- Heat the oven to 325°F. …
- Place the turkey in the roasting pan: Unwrap the turkey and place it on top of a roasting rack inside a roasting pan. …
- Roast for 2 1/2 hours. …
- Check the temperature: This temperature check is just to get a reference point for how quickly the turkey is cooking.
Since learning how to cook a frozen chicken, I’ll be honest and say that I no longer even bother to thaw my chicken or large turkey before cooking it.
This is a great recipe for me since I usually make Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Instead of requiring me to thaw the turkey for days in advance, it allows me to save counter and fridge space for other holiday recipes.
I can easily remove the turkey from the freezer and have it in the oven in just a few minutes thanks to this recipe for cooking a frozen turkey!
Watch Now: How to Cook a Frozen Turkey Without Thawing It
Scroll down to the section that says “how to cook a frozen turkey” if you want to skip to the part where we tell you what to do. “.
Once the bird is in the oven and you’ve had a glass of wine, you can return and finish reading.
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Use a food thermometer and check the turkey frequently to determine whether your cooked turkey is safe to eat. When the meat has sufficiently defrosted to allow for easy insertion of a food thermometer, do so in the area closest to the inner thigh.
But you’ll need to factor in some additional cooking time because, typically, cooking a frozen turkey takes about 50% longer than cooking a thawed turkey. For instance, assuming an oven temperature of 325° F, the typical roasting time for a 15-pound fully thawed unstuffed turkey would be around 3 to 3 12 hours. Cooking a frozen turkey of the same size would take between four and five hours.
Answer: Yes — you can roast a frozen turkey in the oven without defrosting it first, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture. You shouldnt grill, smoke, deep-fry or microwave a frozen turkey.
In the event that our Thanksgiving travel plans need to be changed at the last minute, can I cook a frozen turkey without first thawing it?
You must be careful when cooking a frozen turkey to avoid any giblet packages that may be hidden inside the bird. After the turkey has defrosted in the oven for a sufficient amount of time, remove the giblet package with tongs or forks and cook separately. There is no safety risk if the giblets were wrapped in paper, as is typically the case. However, do not use the giblets or the turkey if they were packaged in a plastic bag that has started to melt inside the bird because dangerous chemicals may have seeped into the nearby meat.
How to Cook a Frozen TurkeyFor this tutorial, I based all my cooking times on using a 12-pound turkey. If yours is larger, plan to take about
FAQ
Can you cook a frozen turkey breast without thawing it?
Actually, it’s safer to cook the turkey while it’s still frozen from a food safety perspective. When you cook a frozen turkey, you won’t waste water thawing it, spread raw juices throughout the kitchen, and get a delicious, juicy finished product. ”.
How many minutes per pound do you cook a frozen turkey breast?
Calculate your roasting time. For every pound of meat in a thawed turkey, you need to cook it for approximately 15 minutes. You need to cook a frozen turkey for at least half as long, or 22 1/2 minutes per pound.
How do you prepare a fully cooked frozen turkey breast?
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Remove turkey breast from the wrapper. …
- In a 2 to 2 1/4-inch roasting pan, place the turkey breast side up on a flat roasting rack.
- Brush or spray skin with vegetable oil.
- Place turkey breast in 350° oven and heat until warm.
- Check temperature with a meat thermometer.
How do you cook a turkey without thawing it?
Cooking a frozen turkey from scratch will take between 1.5 and 2 times as long. Preheat oven to 325. Turkey should be unwrapped, then placed breast-down on broiler. Place in oven for 3 1/2 hours.