Turkey On The Grill
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This is the only turkey on the grill recipe you need this Thanksgiving. With delicious additions like lemon, garlic, fresh herbs, and roasted vegetables, this turkey is tender, full of flavor, and an entire meal in one roasting pan.
This Thanksgiving, keep your oven free for other dishes and cook your turkey on the grill instead. This is more than just a recipe for grilled turkey though. In your roasting pan (and inside your turkey), you’ll find delicious ingredients like onions, lemon slices, garlic, fresh herbs, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Together, they make the perfect one-pan holiday meal and that’s literally bursting with flavor!
Rubbed in butter and roasted in chicken stock, your grilled turkey breast is going to be oh-so-tender and juicy. Don’t worry, the butter ensures the skin still gets nice and crispy too. It doesn’t get much better than this buttery garlic and herb goodness?
Serve your grilled turkey with our homemade cranberry sauce and other vegetable side dishes like fresh green beans, , and candied carrots, if you have lots of mouths to feed! I used a whole turkey in this recipe, which feeds up to 12 people. Don’t worry about the leftovers, as they’ll make the best sandwiches the next day.
Recipe Ingredients
- Whole turkey (15 to 18 pounds, feeds approximately 8 to 12 people)
- 2 onions
- 2 to 3 lemons
- 5 bulbs of garlic
- 1 large bunch of fresh rosemary and thyme
- 2 to 3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 2 to 3 large carrots, chopped
- 8 to 12 tablespoons salted butter, softened (enough to cover the whole turkey)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Dried herbs (I use sage and thyme)
- 3 to 4 cups of chicken stock
- Dozen red potatoes
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Turkey Prep
The night before, remove any giblet pieces and the neck. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Place the turkey in a large baking dish. Place in the refrigerator overnight uncovered. I also soak the celery and carrots overnight in water in the fridge.
Remove the turkey from the fridge one hour or so before grilling.
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, 425-450 degrees F. I preheat all burners. Prepare a stack of disposable foil roasting pans (about 2 or 3 pans) stacked together.
Chop the carrots and celery into half-inch pieces. I usually do this the night before and let them soak.
Place the turkey in a roasting pan, breast-side up. Fill the cavity with 1 halved onion, 1 lemon, 1 garlic bulb, and a heap of fresh herbs.
Tie the legs loosely together with kitchen twine.
Underneath the skin, tuck in pieces of chopped celery, remaining garlic bulbs, and carrots over the breasts.
Rub the turkey all over with the softened butter.
Shake some salt and pepper over the turkey.
Sprinkle dried herbs, like thyme, sage, and rosemary all over the top.
For the , pour 1 to 2 cups of chicken stock in the bottom of the roasting pan.
Add the other lemon wedges, onions, and any remaining celery and carrots.
Place the roasting pan on the grill and turn the center burner to medium-low. Close the grill. Keep the temperature between 425 to 450 degrees.
Grilling Turkey
Grill turkey for 2.5 to 3 hours, checking the turkey every 30 minutes or so. Occasionally basting the top with the drippings to keep it moist. Keep the lid open for less than a minute anytime you baste.
Halfway through, add the rest of the stock to the bottom of the pan and add potatoes.
After 2 hours, check the cooking turkey to see if you need to add any foil over the top to avoid burning. If yes, just lightly cover the top of the turkey with the foil. Cook an additional 30 minutes (total approximately 2.5 hours).
You want to cook it until the internal temperature taken in the thigh reaches 170-175 degrees F and 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast.
Remove from the grill and let rest for 45- 60 minutes before slicing your bird.
Storage
Turkey leftovers will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze grilled turkey breast slices for up to 3 months. Just wrap portions in aluminum foil or store them in an airtight container as soon as they’ve cooled and then thaw them overnight in the fridge before eating.
Recipe Notes
- You can use whatever herbs you prefer.
- This goes for the vegetables as well. You can easily substitute the potatoes for sweet potato, for example.
Recipe FAQs
How do you keep the turkey from drying out?
We do several things in this recipe to ensure our turkey on the grill doesn’t dry out. That includes cooking it in a pan with (we’re using ), intermittent basting using the turkey as a , and letting it rest for up to an hour before cutting. This makes sure the juices don’t immediately leak out when you carve the turkey.
Check out these other terrific turkey recipes:
Crock Pot Turkey Breast: Flavorful, Juicy, Perfect!
Recipe For Turkey Gravy Easy and Delicious
Overnight Turkey (Easy, Delicious, and Always Moist!)
Crock Pot Black Eyed Peas with Smoked Turkey Leg
Ingredients
- 1 whole turkey 15 to 18 pounds, feels approximately 8 to 12 people
- 2 onions, halved
- 2-3 lemons, sliced
- 5 bulbs of garlic, top sliced off
- 1 large bunch of fresh rosemary and thyme
- 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 2-3 large carrots, chopped
- 8-12 tbsp salted butter, softened enough to cover the whole turkey
- pepper
- Dried herbs I use sage and thyme
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 12 red potatoes
Instructions
- The night before, remove any giblets and the neck. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Place the turkey in a large baking dish. Place in the refrigerator overnight uncovered. I also soak the celery and carrots overnight in water in the fridge.1 whole turkey
- Remove the turkey from the fridge about an hour before you start. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, 425-450 degrees F. Typically I stack 2 roasting pans together.
- Chop the carrots and celery into half-inch pieces.2-3 stalks of celery, chopped, 2-3 large carrots, chopped
- Put the turkey in a roasting pan, breast-side up. Next, fill the cavity with 1 halved onion, lemon slices, a couple garlic bulbs, and heaps of fresh herbs. Tie the legs loosely together. I used some kitchen twine.2 onions, halved, 2-3 lemons, sliced, 5 bulbs of garlic, top sliced off, 1 large bunch of fresh rosemary and thyme
- Underneath the skin, tuck in pieces of chopped celery, remaining garlic bulbs, and carrots over the breasts and thighs.5 bulbs of garlic, top sliced off, 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped, 2-3 large carrots, chopped
- Rub the turkey all over with the softened butter. Shake some salt and pepper over the turkey to your liking. Sprinkle dried herbs over the top. I use sage, thyme and rosemary.8-12 tbsp salted butter, softened, pepper, Dried herbs
- Pour 1 to 2 cups of chicken stock in the bottom of the roasting pan to make the brine. Add the other lemon wedges, onions, and any remaining celery and carrots.2 onions, halved, 2-3 lemons, sliced, 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped, 4 cups chicken stock, 2-3 large carrots, chopped
- Place the turkey in the roasting pan on the grill. Turn the center burner to medium-low. Close the grill. Keep the temperature between 425 to 450 degrees F
- Grill turkey for 2.5 to 3 hours. I check it every 30 minutes ish. Then I baste the top to keep moist. Don't keep the lid open long though. A minute is good. Halfway through, add the rest of the stock to the bottom of the pan and add potatoes.4 cups chicken stock, 12 red potatoes
- After 2 hours, check the turkey to see if you need to add any foil over the top to avoid burning, if yes, just lightly cover the top of the turkey with the foil. Cook an additional 30 minutes (total approximately 2.5 hours). Cook it until the internal temperature taken in the thigh reaches 170-175 degrees F, 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast.
- Remove from the grill and let rest for 45- 60 minutes before carving.
Pictures show breast down but directions say breast up?? Which way is correct? Also is it garlic bulbs or cloves of garlic? Thanks
Hi Dianne, sorry if the pictures are not clear, but that is breast up. And those are garlic cloves. I hope you love it! I only make it this way now. It is so moist and delicious! Happy Holidays!!