How to Roast Turkey in Parchment Paper

Hands On Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

8 hrs 30 mins

Servings:

Wrapping your turkey in parchment paper does more than create a pretty package. Known as en papillote, this classic French technique calls for baking food inside a sealed parchment pouch.
Like cooking turkey in an oven bag, the parchment helps trap steam and juices around the bird for moist, succulent meat.
A quick blast at high heat toward the end of cooking gave this roast turkey noticeably crispier skin.

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Ingredients

1lemon
1/2cupbutter, softened
2 to 3Tbsp.chopped fresh mixed herbs, such as parsley, thyme, sage, and/or rosemary, plus 3 to 4 additional sprigs
1 (12- to 14-lb.) turkey
1smallonion, cut into chunks
1small apple, cut into wedges
1/2tsp. salt
1/2tsp. ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove 2 tsp. zest from lemon and cut lemon into quarters. In a small bowl stir together lemon zest, butter, and chopped herbs.
Remove neck and giblets from turkey; reserve for another use or discard. Pat turkey skin dry with paper towels. Use your fingers to loosen skin over the breast and thigh meat. Reserve some of the butter mixture to spread over outside of turkey before sprinkling with salt and pepper. Lift skin and spread butter mixture generously under the skin and in the cavity. Pull skin back over breast and thigh meat. Sprinkle salt and ground black pepper over skin and in cavity. Place onion, apple, lemon quarters, and herb sprigs inside cavity.
Tuck drumstick ends under band of skin across the tail if present or tie drumsticks securely to tail using 100%- cotton kitchen string. Twist wing tips under back.
Lay a 40x15-inch sheet of parchment paper on your work surface with the long sides parallel to the edge of the table. Center the bird on the parchment with the legs facing you. Spread remaining butter mixture over turkey.
Bring the two short ends of the parchment up and over the bird so they meet. Fold the edges together, continuing to fold the seam down until the parchment fits snugly around the bird. The two ends of the bird will still be exposed.
Lay a 48x15-inch piece of parchment on the work surface perpendicular to the first piece. Place the wrapped bird in the center, positioning it so that the exposed ends will be covered by this second sheet. Bring short sides up over turkey and fold in ends to secure. Secure all paper edges with double folds to fully encase turkey with parchment paper.
Place wrapped turkey, breast side up, on rack in a roasting pan.
Once the turkey is wrapped, breast side up, in a roasting pan, insert the thermometer through a slit in paper into the center of an inside thigh muscle (thermometer should not touch bone). Roast turkey 21/2 hours. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 425°F.
Carefully cut open parchment paper with scissors and gently slide it out from under turkey. Return turkey to oven. Roast until golden brown and thermometer registers 175°F, 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove turkey from oven. Transfer turkey to a cutting board. Tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes before carving. Serves 10 with leftovers.