How to Cook a Frozen Turkey for Thanksgiving Dinner

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By Analana -
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Cooked Turkey

Have you ever woken up Thanksgiving morning and realized in a panic that you forgot to thaw the turkey? Don’t worry, you can cook the turkey frozen. We have cooked our turkey from the frozen state for years and it has turned out perfectly every time. This method is for a turkey that is 12-15 pounds. If yours is larger or smaller, add or subtract some time in each step.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

12-15 lb frozen turkey
2 cups diced onion
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrots
2 Tbsp ground sage
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp allspice

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Remove the bag that the turkey came in and place your turkey, breast side up, in the roasting pan. Add 2-3 inches of water to the pan and sprinkle the spices and vegetables around the turkey. Use a fork to stir the spices in so that they don’t just stay floating on top of the water.
Step 2

Pull off enough aluminum foil to cover your turkey, with 2-3 inches of foil hanging over the edge of the pan. You may need to fold two or more sheets together to make one single large sheet. To do this, place one sheet on top of another and fold about half an inch over on the long side. Fold that side over again. Open the two sheets up and flatten the seam; you now have one large sheet of foil. You will need enough sheets to cover your turkey with three layers of aluminum foil.
Step 3

Fold the edges of the foil under the pan and crimp tightly to keep the steam inside the pan. I prefer to use foil instead of a lid because the lid to our roasting pan does not fit tightly enough and allows too much moisture to escape.
Step 4

Place the turkey in the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 200 degrees. After 30 minutes, raise the temperature to 250 degrees and cook for another 30 minutes.
Step 5

After an hour of cooking, the turkey should be thawed enough that you can remove the bag of extras inside. Peel the foil back, being careful not to tear it. Remove the bag of extra turkey parts and lay the turkey back down into the pan, breast side down. Seal the foil around the edges of the pan again and put the turkey back into the oven. Raise the temperature to 300 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes.
Step 6

Finally, raise the temperature to 350 degrees and cook the turkey for about 2 hours. After 2 hours, flip the turkey over so that it is breast side up and set the timer for one hour. During this last hour, monitor the turkey closely. The exact cooking time will vary depending on how big the bird is, and you don’t want to accidentally overcook your turkey. Check that the turkey is done by inserting a meat thermometer half way into the thickest part of the breast. If the temperature reads 170, the bird is done. I also like to do a visual check to see if it is done by cutting into the thickest part of the breast. The juices should be clear and the meat should not be pink.
Step 7

Once the turkey is completely cooked, pull it out of the oven and let it sit for about 30 minutes before carving it to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Strain out the vegetables and serve them along with the turkey. Save the broth to make your stuffing and gravy.
Step 8

Using this method, you will be able to cook a turkey that is very moist and flavorful. You will never have to worry about whether or not you have time to thaw out your turkey again.