Time to spatchcock turkey! It’s Part 1 of my Nomtastic Thanksgiving series! Let’s roast a paleo and Whole30-friendly spatchcock turkey a.k.a. Butterflied Big Bird!

A golden brown spatchcock turkey is ready to carve up for Thanksgiving

No, I said BUTTERFLIED—not BUTTERFRIED. Sorry to disappoint, butter lovers! And for you strict Paleo peeps, a note of warning: there’s butter in this recipe, though ghee is a fantastic substitute. (If you’re zero-tolerance when it comes to all forms of dairy, substitute duck fat or schmaltz.)

A roasted spatchcock turkey is on a cutting board with pomegranates around it.

With this post, I’m starting a series of Thanksgiving-related recipe posts, and I figured I’d tackle the hardest one first. Every November, the prospect of roasting a whole turkey strikes fear into the hearts of even experienced cooks. The entire process—from picking a bird to carving it—can be daunting. No one wants to serve a dry, powdery turkey to their gathered friends and family…especially if you’ve got an in-law who’s just waiting to pounce on a kitchen blunder. But never fear: even if Olivia Soprano is your mother-in-law, this foolproof method will keep you in her good graces.

Ready to Spatchcock Your Turkey?

A Spatchcock Turkey in the oven, breast-side up.

Step One to Spatchcock Turkey: Pick a Bird

This article by Serious Eats covers everything you need to know about selecting a turkey. (In fact, it covers all things turkey.)

By the way, I learned a valuable lesson this year: Don’t get greedy. The first turkey I roasted to test this recipe was waaaaay too big. The gigantic 18-pounder(!) that I bought at a local farm was delicious and came out beautifully (It’s the one I photographed for this post!), but it barely fit in my oven. My second bird (which I didn’t photograph) was a much more manageable 12-pounder that actually fit on my roasting tray.

Step Two to Spatchcock Turkey: Gear Up

For my recipe, you’ll want to make sure you have a sharp, sturdy pair of poultry shears (to tear through thin bones and cartilage like a skilled orthopedic surgeon). You’ll also need an oven-proof wire rack and a baking sheet or large broiling pan.

Lastly, you’ll need an accurate meat thermometer to ensure perfectly cooked meat. If you don’t want to keep having to open the oven to check your turkey, your best bet is to get an in-oven thermometer. (This one is my new favorite.)

A closeup shot of a digital meat thermometer that will measure the temperature of the spatchcock turkey.

Seriously: a meat thermometer is not negotiable. It’s the only way to make sure you don’t overcook your big, pricey turkey and disappoint your guests.

Step Three to Spatchcock Turkey: Mark Your Calendars

If you don’t want to eat turkey-flavored popsicles on Thanksgiving, you have to start thawing your bird in the fridge beginning on the Friday or Saturday before Turkey Day. It’ll take 3 or 4 days to fully defrost, and then you’ll want  to dry-brine the bird and let it sit for 1 or 2 more days in the fridge before roasting.

On Thanksgiving Day, make sure you allow for at least 30 minutes of resting time before you carve up the bird. So if you want the bird on the table by early afternoon, you need to pop it in the oven in the morning.

Step Four to Spatchcock Turkey: Cook!

My Butterflied Big Bird recipe combines Judy Rodgers’ dry-brining techniques with J. Kenji López-Alt’s Crisp-Skinned Butterflied Roast Turkey and my own simple herb butter.

A shot of a spatchcock turkey right out the oven, resting on the kitchen counter.

The turkey is spatchcocked and dry-brined with kosher salt, and then left to sit loosely-covered in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. Underneath the crispy skin, the tender meat is flavored with an herb-infused butter (or ghee, if you prefer).

Let’s spatchcock a turkey, people!

Serves 10-12 people

Ingredients:

  • 1 (12-14 pound) turkey
  • ¼ cup Diamond Crystal Brand kosher salt (because not all kosher salts are the same!)
  • ½ cup softened butter (or ½ cup ghee, duck fat, or schmaltz)
  • ¼ cup blend of fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary leaves, minced

Method:

Remove the innards from the turkey and reserve the neck and giblets for gravy or bone broth. Dry the turkey well with paper towels.

Using paper towels to pat try a raw turkey.

Grab a sharp pair of kitchen shears and start cutting from the tail-end open cavity along one side of the backbone until you reach the neck hole.

Using kitchen shears to cut the backbone out of a turkey to spatchcock it.

Once you’ve cut all the way through, cut along the other side of the backbone, and remove the spine. Add the backbone to the neck and giblets you’re saving for gravy or broth.

Completely cutting out the backbone from a raw turkey and removing it.

Use a knife to make a shallow cut in the cartilage on the underside of the breastbone…

Using a knife to cut a slit in the cartilage in the breast bone to help the turkey lay flat.

…and use your hands to firmly push the breasts flat like an open book.

Pressing down on the breast meat of a spatchcock turkey to lay it flat.

Now, it’s time to salt the bird.

Someone using their hands to rub salt on the surface of a spatchcock turkey.

Use your fingers to loosen the skin away from the flesh. (Be careful but forceful; the skin is fairly elastic, and shouldn’t tear unless you pierce it with sharp acrylic nails.) Rub salt directly onto the meat under the skin, as well on the outside and underside of the turkey.

Someone using their fingers to separate the turkey skin from the meat.

Someone adding salt under the skin of a spatchcock turkey.

A hand reaching under the turkey skin to rub salt on the meat.

A hand rubbing salt over the interior of a spatchcock turkey.

Loosely cover the bird with plastic wrap, and dry-brine it in the fridge for 1 to 2 days.

A salted, dry-brined Spatchcock Turkey is loosely covered with plastic wrap and placed in the fridge.

On Thanksgiving Day, preheat the oven to 450°F with the rack in the lower middle position. Take the brined turkey out the refrigerator. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top.

Grab your softened butter and fresh herbs.

Someone removing fresh rosemary leaves from the stem.

I tend to pack more sage and thyme in my quarter-cup than rosemary; it’s a matter of personal preference, but I find rosemary a bit too medicinal-tasting in large amounts.

An overhead shot of a spoonful of fresh herbs to season the herb butter for spatchcock Thanksgiving turkey.

Once the herbs are measured out, mince ’em…

Chopping fresh herbs on a gray cutting board for herb butter.

…and mix with the softened butter/ghee to form an herb butter.

Adding the minced fresh herbs to a block of butter in a white bowl.

Mixing up the herb butter in a white bowl with a fork.

Take two-thirds of the herb butter and use it to spread under the skin of the breast and thigh meat.

Someone using their hands to rub the herb butter under the turkey skin.

Another method: you can just place a dollop between the skin and meat, and smush down the skin to spread the butter evenly.

Someone using their fingers to place a big piece of softened herb butter under the turkey skin on top of the breast meat.

The herb butter is flattened all over the breast meat of the turkey, under the skin.

Spread the remaining herb butter on the outside of the bird.

Using two hands to rub herb butter on top of the skin of a spatchcock turkey.

Lay the bird flat on the wire rack and tuck the wing tips under the turkey so they don’t burn.

Someone tucking the wing of the turkey before placing it on a wire rack.

Pour ½ cup of water into the tray. This’ll keep the drippings from burning and smoking.

Place the turkey in the oven and stab an in-oven thermometer (if you have one) into the thick part of the breast.

Placing the Spatchcock Turkey into the oven.

The turkey’s done when the breast meat reaches 145°-150°F, and the thigh meat is 165°F, about 80-90 minutes.

A Spatchcock Turkey is pulled out of the oven with golden brown skin.

If you see that the skin is already nice and bronzed before the meat is even close to the correct temperature, don’t fret. Just place an aluminum foil bra loosely over the bird boobs before returning the turkey to the oven so they don’t burn.

Placing foil on the breast part of a Spatchcock Turkey prevent it from overcooking in the oven.

When the turkey is done, take the tray out of the oven and check the temperature one last time.

A meat thermometer is checking the temperature of the Spatchcock Turkey by stabbing it in the breast meat.

Let the turkey rest for at least 30 minutes before carving it at the table…

A Spatchcock Turkey with golden brown skin is resting on a cutting board before serving.

…or just hack it up with a cleaver, Chinese-style!

An overhead shot of Spatchcock Turkey cut up into serving pieces on a wooden cutting board

Stay tuned for more Thanksgiving recipes! They’re about to come fast and furious…assuming I can get my blogging butt in gear.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Butterflied Big Bird (Spatchcock Turkey)

4.92 from 12 votes
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time3 days 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Time to make Spatchcock Turkey a.k.a. Butterflied Big Bird! This foolproof method for cooking Thanksgiving turkey will please everyone at your holiday gatherings and it's so easy to make! Plus, it's Paleo-friendly!

Ingredients 
 

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Instructions 

  • Remove the innards from the turkey and reserve the neck and giblets for gravy or bone broth. Dry the turkey well with paper towels.
  • Grab a sharp pair of kitchen shears and start cutting from the tail-end open cavity along one side of the backbone until you reach the neck hole.
  • Once you’ve cut all the way through, cut along the other side of the backbone, and remove the spine. Add the backbone to the neck and giblets you’re saving for gravy or broth.
  • Use a knife to make a shallow cut in the cartilage on the underside of the breastbone, and use your hands to firmly push the breasts flat like an open book.
  • Now, it’s time to salt the bird. Use your fingers to loosen the skin away from the flesh. (Be careful but forceful; the skin is fairly elastic, and shouldn’t tear unless you pierce it with sharp acrylic nails.) Rub salt directly onto the meat under the skin, as well on the outside and underside of the turkey. Loosely cover the bird with plastic wrap, and dry-brine it in the fridge for 1 to 3 days.
  • On Thanksgiving Day, preheat the oven to 450°F with the rack in the lower middle position. Take the brined turkey out the refrigerator. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top.
  • Grab your softened butter and fresh herbs. I tend to pack more sage and thyme in my quarter-cup than rosemary; it’s a matter of personal preference, but I find rosemary a bit too medicinal-tasting in large amounts. Once the herbs are measured out, mince ’em, and mix with the softened butter/ghee to form an herb butter.
  • Take two-thirds of the herb butter and use it to spread under the skin of the breast and thigh meat. (Another method: you can just place a dollop between the skin and meat, and smush down the skin to spread the butter evenly.) Spread the remaining herb butter on the outside of the bird.
  • Lay the bird flat on the wire rack and tuck the wing tips under the turkey so they don’t burn. Pour ½ cup of water into the tray. This’ll keep the drippings from burning and smoking.
  • Place the turkey in the oven and stab an in-oven thermometer (if you have one) into the thick part of the breast. The turkey’s done when the breast meat reaches 145°-150°F, and the thigh meat is 165°F, about 80-90 minutes. 
  • If you see that the skin is already nice and bronzed before the meat is even close to the correct temperature, don’t fret. Just place an aluminum foil bra loosely over the bird boobs before returning the turkey to the oven so they don’t burn.
  • When the turkey is done, take the tray out of the oven and check the temperature one last time. 
  • Let the turkey rest for at least 30 minutes before carving it at the table.

Nutrition

Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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Recipe Rating




10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is pretty much spot on. Additionally
    I add aromatics to the roasting pan along with water/stock.
    For the more adventurous, I strongly suggest going beyond Spatchcocking and remove the bones, cartridge and tendons. I leave about an inch of bone at the leg ends and wing tips for shape. Pinch the skin and using a metal skewer poke holes randomly through the skin allowing fat to seep through and baste/crispen the skin while cooking.
    Starting the cooking process with the bird at refrigerator temperature will result in a puffy bird that stretches the skin thus increasing the crispness.
    Cooking time will further reduce by approximately another half depending on turkey weight. Typically an estimated total cooking time between 1 – 1 1/2 hours @ 450 – 500°. ALWAYS guide cooking by internal temperature and never by guessing by total time/weight.
    Carving is a joy to behold.

  2. 5 stars
    Our gathering this year is so small. I’ve made the spatchcock turkey before (yum), but no need for a big turkey. I was thinking of ordering a farm fed turkey breast. Can I use a similar recipe above for just a turkey breast? Thank you!

    Also – I added bacon on the top of my turkey, and that really was a fun add.

  3. 5 stars
    This is my first Holiday making a turkey, and my husband has proclaimed this to be our official holiday recipe every year. It was the perfect tenderness, crispy skin, and moisture level. Thank you, Michelle!

  4. 5 stars
    I love this recipe. Easy to follow and turned out so good. My family was so impressed. Couple of comments – you really do need a good pair of kitchen sheers and you really need a meat thememoter. Now to make NomNom’s bone broth with my turkey bones.

  5. I use this recipe every year. It’s fabulous! However, I always use appoximately a
    22-23 LB turkey and struggle with temp and time. It always turns out but I’m always stressed about it. Any input?

  6. 5 stars
    This is so moist. I put bacon on top to naturally baste it. It is soooooooooo good. and then I throw the bacon in a salad – crumbled.

  7. I just want to say that I’m so thankful for this recipe! It’s super easy to follow and comes out wonderful every time. I appreciate the dairy-free mod (using duck fat instead of butter) which makes it AIP!! I’ll never cook a turkey any other way….. Spatchcook for life. xo