing along either side of the breastbone. Slice the breast meat across the grain about ½ inch slices. Arrange the wings and breast meat on the warmed serving platter. Now you are ready to serve