Turkey for Twenty

A generous feast featuring perfectly brined and herb-infused turkey legs and breasts, seasoned with rosemary, sage, and thyme, and served with roasted garlic. This recipe yields enough to serve twenty people with succulent, aromatic turkey.

20 servings

16 hr 50 min

Published October 4, 2025

Ingredients

•¾ cup Diamond Crystal or 7 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt
•2 Tbsp light brown sugar
•1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
•4 pieces turkey legs and breasts
•4 sprigs rosemary
•4 sprigs sage
•4 sprigs thyme
•1 cup unsalted butter
•3 heads garlic
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Cooking Instructions

1.
Mix salt, brown sugar, and pepper with your fingertips in a medium bowl to combine.
5 min
2.
Place turkey legs on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Place breasts on another wire rack set inside another rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle dry brine all over outside of turkey, patting to adhere and nudging into crevices (you won't need all of the brine, but it's good to have extra since some of it will fall onto the baking sheet). Chill, uncovered, at least 12 hours and up to 2 days.
720 min
3.
Transfer turkey pieces to a large platter and rinse baking sheets and racks (turkey will most likely release some liquid onto pans). Line each baking sheet with 3 layers of foil, then set wire racks back inside. Place turkey legs and breasts skin side up on separate racks. Let sit at room temperature 2-3 hours.
180 min
4.
Place oven racks in bottom and top third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Tie rosemary, sage, and thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine at bottom of stems so that they resemble an herb mop. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 2 garlic halves cut side down until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add remaining butter and cook until melted. Reduce heat to low, add herb bundle stem side up, and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until butter is infused, about 15 minutes; discard garlic.
25 min
5.
Using herb bundle, baste turkey and garlic with infused butter. Roast turkey, basting with herb bundle and rotating pans top to bottom and front to back every 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 150°F and thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, 40-50 minutes (some pieces may be done faster than others, so check more than one piece each time). Let turkey rest 30 minutes before carving. Serve with roasted garlic alongside.
80 min

Cooking Instructions

Mix salt, brown sugar, and pepper with your fingertips in a medium bowl to combine.

5 min

Place turkey legs on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Place breasts on another wire rack set inside another rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle dry brine all over outside of turkey, patting to adhere and nudging into crevices (you won't need all of the brine, but it's good to have extra since some of it will fall onto the baking sheet). Chill, uncovered, at least 12 hours and up to 2 days.

720 min

Transfer turkey pieces to a large platter and rinse baking sheets and racks (turkey will most likely release some liquid onto pans). Line each baking sheet with 3 layers of foil, then set wire racks back inside. Place turkey legs and breasts skin side up on separate racks. Let sit at room temperature 2-3 hours.

180 min

Place oven racks in bottom and top third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Tie rosemary, sage, and thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine at bottom of stems so that they resemble an herb mop. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 2 garlic halves cut side down until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add remaining butter and cook until melted. Reduce heat to low, add herb bundle stem side up, and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until butter is infused, about 15 minutes; discard garlic.

25 min

Using herb bundle, baste turkey and garlic with infused butter. Roast turkey, basting with herb bundle and rotating pans top to bottom and front to back every 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 150°F and thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, 40-50 minutes (some pieces may be done faster than others, so check more than one piece each time). Let turkey rest 30 minutes before carving. Serve with roasted garlic alongside.

80 min