This turkey marinade is a combination of olive oil, fresh herbs, spices and citrus, all blended together to make the most tender and juicy turkey ever! A quick and easy way to infuse flavor into your holiday turkey with minimal effort.
There are so many different ways to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey, whether it’s a smoked turkey, deep fried turkey, or this marinated turkey. A foolproof way to end up with a beautiful and delicious bird each and every time!
I’ve made turkey dozens of different ways, but one of my favorite ways to flavor this classic holiday dish is with a turkey marinade. This blend of olive oil, herbs and spices gives the turkey a rich and complex flavor, and helps to prevent it from drying out in the oven.
How do you make turkey marinade?
Whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, orange juice, fresh herbs, garlic and seasonings. Pour the mixture over a thawed turkey. Let the turkey sit in the marinade until you’re ready to cook it. Remove the turkey from the marinade, cook as desired, then slice and serve.
Turkey marinade ingredients
This recipe calls for simple ingredients that you may already have on hand.
- Olive Oil: This forms the base of the marinade. Any type of olive oil will work just fine, although I typically use extra virgin olive oil.
- Soy Sauce: While soy sauce may seem like an unusual thing to add to turkey, it adds a complex, savory flavor, along with some needed salt.
- Citrus Juice: I use a combination of both lemon and orange juice, and fresh squeezed juices are best.
- Citrus Zest: Use a microplane or grater to remove the zest from one orange and one lemon.
- Herbs: I use an assortment of fresh herbs including chives, sage, parsley and thyme. While fresh herbs have the best flavor, in a pinch you can substitute 1/3 of the amount of dried herbs.
- Garlic: Add a generous amount of freshly minced garlic to accentuate the flavor of the turkey.
- Spices: I add salt, pepper, smoked paprika and sweet paprika to finish off the marinade.
Tips for the perfect marinated turkey
- Be sure to rub the marinade all over the entire bird, including under the skin. You can store the turkey as it marinates in a baking dish covered with plastic wrap, a brining bag or a large pot.
- This is almost like a wet rub, so the marinade will sit on the skin and flesh of the turkey and penetrate it with flavor, but there’s not a lot of messy liquid to deal with.
- A marinade is not the same as a turkey brine. Turkey brine is a liquid solution of salt, sugar and water. You can use my turkey brine recipe if that’s the type of technique you’re looking for.
- This marinade can be prepared up to 2 days before you plan to use it. Store it in the fridge until you’re ready to coat your turkey.
- You can roast, smoke or grill your marinated turkey. However you choose to cook it, just be sure to use a thermometer so that you can gauge when the turkey is cooked through and ready to eat. A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast or thigh should register 165 degrees F.
- This marinade makes enough to cover an average 12-14 pound turkey. If you’re using a larger turkey, you may need to double the marinade.
How long should you marinate turkey?
I recommend letting your turkey sit in the marinade for at least 12 hours, or up to 24 hours. It’s best to use a completely thawed turkey, as the marinade will not be able to infuse flavor into a frozen turkey.
Marinated turkey is the best way to turn out a great meal that is sure to get rave reviews!
SIDE DISHES TO PAIR WITH YOUR TURKEY
Turkey Marinade Video
Turkey Marinade
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves finely chopped
- 1/4 cup chives thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup sage leaves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons rosemary leaves finely chopped
- 1/4 cup thyme leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the marinade over a whole thawed turkey. Rub the marinade to coat all over the outside, then loosen the skin and rub some of the marinade under the skin.
- Let the turkey sit in the marinade for 12-24 hours.
- Scrape any large pieces of herbs and garlic off the marinated turkey so that they won't burn when cooked.
- Roast, smoke or grill the turkey as desired, then serve and enjoy.
N says
Does anyone know if I can replace the olive oil with melted butter? Thank you
Sara says
You can try it, just be aware that the butter will immediately solidify in the fridge.
Erin says
This marinade was amazing! Best turkey ever!
Theresa Jones says
OMG, this is the first time I have tried marinating the turkey. This was beyond delicious. I decided to cut turkey in half, bake /roast half and fry the other half. I have never fried turkey either. I let the turkey marinated for 24 hours. After all the other foods were prepared and stuck in the oven, I started work on frying the other half. Got the oil nice and hot. I cut up in pieces like you would do a chicken. I floured the piece, placed in the hot oil and let it fry. Thank you so much for posting your marinade. I don’t eat turkey, but sure did eat a good helping this time and most all the turkey was gone, this is a first for my family and a big hit. They want it again for Christmas. You can add fried to list: roast, smoke, grill or floured and FRIED. Again thank you so much, this marinade was delicious and a big hit.
Sean says
I tried this marinade for Thanksgiving turkey yesterday and it was fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing this. So flavorful and it left the turkey breast meat so juicy. I will definitely try this again next year!
Carol says
I am making this marinade now for Thanksgiving. I do not see the mustard listed in the list of ingredients.
Can someone tell me if there is supposed to be mustard in the marinade and how much please?
Thank you in advance for your answer.
Sara says
There is no mustard sorry for the confusion!
Shane says
I initially planned to brine my turkey with the marinade recipe you made, but the turkey I bought already includes salt. I saw a Comment you replied to suggesting someone use the marinade instead,, to avoid the turkey becoming too salty. I know with brining, basting isn’t necessary as the brine helps lock in enough moisture to prevent the bird from drying out.
Question: will basting still be necessary if I smoke a turkey with this marinade?
Janalyn says
I just made this marinade for my turkey but I haven’t tried it yet. I read that I’m supposed to use Dijon mustard, but it wasn’t listed in the ingredients in the recipe. Wondering how much you use?
Sara says
Looks like there’s an error in the post, there is no Dijon mustard!
Kristyn says
It can be hard finding a good marinade for turkey, but now I don’t have to look anymore! Delicious!! Amazing flavor!
Jennifer says
This marinade is by the far the best I’ve tried! So delicious and comes out perfectly every time!!
Anna says
This is my favorite marinade for turkey but also whole chicken! The flavor combo is incredible! It takes your turkey to a new level!
Jacque Hooper says
This marinade is spot on delicious! Love the sweet and savory flavors; my turkey turned out delicious!
Tavo says
I love all those umami flavors! I’ll sure be using this marinade during the coming holidays! bookmarked! thanks for sharing!
Julie says
The flavors of this sound delicious. Good to know in advance of Thanksgiving.
Mirlene says
Love the citrus flavors added on to this marinade! A great marinade for turkeys this coming holiday season.
Tara says
Such a wonderful recipe for the holidays! This turkey looks absolutely fantastic. I love all the flavor in the marinade.
Traci says
Love love love the flavor combo on this turkey marinade recipe. It’s perfectly balanced with delicious results. Thanks for sharing!
Amanda Dixon says
We’re using this marinade recipe this year. I just love how it incorporate all that fresh citrus for a pop of flavor. So excited for some holiday eating with this turkey marinade on the menu!