Our easy Spatchcock Turkey recipe delivers juicy meat and perfectly crispy skin in half the time of a traditional roast turkey. Learn how to spatchcock (butterfly) a turkey for even cooking, faster roasting, and the most flavorful Thanksgiving centerpiece.
There's a reason Spatchcock Turkey is so popular!
It roasts significantly faster (just 70 to 90 minutes for a 10–12 pound turkey) than a tradtional turkey, cooks more evenly, and gets a beautiful crispy skin. I can say with confidence that this Spatchcock Turkey recipe is the best! All that “spatchock” means is we flatten the turkey so it cooks more evenly and quickly, making it a total time-saver on busy holidays. It's also convenient if you have a smaller oven that can't fit a whole turkey.
I recommend using a smaller turkey so it fits easily on a baking sheet and is easier to remove the backbone. Be sure to use sharp kitchen shears to remove the backbone (or ask your butcher to do it for you!). Don't get intimidating by the spatchcocking process–it's so simple and easy and I've included step-by-step instructions!
And if you want something more traditional, here's my traditional Thanksgiving turkey recipe.
And don't miss our Thanksgiving side dishes, like Stuffing or Cornbread Dressing, Sweet Potato Casserole, Cranberry Fluff Salad, Homemade Rolls, and Cranberry Sauce!
Should I Brine my Turkey?
A salt brine is great to make sure your spatchock turkey will still moist and flavorful, but it’s not always necessary.
Use a salt brine if your turkey is organic, pasture-raised, or wild. You don’t need to salt brine if your turkey is pre-brined or “self-basting” (usually frozen ones from the supermarket—like butterball or Jennie-O—are already injected with a brine solution.)
To Dry Brine Your Turkey:
Use about 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt per 5 pounds of turkey. Pat the turkey dry and rub the salt mixture evenly all over the skin (and even under the skin if you can.) Place it on a rack over a pan (uncovered) in the fridge for 24–48 hours. Pat the skin dry again before adding the spice rub. If adding a salt brine, reduce the salt in the dry rub by half.
How to Spatchcock a Turkey:
Prep Turkey: Remove packaging, neck, and giblets. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and let it rest at room temperature for 45 minutes. Spatchcock the turkey by removing the backbone with sharp kitchen shears and flipping it over and pressing hard with the palms of your hands to flatten the breastbone (you should hear a crack). Pull the thighs/legs outwards to help it lay flat. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place turkey breast-side up on a rimmed baking sheet with a rack (if available), tucking wing tips under the breast.
Optional Dry Brine Spatchcock Turkey: If you want to dry brine your turkey, it will give the turkey deeper seasoning, crispier skin, and faster cooking. It's best to do it 24-48 hours before roasting, but even 12 hours works well for a spatchcock turkey. After spatchcocking, sprinkle salt all over the skin of the bird. You can place a little bit of salt under the skin on the meat of the bird, but be mindful and leave out the salt in the seasoning mixture before baking. With the dry brine, avoid caking it on, we are looking for a light sprinkle. If you save the drippings for gravy, taste it before seasoning, as it may be extra salty if you do the dry brine step.
Season: Mix dry spices. Pat the turkey dry again with paper towels. Loosen the skin away from the breasts and rub olive oil on top of the breast meat and a pinch of the spice rub. Rub remaining oil all over the outside of the turkey and sprinkle generously with spice rub.
- We use olive oil in this recipe, instead of butter, like my Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey, because a spatchcock turkey cooks at a higher temperature, and oil has a higher smoke point that won't burn).
Cook: Roast for 1 to 1¾ hours, rotating once, until internal temp reaches 165°F in multiple places with a meat thermometer (I like to remove it when it reaches 160 degrees and let it come to 165 while it rests). First temperature check should be around 1 hour. If the skin is browning too much, place a piece of aluminum foil over it. When it's done cooking, take it out of the oven and let rest under a tent of aluminum foil for 15-20 minutes before carving. Don't miss my tips on how to carve a turkey! Use any Turkey drippings left in the pan to make Turkey Gravy!
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Spatchcock Turkey
Equipment
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Poultry Shears
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Extra Large Baking Sheet , or regular size
Ingredients
- 1 (10-12 lb) Turkey , whole, thawed
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh chopped herbs , (rosemary, thyme and sage)
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika , (optional)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
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Optional Dry Brine (only necessary if using an organic, pasture-raised, or wild turkey): Use about 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt per 5 pounds of turkey. Pat the turkey dry and rub the salt mixture evenly all over the skin (and even under the skin if you can.) Place it on a rack over a pan (uncovered) in the fridge overnight (12–48 hours ahead). Pat the skin dry again before adding the spice rub. If adding a brine, reduce the salt in the dry rub seasoning by half.
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Prep Turkey: Remove turkey from packaging. Remove neck and giblets from the inside cavity, if applicable. Pat the turkey dry all over with paper towels. Let the turkey sit at room temperature for 45 minutes (this takes the chill off and allows the turkey to cook more evenly).1 (10-12 lb) Turkey
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Remove turkey backbone: Place the turkey breast-side down on a clean workspace with the legs facing towards you. Use sharp kitchen shears to cut along one side of the backbone. Repeat on the other side of the backbone until you can remove it completely (discard, or save for homemade gravy).
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Press flat: Flip the turkey breast-side up and firmly press down with the palms of your hands to flatten the breast bone of the turkey. Pull the thigh/legs outwards to help it lay flat. Tuck the wing tips under the breast.
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place turkey on a large rimmed baking sheet, breast-side up.
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Season: Mix spices together. Pat turkey dry again with paper towels. Loosen the skin away from the breasts and spread olive oil on top of the breast meat, and a pinch of the spice rub. Spread olive oil all over the outsides of the bird and sprinkle generously with spice rub.½ cup olive oil, 1 Tablespoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ¼ cup fresh chopped herbs
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Roast: (See Notes for Grill and Smoking Instructions). Roast in oven for about 1 hour to 1 hour 45 minutes, rotating pan once during cooking, until meat registers 165 degrees F tested in a multiple places with a meat thermometer (I remove it when it reaches 160 degrees and let it come to 165 degrees while it rests). First temperature check temp should be around 1 hour. The larger the turkey, the longer it will take to cook. If the skin is browning too much before the meat is close to temperature, place a piece of aluminum foil over it.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe November 2024. Updated October 2025.
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