This Citrus Dry Brined Turkey is the only recipe I’ve used to roast a whole turkey for the last several years. It’s so incredibly simple to make and yields a crazy delicious, juicy and flavorful turkey.
I love the combination of the citrus and sage notes in this turkey, but it’s so easy to change up the flavor profile based on your taste preferences!
What is Dry Brining?
Dry brining is pre-salting the protein (in this case turkey) without the addition of water. The salt, sugar and seasonings are rubbed directly onto the meat and placed in the refrigerator (a baking sheet topped with a cooling rack or roasting pan works best for storing in the refrigerator), uncovered for a period of time, before it is gently rubbed off and the protein is roasted.
Dry Brine vs Wet Brine
Both types of brining are great methods of tenderizing and flavoring turkey, but dry brining is my favorite kind of brine for a turkey. Not only does it break down the protein fibers and implement a ton of great flavor into the turkey, but it also makes the prep much easier. There’s no need to find a giant, sterile bucket to fill with ice water to submerge your turkey into and it takes up much less fridge space.
How to Make Citrus Dry Brined Turkey?
Ingredients
Process
- Combine all brine ingredients.
- Mix together.
- Rub brine all over turkey, including in the cavity and place onto a baking sheet, topped with a cooling rack. This will allow any excess liquid to drip onto the baking sheet and allow the skin to dry out, which will result in a moist turkey with deliciously crispy skin. Refrigerate turkey for 2 days. You can brine the turkey for as little as 24 hours and for up to 72 hours (turkey will be on the saltier side with a three day brine!). We do 48 hours because we think it yields the best results overall.
- Preheat oven to 450˚F. Transfer turkey to a clean sheet pan lined with parchment.
- Completely rub brine off turkey.
- Pat turkey completely dry. Tie turkey legs together with twine, fold wing tips behind turkey.
- Rub butter evenly over entire turkey.
- Transfer to a roasting pan. Cover breast with foil and place turkey in oven and roast for 30 minutes. Lower heat to 350˚F and continue to roast for an additional 2 to 2 ½ hours (about 12 minutes a pound, for an internal temperature of 160˚F).
- In the last 40 to 50 minutes of roasting, uncover breast to allow browning and skin crisping.
- Remove turkey from oven and rest for 20 to 30 minutes, loosely covered. Carve and serve.
Tips and Tricks for Success
- Use the foil shield to cover breast. Since light meat cooks faster than dark meat it’s really beneficial to cover the breast for a duration of the roasting to prevent the breast meat from drying out.
- If you’re short on time, use a frozen turkey to dry brine! While we like to use a fresh or thawed turkey to be able to separate the skin from the meat, you can definitely add the dry brine to a frozen turkey with just a little more effort. Gently rinse frozen turkey with water and pat dry. Rub dry brine all over turkey and place in a large dish with taller sides (to account for the liquid that will accumulate from defrosting the turkey). You’ll still need about 2-3 days for a 12-14 pound turkey to thaw completely.
- Brine turkey for around 48 hours for best results. We mentioned before that you can dry brine your bird for 24-72 hours. We think the sweet spot is around 48 hours, but if you want a less citrus and salty flavor you can brine for 24 hours. If you chose to brine for 72 hours your turkey may be on the saltier side. So brine for as long as you prefer based on your taste!
Variations
- Mix things up with the herbs by adding some thyme or rosemary to the brine to change the flavor profile.
- Use a flavored salt (such as sel de provence)
- Mix up the different amounts of citrus zest or just stick to one type of citrus like all orange zest, etc.
What to serve with our Citrus Dry Brined Turkey?
There are so many delicious dishes to serve along with this turkey, but some of our favorites are:
Salads
- Chickpea Kale Apple and Goat Cheese Salad
- Everyday Simple Side Salad
- Classic Caesar Salad
- Watercress Salad with Green Apple Vinaigrette
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
Side Dishes
- Cheesy Root Vegetable Gratin
- Cheesy Garlic Potato Gratin
- Cheesy Potato Casserole with Caramelized Onions
- Butternut Squash Puree with Browned Butter
- Mushroom and Sage Stuffing
- Mini Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes
- Cauliflower, Parsnip and Roasted Garlic Mash
- Roasted Radishes
- Maple Glazed Roasted Acorn Squash
- Fig Herb and Sausage Stuffing
- Apple and Fennel Stuffing
- Citrus Sautéed Beet Stems
More Delicious Thanksgiving Recipe You Will Love!
Citrus Dry Brined Turkey
This Citrus Dry Brined Turkey will be the juiciest, most flavorful turkey you'll ever taste! It's easy to make and will have everyone asking for seconds!
Servings:
INGREDIENTS
citrus dry brine
- ⅓ cup kosher salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons light Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup orange zest from about 2 oranges
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest from about 3 lemons
- 2 tablespoons lime zest from about 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon ground sage
- 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
turkey
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter softened
- 1 (12-14 lb.) turkey thawed and pat dry
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place all brine ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir together until evenly mixed.
- Rub brine all over turkey, including cavity and place onto a baking sheet, topped with a cooling rack. Refrigerate turkey for 2 days.
- Preheat oven to 450˚F.
- Completely brush brine off turkey and pat dry. Tie turkey legs together with twine, fold wing tips behind turkey and transfer to a roasting pan.
- Rub butter evenly all over turkey.
- Cover breast with foil and place turkey in oven and roast for 30 minutes.
- Lower heat to 350˚F and continue to roast for an additional 2 to 2 ½ hours (about 12 minutes a pound, for an internal temperature of 160˚F).
- In the last 40 to 50 minutes of roasting, uncover breast to brown and crisp skin.
- Remove turkey from oven and rest for 20 to 30 minutes, loosely covered.
- Carve and serve.
NOTES
Tips:
-The turkey can be dry brined for as little as 24 hours and up to 72 hours, although our preference is 48 hours.
-The foil over the breast will prevent it from over-browning and drying out.
-Dry brining frozen turkey: Gently rinse frozen turkey with water and pat dry. Rub dry brine all over turkey and place in a large dish with taller sides (to account for the liquid that will accumulate from defrosting the turkey). You’ll still need about 2-3 days for a 12-14 pound turkey to thaw completely.
Calories: 347kcal Carbohydrates: 3g Protein: 47g Fat: 16g Saturated Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 165mg Sodium: 3385mg Potassium: 490mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 2g Vitamin A: 257IU Vitamin C: 5mg Calcium: 37mg Iron: 2mg
CUISINE: Amercian
KEYWORD: dry brine, thanksgiving, turkey
COURSE: dinner, Main Course, main dish
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Just tried this citrus dry-brined turkey for our family dinner, and it was a game-changer! The blend of orange, lemon, and lime zest gave the turkey a refreshing twist, and the dry brine kept it juicy and flavorful without being greasy. The skin was beautifully golden and crispy—definitely a showstopper. I paired it with roasted root vegetables and a light salad, and everyone went back for seconds. This will absolutely be a staple for our holiday meals from now on. Thank you for sharing such a fantastic recipe!
could you put lemon and orange pieces inside the turkey while it is dry brining?
Absolutely!
Hi Teri, looking forward to trying this next week. Do you put any of the brine mixture under the skin, or only on the exterior?
Hi Nolan – just on the outside of the skin! (If it’s rubbed on the inside the turkey will be too salty and a bit tough). Hope you enjoy!
Hi from Argentina! I’m not even american but I made this recipe for thanksgiving and it was amazing. I made the brine 24 hours in advance and it still had the most amazing flavor and the turkey was so juicy. Thank you so much!
Hi Sofia! Thank you for you nice comment! We are so honored to have this recipe on your Thanksgiving table :)
This recipe is very similar to other turkey recipes I’ve seen for Thanksgiving. Most of the steps are the same, except I haven’t seen the instruction to cover the breast with foil while cooking before. Is there any specific reason why you’re supposed to cover it in the beginning of cooking?
I learned this method from Alton Brown…it really helps to keep the breast/light meat moist and helps prevent it from drying out. It also helps the skin to not get too dark before the rest of the turkey
Hi Teri and Jenny! This turkey recipe is to die for! Gonna make this for thanksgiving this year!
This is actually my first time to host thanksgiving. I have been struggling to lose weight for the last couple of years, I have reached a milestone and I’m really proud of it!
This thanksgiving is actually my way of saying thank you to my family and friends who supported me throughout my journey. Thank you so much for sharing this! And I’m so thankful that I found your blog. :)
Do you cover the turkey with plastic wrap while it’s in the refrigerator for two days?
I usually keep mine uncovered (stored on the lowest shelf of my fridge with nothing else (for cross contamination purposes) which helps the skin to dry out and get crispy in the oven, but you can definitely wrap it in plastic too
I left it uncovered in the fridge. Every time the door opened the citrus smell filled my house. It was wonderful! Now it’s smothered with butter and it’s in the oven. It smells amazing! Can’t wait to eat it. Thanks for sharing your recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! ????????