Name: Gordon Ramsay turkey recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h
Yield: Serves: 8–10
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 free-range turkey (ideally Norfolk Black or Bronze), about 5–5.5kg; 2 onions, peeled and halved; 1 lemon, halved; 1 head of garlic, halved horizontally; 6 bay leaves; olive oil, to drizzle; 8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

By Gordon Ramsay

last updated 8 November 2023

Contributions from

Jessica Ransom

in Recipes

This Gordon Ramsay turkey takes 2 hours and 30 minutes to cook based on a 5kg bird.

There’s no need to worry about bland, dry meat with this recipe. Gordon’s flavoured butter is the key to a moist, delicious cooked bird. He says: ‘This is my favourite way to roast turkey – with a savoury butter under the skin to keep the breast meat moist and flavourful.’

Ingredients

1 free-range turkey (ideally Norfolk Black or Bronze), about 5–5.5kg
2 onions, peeled and halved
1 lemon, halved
1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
6 bay leaves
olive oil, to drizzle
8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

For the lemon, parsley and garlic butter:

375g butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp olive oil
finely grated zest and juice of 2 small lemons
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
small bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped

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Method

Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan Gas 7). Meanwhile, prepare the herb butter. Put the butter into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and mix well. Add the lemon zest and juice, crushed garlic and chopped parsley. Mix well to combine.
Remove the giblets from the turkey cavity. Season the cavity well with salt and pepper, then stuff with the onions, lemon, garlic halves and 2 bay leaves.
With your hands, loosen the skin on the breast from both ends of the bird so that you will be able to stuff the flavoured butter underneath it, making sure you keep the skin intact. Repeat with the skin on the legs – from the lower side of the breast feel your way under the skin and out towards the leg, loosening the gap.
Stuff half the butter mix into the opened spaces under the skin. From the outside of the skin, gently massage the butter around the breasts so that the meat is evenly covered. Finally, insert the rest of the bay leaves under the skin of the breasts.
Place the bird in a large roasting tray, breast side up. Spread the rest of the butter all over the skin. Season well with salt and pepper, then drizzle with a little olive oil. (If preparing a day ahead, cover the turkey with foil and refrigerate at this stage.)
Roast the turkey in the hot oven for 10–15 minutes. Take the tray out of the oven, baste the bird with the pan juices and lay the bacon rashers over the breast to keep it moist. Baste again. Lower the setting to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4) and cook for about 2½ hours (calculating at 30 minutes per kg), basting occasionally.
Transfer the turkey to a warmed platter and remove the Parson’s nose, wings and tips of the drumsticks; reserve these for the gravy. Leave the turkey to rest in a warm place for at least 45 minutes; make the gravy in the meantime. Remove the bay leaves from under the skin before carving the turkey. Serve with the piping hot gravy, stuffing, and accompaniments.

Top tips for making a Gordon Ramsay turkey recipe

You can do all the prep for the turkey the night before. Just cover the turkey in tin foil once you’ve buttered and stuffed it. Store it in the fridge overnight and it’s ready to cook first thing on Christmas or Thanksgiving morning.

How to check if turkey is cooked?

To test whether your turkey is cooked, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the leg and check that the juices are running clear, rather than pink. As oven temperatures and turkey shapes and sizes vary, it is crucial to check your turkey about 30 minutes before the calculated roasting time.

If the juices are pink, roast for another 15 minutes and check again. Repeat as necessary until the turkey is cooked.

How to keep the meat moist and juicy

Turkey is very lean meat, which means it can dry out if overcooked. Adding fat in the form of butter under the skin gives the meat something to baste in while it cooks, keeping it succulent. The bacon, added a little after the cooking has started, has the same effect.

Should I brine my turkey?

Brining a turkey means soaking it in cold, salty water for several hours before cooking it. It can be difficult because you need a pot big enough to completely immerse the bird in, and ideally, you should keep it in the fridge while it brines (a very cold-pantry will suffice).

Brine for 1 hour per 500g: so a medium 4kg turkey takes 8 hours. We find with the above recipe, brining is not required.

Can I cook the stuffing inside the turkey?

Stuffing cooked inside the turkey tastes great as it absorbs all the delicious juices from the bird as it roasts. It also makes the roasting process more complex as you should recalculate the weight of the bird and cooking time.

Stuffing must be made in advance so it is completely cool before you use it, but you should only stuff the bird directly before you roast it. You must also stuff it loosely and leave enough space around the breast bone for it to cook properly. Gordon says: 'To ensure both the turkey and pork stuffing are cooked properly, I bake the stuffing separately.'

How long should I rest the turkey before serving it?

Gordon says: 'One of my secrets is to rest the turkey for a couple of hours or more. As it relaxes, the juices are reabsorbed, making the meat succulent, tender, and easier to carve. It may seem like a long time, but the texture will be improved the longer you leave the turkey to rest. Piping hot gravy will restore the heat.'

How long does it take to defrost a turkey?

A long time! Defrost in a cool room - no more than 17C and allow 2 hours for every 450g, so a 4kg turkey will take at least 18 hours. If you prefer to do it in the fridge, allow 4 hours for every 450g, so a 4kg turkey will take a full three days.

A really big bird can take 5-6 days. Allow more time, not less, as you can store thawed turkey in the fridge for a couple of days, but you can’t cook partially defrosted turkey. Keep it in the original packaging as you thaw it, unless the packaging directs otherwise.

We have more tips on how to cook a turkey and a helpful guide on how to carve a turkey too. Discover the best turkey to buy for this year. You might also like to explore some more Gordon Ramsay recipes

Explore More

Gordon Ramsay is a celebrity multi-Michelin starred chef. Born who in Scotland, he has restaurants all over the world including the UK, France, Singapore, Hong Kong and the United States. He’s a proud father-of-five and many of his recipes are particularly suited to if you’re entertaining for your family or a group of friends. He trained with some of the world’s most renowned chefs including Albert Roux, Marco Pierre White and Guy Savoy and opened his first restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, in 1998.

With contributions from