This recipe yields a juicy and flavorful turkey.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 3 hrs 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 4 hrs 10 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 1 (12 pound) turkey |
Ingredients
- 1 (12 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
- ½ cup butter, cubed
- 2 apples, cored and halved
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- ⅔ (750 milliliter) bottle Champagne
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Rinse turkey, and pat dry. Gently loosen turkey breast skin, and insert pieces of butter between the skin and breast. Place apples inside the turkey’s cavity. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place turkey in a roasting bag, and pour Champagne over the inside and outside of the bird. Close bag, and place turkey in a roasting pan.
- Bake turkey 3 to 3 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (85 degrees C) when measured in the meatiest part of the thigh. Remove turkey from bag, and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.
- Learn more about how to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving in our How to Cook a Turkey article!
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 591 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 214 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 68 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Sodium | 207 mg |
| Sugars | 2 g |
| Fat | 29 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Fantastic! First time the white meat turned out tender and juicy. Note: I did brine it for 24 hrs.
I discovered this recipe in 2005 and have been making it every year since. Easy, delicious and fall off the bone.
I’ve made this turkey recipe every Thanksgiving for the past 10 or so years and it’s been absolutely delicious every time! The tenderness and flavor of the turkey gets complimented on by the family and friends almost every time. Golden delicious apples are the best choice in the cavity. Using Cook’s extra dry champagne is perfect.
Loved it. It got done a lot faster than I expected but it didn’t dry out because of the roasting bag and the champagne. This will be the only way I cook a turkey.
GREAT recipe!! I substituted Chardonnay for Champagne and added Thyme, Sage seasoning along with celery and the other ingredients specified. The gravy was EXCEPTIONAL. I didn’t have a bag to cook it in so I just used an aluminum foil tent for much of the cook time. I basted and injected a few times throughout the cooking time and it took longer. Will try with a bag next time.
Best turkey ever!
Best turkey ever !!
Excellent. I made my first turkey last year using this recipe and am excited to make another using the same recipe.
I added poultry seasoning . It was moist and delicious.! have been making this recipe every Thanksgiving for the past 5 years.
Ir was the talk of the night about how moist was the turkey. Everybody loved it
This was the juiciest most flavorful turkey I have ever cooked. I did mine on the grill and stuffed it with apple onion and lemon. The champagne mixed with the drippings in the butter made the best tasting gravy I have ever had.
Moist every time, this is my go to turkey recipe.
I’ve made this for the last couple of years and it’s a huge HIT! Everyone is so surprised when I tell them I cook my thanksgiving turkey in champagne :-). QUESTION: has anyone perfected the gravy?! How do I make a good gravy with the juices??
Not only was this the juiciest turkey I have ever made, but the champagne flavor in the drippings made the most delicious turkey gravy I have ever had.
The flavor is wrong and the timing is all off
This turkey turns out moist and delicious. I prefer to use pear or apple sparkling juices instead of the champagne. I don’t make turkeys often, but when I do, this is the one I love.
I didn’t make any changes to this recipe and it came out perfect. My family loved it!!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS RECIPE!!! I HAVE MADE THIS TURKEY THE LAST 3 THANKSGIVINGS…..IT HAS ALWAYS COME OUT PERFECT….LOTS OF COMPLIMENTS ON IT BEING THE BEST EVER ….. MY FAMILY LOVES IT!!
Very moist and the dripping made the best gravy I’ve ever had. Will definitely use this recipe again.
This was amazing! Best turkey we’ve ever had.
The turkey was the best that I have ever made. Making it again tomorrow for Christmas Dinner. Our turkey was so moist that it fell off of the bone and the flavor was simply amazing! Can’t wait until tomorrow.