Spatchcock Turkey is my favorite way to roast a holiday bird! By removing the backbone and flattening the turkey, it cooks in about half the time as traditional roast turkey, while a simple olive oil and fresh herb rub delivers golden, extra-crispy skin and perfectly juicy meat.
Serve it with homemade turkey gravy, the best mashed potatoes, and easy stuffing for a classic Thanksgiving dinner.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Spatchcock Turkey
- Flavor: Savory and juicy with fragrant fresh herbs and perfectly crispy, golden-brown skin.
- Why Make It: Spatchcocking helps the turkey roast faster and more evenly, with more skin exposed to the heat to turn crispy and golden-brown.
- Tools: Sturdy poultry shears make removing the backbone much easier, and an instant-read thermometer helps ensure the turkey is cooked through without drying out.
- Total Time:
- 1 hr 50 mins
- Serves:
- 12
- Rating:
- 5.0/5
Ingredient Notes
- Whole Turkey: A fully thawed 10 to 12 pound turkey is ideal for this recipe. As it’s easier to handle and fits comfortably on a large rimmed baking sheet. You can use a larger turkey as long as your baking sheet and oven have enough room.
- Olive Oil: For a richer flavor, replace some or all of the olive oil with melted butter, keeping in mind that butter can brown more quickly at high heat.
- Fresh Herbs: Rosemary, thyme, parsley, and sage bring classic holiday flavor and a fragrant, savory aroma to the turkey. Use your favorite combination or adjust the amounts to suit your taste.
Favorite Variations
- Poultry Seasoning (optional): Adds extra savory flavor and classic holiday spices to the turkey. Turkey seasoning is another great option.
- Citrusy: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon or orange zest to the herb mixture for a fresh, citrusy note.
How to Make a Spatchcock Turkey
- Remove the giblets from the turkey. With a pair of poultry shears, cut along the backbone.
- Remove the backbone (reserve to make turkey broth).
- Score the breastbone.
- Flip the turkey, and press on it to flatten.
- Tuck the wing tips under, and dab the turkey dry.
- Cover with oil and seasonings. Roast (full recipe below).
The Perfect Roasting Temperature
- Roast at 450°F for a regular turkey.
- Roast at 425°F for a butter-basted (or Butterball) turkey.
Storing Leftover Spatchcock Turkey
- Remove the meat from the bones, then store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze leftover turkey meat in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Freeze with a little broth or gravy to help keep it moist.
- To reheat leftover turkey, place it in a baking dish with a little broth or gravy, cover tightly with foil, and warm at 325°F for 20 to 30 minutes, or until it reaches 165°F.
Save the carcass and remaining bones for turkey broth or turkey noodle soup.
Complete the Thanksgiving Dinner
Did you enjoy this Spatchcock Turkey Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Spatchcock Turkey
Spatchcock turkey roasts quickly and evenly for juicy meat and golden, crispy skin seasoned with fresh herbs.
Ingredients
- 1 whole turkey approximately 10 to 12 pounds, thawed
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh herbs rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or turkey seasoning, optional
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Remove neck and giblets from the turkey (and reserve for broth or gravy).
- Place the turkey on a work surface, breast side down, so the backbone is facing up. Using poultry shears, cut along each side of the backbone to remove the backbone completely (reserve the bone for broth or gravy).
- The breastbone is a hard ridge of bone in the center of the turkey where the two breasts meet. Score it with a sharp knife to make it easier to flatten the turkey.
- Flip the turkey over, breast side up. Using your palms, press on the turkey to flatten it. You should hear the cartilage in the breastbone crack as it flattens.
- Tuck the wing tips under or snip them off and reserve for gravy.
- You can cover the turkey with plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for 2 hours or up to overnight. Discard any juices on the baking tray before roasting.*
- Preheat oven to 450°F*. Combine olive oil and chopped fresh herbs. Set aside.
- Arrange the turkey on a baking sheet with a large rim. Dab the skin dry with paper towels. Brush with the olive oil mixture and season well with salt and pepper.
- Roast the turkey for 1¼ hrs to 1½ hrs or until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F.
- Remove from the oven and loosely tent with foil. Rest at least 15 minutes before carving.
Video
Notes
Turkey
- If using a butter-basted turkey, reduce oven temperature to 425°F.
- Cutting the turkey and letting it rest allows for some of the juices to drain. This step is optional.
- I’ve used a turkey up to 20lbs but it’s really hard to find a pan that fits a spatchcocked turkey larger than 16lbs. I would suggest a turkey about 12 lbs.
- Ask the butcher if they’ll cut the backbone out for you; many of them will, and it will make your job a lot easier.
- Make sure your roasting pan has a fairly deep rim, as the turkey will have drippings that you’ll want for gravy!
- I generally don’t use a wire rack, but sometimes I do put a few onion slices and celery ribs under the turkey for extra flavor.
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 401 | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 241mg | Potassium: 508mg | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2.2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Entree, Main Course, Turkey
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After always cooking my turkey’s the same way for 50+ years, I’ve been tossing around the idea of trying the Spatchcock method for the first time this summer (as a pre-Thanksgiving experiment).
With that being said, and given the heat of summer, I’m wondering if you have any tips (or cautions) for cooking this in my charcoal BBQ grill (Weber)? My gut is saying it’s just a ‘big chicken’, but my brain is saying otherwise.
Thanks in advance.
I haven’t tried this on the BBQ but I do think it would be delicious!! Let us know how it goes!
I love all your recipes. Will be trying this for the first time Christmas Day. Will dried herbs work as well as fresh? Thanks
Absolutely! I would use about 3 teaspoons total of dried herbs.
Thank you. Have a blessed Christmas season.
I used this recipe for Thanksgiving 2025. The results were a gamechanger as in never going back to cooking the bird whole. The breast meat didn’t dry out, the skin cooked to the rich brown pictured, and best of all the shorter cook time freed up the oven for sides.Thank you, Holly!
I will never EVER cook a whole turkey the old fashioned way! I did brine my turkey the night before, but otherwise followed your recipe to the T. It was amazing. My only issue was the drippings burning & smoking up my kitchen. About halfway through cooking, I took it out of the oven and moved it to a foil lined pan and brought the foil up about two inches high to within about an inch of the turkey. By then the skin was already nice and browned. It continued to cook with no more smoking. 😮💨 OH! And using the backbone along with the giblets & neck to boil and make gravy was great. TY
is that 3 tablespoons total of the herbs or 3T each… could you use butter instead of olive oil? and when do you use the poultry seasoning?
3 tablespoons total of herbs. I have only tried olive oil and since this turkey cooks at a high temperature, I’m not sure butter would work. I would add the poultry seasoning to the olive oil to rub all over the turkey.
I hope this helps Kelly!
If I have a 20lb turkey, how long would I have to cook this for?
You can spatchcock a 20 lb turkey but I have found it difficult to find a pan larger enough to accommodate a bird of that size. But if you do have a pan that size I would cook it for about 2 hours at 425°F or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh.
Hello, I tried this recipe with a 14lb (trial turkey) and it came out perfect! (Turned my oven back to 425, it was a butterball). Now I’ve decided I will use this recipe with a larger 20lb turkey. Are there any changes to the recipe with a larger bird? I purchased a Kroger brand turkey this time instead of the butterball.
The recipe works the same, my only concern would be having a pan large enough to fit a 20 pound spatchcocked turkey.
I have been using the “Spatchcock” method of baking a turkey now for about 5 years & will NEVER go back to old fashioned method of roasting a turkey. My son-in-law thought I had lost my mind when he watched me getting the turkey ready. Shook his head thinking I was ruining the turkey. Boy! Was he surprised! He now helps me get the turkey ready as my hands aren’t as strong as they used to be. BTW, tried this on a big old’ fat hen & it turned out beautifully as well. The best part of using this method is the amount of time you save. You can still baste the turkey, use your same seasonings. The only thing different is the amount of baking time you save. Wonderful process. Try it – you won’t be sorry!
I love this! Thank you for sharing your story and success Barbara!
I haven’t used Holly’s recipe specifically, but have used one similar for the last several years, and this cooking method has turned out the best turkey I’ve ever made. It’s always juicy and evenly browned. I highly recommend it! Having the bird flat also makes it much easier to carve than with the traditional roasting method.
looks delicious… can this be converted to chicken?
Absolutely, I use this spatchcock chicken recipe.
Can this be adapted to cooking only a turkey breast?
Thank you.
I use this roast turkey breast recipe. You can certainly add potatoes to the pan as well.
Hello!
I’m taking over hosting Thanksgiving for my family this year and have found that this method is a very popular method for cooking a turkey. I’m very excited to try your recipe but I haven’t cooked a turkey before, so I have some questions. I have about 20 people coming so I believe I need to get a 25lb turkey Is there a brand of turkey you recommend? Should I try to find one that large? Or should I cook two smaller ones? If I cook two smaller ones can they cook side by side in the oven at the same time? Are there any size pans you recommend? Or a specific one that is deep and sturdy enough for that large of a bird? I appreciate all the help I can get! If you have any other helpful advice I’d greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your time.
I’d recommend cooking two smaller turkeys (about 12–14 lbs each) instead. They’ll be easier to handle, cook more evenly, and will fit better in standard pans. You can roast them side by side if your oven has enough space for airflow, or use two pans. For pans, go with a sturdy rimmed roasting pan or heavy-duty sheet pan with deep sides. Restaurant-style pans are great if you can find one.
Biggest tips: measure your oven and pans ahead of time, use a good meat thermometer (aim for 165°F in the thigh), and let the turkeys rest before carving.
Wow! I was concerned with the high heat. I cooked a 14lb at 440 degrees for about 7.5 mins per pound and the pre-popper worked too. I used the thermometer after it sat the 15 mins and it read 165. I cut a piece and it was so juicy! My first turkey, mission accomplished!