Spatchcock Turkey: The Low-Effort, High-Reward Secret to the Juiciest Thanksgiving Turkey Ever
Imagine roasting a foolproof turkey that’s perfectly juicy and flavorful—in just 90 minutes! No more obsessively checking the oven all day or drowning your turkey in gravy to make it edible. Spatchcocking is the answer!
I first learned How to Spatchcock a Turkey back in 2013, and I’ve never looked back. (Fun fact: it saved my first-ever Thanksgiving, which was thisclose to being a total disaster when I lost track of time juggling all my recipes. 😅)
In the 10+ years since, I’ve shared many Thanksgiving recipes, but this spatchcock turkey guide is my all-time favorite. If you’re a first-timer or feeling intimidated, don’t worry—I’ve got you! It’s much easier than it seems, and I have tons of tips to help you roast the juicy turkey of your dreams. 🤩
What is Spatchcock Turkey?
Spatchcocking (aka butterflying) is a simple technique where you remove the turkey’s backbone so it lays flat while roasting. This method is a game-changer for 2 key reasons:
- Spatchcocking prevents dry turkey. When roasting a whole bird, the legs are tucked underneath, which causes the white breast meat to overcook while you wait for the legs to finish. A spatchcock turkey lays flat, allowing both white and dark meat to cook evenly for guaranteed juicy results.
- Spatchcocking saves you hours of cooking time. With its uniform thickness, a spatchcock turkey roasts in half the time and cooks more evenly since both the breasts and legs are equally exposed to heat.
TL;DR? If you’re looking for a stress-free, foolproof way to make the best-ever Thanksgiving turkey, spatchcocking is the answer. I’ve prepared dozens of spatchcock turkeys over the years and have made it my mission to to share this method with as many people as possible. It’s a simple 3-step process, and I’ll walk you through it from start to finish!
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Best Turkey Size and Must-Have Equipment for Success
You can spatchcock any size bird, but a 12 to 16-pound turkey is ideal for roasting—it fits perfectly on a sheet pan in the oven. If you plan to prepare a grilled or smoked spatchcock turkey, feel free to use any size bird you like.
Essential equipment:
- Kitchen shears: A sharp pair of shears is key to removing the backbone easily. These are the kitchen shears I use.
- Chef’s knife: Its blade wedges into the chest bone, making it easier to crack the turkey open. Again, using a sharp knife is essential—this one is my go-to!
- Rolling pin. The secret to spatchcocking large poultry – like turkey! – with ease. Tapping the knife with a rolling pin adds extra force to spatchcock the bird. It’s much easier and safer than muscling your way through it!
- Large sheet pan with a wire rack: Roasting the spatchcock turkey on a a sheet pan fitted with a wire rack allows hot air to circulate around it, keeping the bird juicy while ensuring extra-crispy skin. I use this extra-large baking sheet, which comes with a wire baking rack for perfect results.
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Before you get started! At this point, your turkey should be prepped and ready for roasting—thawed, with the neck and giblets removed, and brined for extra flavor if you’d like. (Reminder! ⇢ Frozen turkeys require about 24 hours of thawing time per 4 pounds in the fridge, so plan ahead!)
Remove the turkey’s backbone. Place your turkey breast-side down on a large, sturdy cutting board (or any non-slip surface), with the backbone facing up. Using kitchen shears, carefully snip along both sides of the backbone to remove it.
✨Tip! ⇢ Be sure to save the backbone for homemade turkey stock—a must-have for extra-flavorful Turkey Gravy!
Crack the chest bone. Gently stretch open the turkey cavity and locate the thick chest bone behind the breasts (the breastplate). You’ll need a little extra force to split through it—this is where the rolling pin comes in handy!
Finish spatchcocking. Flip the turkey breast-side up. If it isn’t laying completely flat, place your hands between the breasts and press down with your body weight until you hear a crack.
Seasoning, Roasting, and Serving Your Spatchcock Turkey
My favorite way to season a spatchcock turkey is with a simple herb compound butter. It’s packed with flavor, and as the butter melts in the oven, it bastes the turkey in savory richness, keeping it incredibly juicy. 😋
I use herb compound butter for my Lemon Herb Butter Roast Spatchcock Turkey, a fan-favorite that’s been a hit with hundreds of PWWB readers. Made with tons of garlic, rosemary, sage, and thyme, its classic flavors always impress! Herb butter is also the secret to my Maple Glazed Spatchcock Turkey, which is finished a maple glaze for perfectly crispy skin.
From there, roasting a spatchcocked turkey is much faster than roasting a whole bird—it takes about about 90 minutes total—leaving you plenty of extra oven time for all your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes!
Carving a roast spatchcock turkey is similar to carving any other poultry. Start by cutting at the joints to remove the legs, drumsticks, and wings, then slice the meat away from the breastbone. Finally, slice the light and dark meat into serving-sized pieces, and you’re ready to dig in!
I can’t wait for you to learn How to Spatchcock a Turkey! This miracle method will ensure you never have to suffer through overcooked, bland turkey at Thanksgiving again.
If you do give it a try, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
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How to Spatchcock a Turkey (Juicy Thanksgiving Bird Guaranteed)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 8–12 1x
- Category: Techniques & How-Tos, Poultry & Turkey Recipes, Thanksgiving Recipes
- Method: Spatchcock
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
If you’re tired of bland, dry turkey ruining your Thanksgiving dinner, learning How to Spatchcock a Turkey is the miracle you’ve been waiting for!
By laying flat (aka butterflied), a spatchcock turkey cooks evenly, giving you the juiciest, most flavorful turkey you’ve ever tasted—all with less effort and in half the cooking time of a traditional oven-roasted bird.
This easy 3-step method saved my first Thanksgiving 10+ years ago, and I’ve never looked back. Get ready for your best holiday dinner yet!
Ingredients
- one whole turkey, defrosted if frozen (see Recipe Notes)
Other useful equipment:
- sharp kitchen shears
- sharp chef’s knife
- rolling pin
- rimmed XL baking sheet fitted with wire baking rack
Instructions
- Prep: If present, remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the turkey. Discard or set aside for turkey stock or gravy. Transfer the turkey to a large cutting board or baking sheet, positioning the bird breast side facing down.
- Remove the back bone: Using very sharp kitchen shears, carefully snip along each side of the turkey’s backbone until it’s completely detached. If it’s too difficult to snip the shears through the rib bones or near the hip bones, switch to a sharp chef’s knife and rolling pin—place the center of the blade along the joint(s), then gently tap the rolling pin against the spine of the blade to drive the knife through. Once the backbone is completely detached, discard or set aside for turkey stock or gravy.
- Split the breast bone: If needed, carefully stretch open the ribs to reveal the turkey’s inner cavity. Locate the top of the turkey’s breast plate directly behind the turkey breasts—place the knife’s blade on the center of the bone, then gently tap the rolling pin against the spine of the blade to drive the knife through.
- Finish spatchcocking: Flip the turkey such that the breasts are facing up. Place your hands on the center of the breasts. Press down, using your body weight to crack the bone all the way through such that the turkey lays flat. Your turkey is spatchcocked and ready for roasting—great job!
Notes
Easy Roasted Spatchcock Turkey Recipes:
Once spatchcocked, your turkey is ready to roast or smoke. Use your recipe of choice to season and cook. I have 2 tried and true roasted spatchcock turkey recipes that PWWB readers have made about over the years with rave reviews:
- Lemon Herb Butter Roast Spatchcock Turkey—perfect you love the flavor of garlic, rosemary, sage, and thyme!
- Maple Glazed Spatchcock Turkey—a little cozier thanks to a beautiful maple glaze.
- Easy Turkey Gravy From Dripping—It’s not turkey dinner without gravy! This recipe makes use of a roast spatchcock turkey’s flavorful drippings to create the easiest, best turkey gravy you’ll ever make!
Other Tips and Tricks:
- What size Thanksgiving turkey should I use? If roasting, I suggest using a turkey between 12-16 pounds—when butterflied flat, larger birds don’t quite fit on a baking sheet (or in a shallow roasting pan). If smoking or grilling, you may have room to use a larger 18-20 pound turkey depending on size of the cooking grates in your smoker/grill. Note, the general rule of thumb is to prep one pound of turkey per person—if you’re feeding a larger crowd you may want to prepare 2 smaller turkeys rather than one large bird. Bonus—this also helps keep the turkey extra-juicy!
- *REMINDER: If frozen, be sure to thaw your turkey well before the day you plan to roast it! The safest way to thaw a frozen turkey is by placing it in the coolest section of your refrigerator. As a general rule of thumb, plan for 24 hours of refrigerated thawing for every 4 pounds of turkey (e.g. a 12-14 pound turkey requires 3-4 days refrigerated thawing).
Follow along with Plays Well With Butter on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest for more unfussy recipes that pack a big punch of flavor!
Looking for oven temp!
Hi Jan, we roast our turkeys at two temperatures: 450 degrees F for the first 30 minutes, then 400 degrees F for the remaining roasting time. You can find instructions for roasting your spatchcock turkeys in our two turkey recipes: Turkey with Lemon Herb Butter and Maple-Glazed Spatchcock Turkey. Hope that helps!
The only thing you left out is the temperature of the oven and how long to cook your turkey. I have a 20 pound turkey.
Hi Kathy, you can find more in-depth instructions on how to roast your turkey in our Lemon Herb Butter Roast Spatchcock Turkey or Maple Glazed Spatchcock Turkey posts. In general, you’ll roast the turkey at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400 and continue roasting until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. This typically takes about an hour for a 12-16lb turkey, so a 20lb turkey will take longer. Hope that’s helpful – please let us know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving!
i believe you’ll like my comment on youtube.
thanks a lot
Sure did, Bill! Hope your turkey is fantastic!
thank you. now i have to bake the cake just in time for good friday.
Hope it turns out great for you! 🙂
Thank you for the step by step instructions! We used your recipe for an almost 19lb bird and cooked it in an electric roaster. Although it was nice to have the oven available for other dishes, the roaster did not finish with golden skin. I’m not sure what I did wrong with the gravy, but it was incredibly unsuccessful. Way too much liquid (even only using 3 cups of liquid), regardless of the cornstarch slurry I added. I will definitely spatchcock our turkey from now on and will pick up the WS turkey base to keep from any last minute stressors. My only complaint… there were so many ads and videos running on the web page that my computer kept reloading due to using “significant memory”. Thankfully I had printed out the recipe prior to prepping the turkey. Thank you for providing a delicious recipe!
Hi Heather, glad to hear that the spatchcocking worked well for you this year! We definitely recommend using the printer view for recipes if you’re having an issue with videos and ads! As far as the gravy goes, we’d recommend simmering it for longer – it reduces as you continue to cook it. Hope that helps!
I’ve used this method/recipe multiple times and it makes day of cooking for a gathering so much easier, and the turkey always comes out consistently for me (one I learned my oven’s nuances :))
Hi Chris, we totally agree, this method is the KEY to a smooth day of cooking!
You need to do a better job of explaining the removing of the backbone. It’s easy when you first start at the neck, but as you approach the tail, you run into some fairly large bones/cartilege, etc. Just saying “snip along until it is removed” doesn’t really tell you that this is somewhat difficult and that you need to cut through/find some joints where you can separate it, etc.
Hi Robbie, so sorry to hear that this part of the process proved to be a bit more difficult for you – removing the backbone definitely may require a bit of elbow grease, especially depending on the size of the bird, etc.
We plan to share a video in the near future that will be added to the post & we hope it will visually capture this process even better than words can describe. Hope your spatchcock turkey turned out beautifully!
Worked out wonderfully! Hands down the best turkey I’ve ever made or eaten. But next year, will have the butcher do the hard work! I’ve never had white meat dripping with juices while carving it. I used a ton of butter and didn’t have much pan drippings but that’s because the turkey held all the juices in. Just seasoned with Thyme, Rosemary and some veggies underneath. I did find a rack from my old turkey pan that I used with the throw away pan I used this year..
Hi Annabel! So glad you loved this recipe & thanks so much for dropping a comment – spatchcocking makes all the difference!! 🙂
Great recipe! But you cannot reduce anything by more than 100%! So, going from 3 hours to 90 minutes is reducing the cooking time by 50%, you could just say you are cutting the cooking time in half. If you reduce something by 100% you will have nothing, therefore you can’t reduce by more than 100%, because you can’t reduce further from nothing!
Hi Wade! Thanks so much for dropping a comment, we’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Thank you for the great detailed instructions. This year’s Thanksgiving turkey was the 3rd turkey that I spatchcocked, but my 1st ever for Thanksgiving. Wow! What a huge time saver on a big cooking day that normally gets stressful as you try to time oven availability for other dishes. Plus, it makes THE BEST tasting, moist turkey imaginable. NEVER going back to the traditional roasting method.
Hi Jen! So glad you loved the recipe, thanks so much for including it in your Thanksgiving dinner menu! Spatchcocking turkey is truly a gamechanger & we’re so glad it was a hit!
HELP…do you ou cover with foil or not??
Hi Michelle – No, this recipe doesn’t require foil (unless the turkey begins to brown more quickly than you’d like, which I’ve never experienced personally). Happy Thanksgiving!
I’ve spatchcocked all my turkeys in the past, but for some reason when I used this recipe my turkey is taking 3 hours. Extremely disappointed. Now I’m looking at other recipes and seeing I should’ve never lowered my oven. They all kept theirs over 400° 😓
Hi Rebecca! Sorry to hear of this experience – we’ve thoroughly tested this recipe & made it throughout the years with a 12-14 lb turkey at these settings with success so it’s really hard to determine what might’ve happened in your case. Were there any other dishes crowding the oven or changes made to the recipe ingredients, directions, etc. We’d be happy to help troubleshoot with a bit more information to see why things took longer than expected!
Help!!! I can’t find anywhere if you are to use the roasting pan rack or lay the turkey right down in the roasting pan??
Thanks in advance!
Hi Clover – I do not use a rack; I simply rest the turkey atop the veggies I roast it with (e.g. carrots, onion, celery) to help fortify the drippings. You can learn more about how I prep the spatchcock turkey for roasting in either of our Roasted Spatchcock Turkey recipes (Lemon Butter, Maple Glaze), which are linked directly in the recipe card above. Hope this helps!
Your roasting pan link no longer works! What size roasting pan do you recommend for this? I’m excited to try.
Hi Angie! Sorry about that – we used a 16″ Roasting Pan – here is a link to a similar size pan with a rack included like the one we use but any 16″ pan should work!
Hope you are able to try soon & let us know how it goes 🙂
Great directions. I plan to spatchcock my turkey this year.
Thanks, Carol! We’re so glad you find it helpful. Let us know if you have any questions leading up to Thanksgiving or join our email list HERE to download our Thanksgiving guide with tons of recipes for easy holiday meal planning & prep! 🙂
I can’t believe you answered my question so fast Jess! Bless you! Well my bird is in the oven. Of course I got a 14.9 lb bird so it had to go in my Dad’s huge roaster. He was a turkey lover and used to order a 28-30 lb fresh bird every year. The turkey would barely fit in the roaster! Looking forward to enjoying turkey tonight- I’ll let you know how it comes out. Many thanks!
I’ve spatchcocked chickens before and got an after Christmas on sale turkey just to try your recipe. The only thing that I don’t quite understand is the rolling pin thing…it isn’t shown in your pics. Can you explain it more? I’m easily confused! Lol
Hey Shelley – Totally. Since a turkey is much larger than a standard chicken, its breast bone doesn’t split quite as easily as when you spatchcock a chicken. Rather than applying a ton of pressure on a knife, I’ve found it’s easier to place the heel of the blade of the knife on the breast bone, then use a rolling pin to tap against the spine of the knife, driving the blade through the bone. This is a personal preference of mine after spatchcocking countless turkeys – if it doesn’t work for you, feel free to spatchcock as you would a chicken. Let me know if this helps.
A safe temperature for poultry is 165F. The recipe calls for resting at room temperatire until turkey is 165F. This implies cooling it from a higher temperature. This makes no sense.
Hi Bob! Apologies if this step was a bit confusing. We recommend pulling the turkey from the oven once an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers an internal temperature of 155 degrees F. Next, the turkey should be tented with aluminum foil & allowed to rest until it reaches a safe 165 degrees.
While the ambient temperature in the room may be cooler, a covered turkey will continue to cook to a safe 165 degree F internal temperature. Resting also allows the juices in the turkey to redistribute to yield a perfectly juicy turkey. Thanks for the feedback, we’ve updated the post to help make this clearer for other readers too!
While the tapping the knife with a rolling pin didn’t do the trick for me (scoring and flexing was my trick), this recipe was easy to follow and resulted in a delicious bird and very good gravy. I did struggle to spread the butter and wound up having big globs under the skin. My 18.75lb bird did indeed fit in my roasting pan, I’ve got a fairly large one. I did not baste as it baked. The juices are REALLY fatty due to that cup of butter smeared under the skin; the fat separated easily in a 4 cup measuring cup and I was able to use what I needed for the gravy and poured the rest off in a disposable thing (DON’T PUT FAT DOWN YOUR DRAINS!).
Hi Sarah! So glad you were able to make the method work for you & that you were able to enjoy a delicious turkey! Thanks so much for dropping a comment & for sharing your experience!
Perfect! This was the best turkey I’ve ever had or made. It was a little hard to remove the spine because I need stronger hands but the directions were great. I also need a cleaver next time. Will definitely make this again. I used your lemon herb butter recipe except substituted fresh chives for the garlic for a milder flavor. Thank you for sharing you fabulous recipes!
Hi Cat! Thank you for your review – the spatchcock method makes such a difference! 💜
Thank you for explaining all of this! I’ve done it with chicken before but this will be my first with Turkey – It’ll save so much time. Photos to follow.
Can’t wait to hear how it goes, Judith! Please keep me posted!
2020 Thanksgiving brought a new technique to my kitchen with this easy-to-follow recipe. The aroma of roasting turkey in our house piqued our appetites. The Lemon-Herb Butter was simple to make (I’ll never buy the store version again, now that I know how quick and easy I can make it) and kept the turkey moist and tender throughout roasting process… and these were the most delicious carrots and onion quarters I’ve ever oven-roasted. Spatchcock Turkey has become our newest Family Tradition…Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!
Hi Mary-Ellen! So glad to hear that you gave spatchcocking a try & that it has become a new tradition – it seriously makes prepping Thanksgiving dinner SO much easier! Thank you for sharing!!
This is THE recipe to use when spatchcocking a turkey. I’ve come back to this recipe time and time again. My family was blown away when I followed this recipe and it was my first time cooking a whole turkey! Jess KNOWS what she’s doing.
Couldn’t agree more!! =) So glad to hear it was a hit with your family, too! xx
Was wondering, what would the cook time be on a 22lb turkey? Great directions, thank you.
Hey Vickie – The general rule of thumb is 5-6 minutes per pound, so a 22-lb bird would take between 1 hour 50 minutes & 2 hours 12 minutes. You’d want to check for doneness at the 5 minute/pound mark, then roast additionally up to the 6 minute/pound mark as needed.
All that said, I don’t necessarily recommend spatchcocking such a large turkey for a couple of reasons. First, once such a large turkey is spatchcocked, it can be very difficult to fit it in a standard roasting pan. Not the first thing you’d think of, but an important logistical detail! Second, because the turkey is so large, it can definitely dry out despite being spatchcocked. You may be more pleased with the results of cooking 2 smaller turkeys. All depends on your preference & equipment.
Hope this is helpful – feel free to drop any more questions!!! xx
What temperature do you cook the Turkey? I can’t find it anywhere in the recipe. I have a 14lb Turkey I’m attempting to make.
Hi Joyce! This blog post is just our tutorial for spatchcocking or butterflying the turkey. If you’d like to see roasting temperatures please visit one of our turkey recipes: our Lemon Herb Butter Spatchcock Turkey or our Maple Glazed Spatchcock Turkey.
Hope that helps!
I wish I had a friendsgiving to host this year to make this, it looks amazing! I made my first turkey 2 years ago and it wasn’t the best. We cut it and then had to put it back in the oven since it wasn’t completely done haha. I’m gonna send this to my friend whose house we are going to!
it’s not too late to start planning a holiday dinner with friends 🙂 #justsaying
Girl, you just killed this post. AMAZING tutorial. I have never cooked a turkey before (always too scared). Love the step by step photos!
thank you so much, chrissa! no reason to fear the turkey…this method is seriously so easy.
This looks AMAZING! Loved your easy step-by-step guide. I’ve never roasted my own turkey but you are making me really want to try. Also… let’s talk about how gorgeous your turkey turned out! Magazine worthy!
thank you so much aya! this method seriously could not be easier – i hope you give it a try!
This is the most comprehensive, most amazing tutorial ever! Girl you have major skillz!
thank you so much, girl!
You are fantastic!!! Man, now I really wish i was hosting Thanksgiving!!! And yes, I am dying at your wit nad humor. Killing it GF.
thank you allie! it’s not too late to pull together a holiday dinner with friends 😉 #justsayin
JESS! This is a total gamechanger. Like I feel like I could go buy a turkey today and invite people over this weekend and totally knock Friendsgiving out of the park! Your bird looks epic.
And I absolutely love the description of the bird – “the turkey kind of lays about a bit seductively” – ha!
ellie, it IS a total game-changer. i’ve made turkey 3 times so far this year & there will be 2 more in the next week. it. is. so. damn. easy. lemme know if you try girl!
Would you be able to do this with a bigger Turkey? We have a 20 lb Turkey for a large dinner, how much longer would you suggest cooking it?
Hey Samantha! You can totally spatchcock a larger turkey, though you’ll want to make sure your roasting pan can fit a turkey of that size. That’s the trouble most people run into – you need a BIG roasting pan! In terms of roasting time, figure about 6 minutes/pound, so 2 hours total for a 20-pound bird. I suggest continuing to baste the turkey every 20 minutes, & using a meat thermometer to ensure the thickest part of the thigh registers at 165 degrees F before pulling the turkey from the oven.