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Have you ever made turkey in a bag? This is my Mom’s Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe – it’s moist every time with delicious flavor thanks to her secret baste recipe. If there is one recipe from mom I look forward to all year, it’s her turkey. It’s the turkey I grew up with and ate every holiday, and now I make it for myself and it’s SO easy to cook turkey in a bag.

stuffed baked turkey surrounded by herbs on a white plate


Why make a turkey in a bag?

Why isn’t the oven bag some sort of revolutionary thing? I just don’t get it…if I lived in Star Trek and had the capability to say order up an instant Thanksgiving meal, I would. Using an oven bag is like doing that: poof! your turkey is done! WHY ISN’T THIS A THING?

My mom cooks her Thanksgiving turkey in an oven bag. It’s just how she’s always done it. It’s the only way I’ve ever seen it done. It’s the way I learned how to cook a turkey, the way I cook it, and it’s the way I’ll teach Jordan.

Why spend 8 hours making something when you can pop it in a bag and it’s done in 3 with no basting required? With my mom’s secret special baste (which is actually a sauce, because there is no basting), the turkey comes out moist every time. My mom has never made a dry turkey, ever.

What is a turkey bag?

The secret of the oven bag is that it self-bastes your turkey. The liquid boils in the hot oven and somehow as if by magic, makes the entire thing golden and tasting delicious. Once the turkey is done and you remove the turkey from the bag, you save the basting liquid and anything that’s drained off the turkey and you make your gravy with it. My mouth is watering thinking about it, seriously.

Cooking turkey in a bag is like magic: done in 2-3 hours!

PRO TIP
ingredients in thanksgiving turkey.

Mom’s Turkey Baste Recipe

Mom’s Thanksgiving Turkey in a bag is always a huge hit with her secret basting sauce.

  • Soy Sauceyou don’t need to salt the turkey and I always use low-sodium soy sauce.
  • Brown Sugar – adds a little sweetness (I’ve also used swerve brown sugar)
  • Sherry or white wine – or use chicken stock if you don’t use alcohol
  • Ground Pepper – freshly ground is my favorite.

How to make your Thanksgiving turkey in a bag

  1. Whisk all baste ingredients in a measuring cup.
  2. Flour your bag with a tablespoon of all-purpose flour so the turkey doesn’t stick.
  3. Once you prep your turkey and add it to the bag, you just need to pour the baste all over it. The bag catches it, so there is no mess.
  4. Slice 6 slits in the bag for air to escape.
  5. The turkey cooks in the exact amount of time specified on the instructions in the bag box. There is a range of time for your turkey size, but basically, your turkey will be done in about 2-3 hours. Since your turkey cooks in a bag there is almost ZERO pan cleanup. << THAT is something I love.
  6. While the turkey is cooking I make stock using the turkey neck, herbs, onions, celery, and carrots. This will help supplement the drippings for the gravy.
sliced turkey surrounded by herbs on a white plate

Serving Suggestions

Serve the best turkey with my favorite sides and pies for Thanksgiving or any holiday (I’ve been known to make this same meal at Christmas and Easter too!)

stuffed baked turkey surrounded by herbs on a white plate

Tip From Dorothy

Expert Tip

  • The baste is important, don’t skip that step. Use a sherry or wine you’d drink, not cooking sherry. You can omit it if you don’t do alcohol, just use chicken stock instead.
  • Be sure to flour the bag as directed on the box, and to make sure to cut the holes in it. Both are really important steps.
  • Be sure to save the liquid in the bottom of the bag for gravy. Strain it and scoop off the fat, then use it in your favorite gravy recipe.
  • Follow the cooking times on the instructions on your box. It goes according to weight, but use a thermometer to make sure it’s done.

FAQs

Is it better to cook a turkey in a bag or not?

I think it’s better because it cooks faster and is always moist.

How long do you cook a turkey in a bag?

Follow the directions on the insert in the box the bag comes in. There is a chart for weight and whether your turkey is stuffed or not. The turkey will always cook in the time specified on that chart.

Is it safe to cook a turkey in a bag?

Yes totally safe – the bags are made of food and heat-safe materials.

Can I stuff my turkey in a bag?

You can if you want just be sure to follow the directions on the bag box for how long. I don’t recommend stuffing the turkey in general because you need to be careful that it cooks all the way and that the stuffing is up to temperature – but you can do what you prefer.

stuffed baked turkey surrounded by herbs on a white plate

Mom’s Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

4.66 from 47 votes
Mom’s Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe is cooked in an oven bag! It’s moist every time with delicious flavor thanks to her secret baste recipe.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Yield 8 servings (depending on size of turkey)
Serving Size 4 ounces

Equipment

  • Reynolds Cooking Bag (turkey size)

Ingredients
 

  • 1 whole turkey thawed (you can also use a bone in turkey breast)
  • ½ orange or lemon sliced in quarters
  • ½ medium yellow onion skin removed and sliced in quarters
  • ½ cup (118ml) low sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup (59ml) sherry or white wine
  • ½ tablespoon (6g) packed brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • Reynolds Turkey Sized Oven Bag
  • 1 tablespoon (9g) all purpose flour
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Remove the neck and giblets from your turkey, then rinse and pat it dry. Discard giblets and neck (see note).
  • Place sliced citrus and onion in the cavity of the turkey.
  • Whisk soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar and pepper together in a measuring cup.
  • Prepare the oven bag as directed on package (shake flour inside the bag and place the bag inside a roasting pan that is at least 2 inches deep).
  • Place the turkey in the bag. Pour the baste over the whole bird. (You do not need to salt the bird; the soy sauce does that for you.)
  • Seal the bag according to package directions and cut six 1/2 inch slits in the top of the bag.
  • According to the directions in the bag, the cooking time will be 1.5-2 hours for an 8-12 lb turkey, 2-2.5 hours for 12-16 lb turkeys, 2.5-3 hours for 16-20 lb turkeys, and 3-3.5 hours for 20-24 lb turkeys.
  • Cook turkey until the internal temperature reaches 180° in the thickest part of the thigh not touching the bone. Remove from oven and let stand in oven bag another 15 minutes.
  • While turkey is still in the pan, cut open the bag carefully and remove the turkey from the bag. Save the juices. Place on cutting board to rest until ready to carve.
  • Store leftover turkey in the refrigerator for 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • Servings depend on size of turkey, as does baking time.
  • Because of the onion/citrus inside the bird, it may take to the longer end of the cooking times suggested on the bag instructions.
  • Neck: Want to make your own stock while the turkey cooks? Add the neck with a roughly chopped onion, carrot, celery stock and herbs to a 4Qt saucepan and fill with water (at least 1 inch above the items in the pan). Cover and simmer for 2 hours or until it’s reduced by half. Drain out large chunks then strain through a wire mesh strainer. Use when making gravy.
  • I love making gravy with the juices left in the bag. Pour juices into a measuring cup and spoon off fat, then measure out however much needed. Normally with a mid-range size turkey I get about 2-3 cups juice just from the bag. Supplement with homemade or store bought turkey stock to make gravy as needed.
  • Turkey should rest at least 15 minutes before slicing.
  • Turkey will take 1 day for each 4-5 pounds to defrost in the refrigerator so plan accordingly!

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 4ounces | Calories: 40kcal
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Pie Recipes

Last Updated on October 1, 2023



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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36 Comments

  1. OMG …someone is actually cooking with a turkey bag with garlic, onion, celery.. This is the first blog that I have subscribed to that uses them. I cook my turkey over night low and slow in one and then its ready for us on Thanksgiving (I keep it in turkey broth after I separate out all the meats) Then reheat and serve. Our mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes are done in the crockpot as well. Veggies are usually the little green bean casserole with french onions over the top baked that day prior to everyone. Desserts are cooked a week ahead and frozen if possible. Only one that isn’t is the peanut butter pie and that is an easy one to make prior to everyone…Rolls are cooked prior to everyone coming over and I put butter with rosemary on top of them. Herb/honey butters are also made in advance refrigerated . An easy to pull together turkey feast with little stress.
    Thank you for chatting about the “Bag” as its a great invention for sure !!

  2. Perfect for pot roast recipes easy roasted , inexpensive chuck is one of the most flavorful cuts of beef. Simmering it slowly and gently in the oven results in a wonderfully tender pot roast. Vegetables like onions and potatoes give the pot roast recipe even more comforting flavors.

  3. I’ve been cooking my turkey in a bag for years. When I moved to AZ it was too hot to cook inside so I started to cook on my grill but the turkey dried out so I started using the bag and still cooked on the grill. Best turkey ever. Even though im now back on the east coast i still do it this way

  4. I loved that episode of Rosanne where she did thanksgiving and was up at 4a.m. making the turkey. All the other TV mom the mom was one up making turkey. As a child I lived NY grandparents and my Mom. . Thanksgiving dinner was always at my grandmom house. I remember my grabdmom and mom and I granddad would be up early to get dinner doneMy grandmother would make turkey and ham. My mom would make stuffing and granddad make candy yams. My grand mom Rosanna, other TV moms and me would not dare use oven bag to make thanksgiving dinner. I like cooking. Even know I have get up early and cook turkey its OK. Because I like cooking. I could use oven bag but i like fact I can cook a juicy bird without the bag. The reason my grandma taught me how to cook is because when she dead and gone she need make sure her grandchildren could eat. Woman who cook dinner,holiday dinner and sunday dinner do it because we love cooking.Rather use bag or get up in cook bird it dosnt matter. Important thing is spending time with one you love. i still use Reynolds foil to cover the turkey.After I clean the turkey and add season. I put bird in oven I use foil to cover bird. I use the roasting pan. I got mine for Walmart online it holds a 18 pound . its making in USA it costs under thirteen dollars. You can cook bird put on table. Put in fridge when you finish. And it cleans up easy. I use reyonals foil to cover the turkey

  5. Looks delicious! Is it possible at the same time to also cook the stuffing in the turkey? That would make it perfect!

    1. Marie, most commenters will probably say no but I cook mine in the bag with it stuffed. I’ve been doing it this way for over 30 years and I’m still alive. Haven’t killed anyone yet

  6. The main reason that I started using bags to cook my turkey in was the first time that I made a turkey (without a bag) it splattered all over my oven and cleaning it was BAD! The extra moist breast meat and the shortened cooking time were just a bonus. 🙂

  7. I love oven bags and have recently discovered they can be super versatile, not just for cooking turkey. I did a one bag pasta + chicken and that was a game changer for me. Your turkey looks PERFECT! And I can see totally juicy and moist!

    1. Averie, the one bag pasta + chicken sounds wonderful. Could you share the recipe, please or where it can be found? I’ve never heard of this oven bag technique and I’m going to try the above “turkey in a bag” recipe ASAP!!. I’m also interested in any “super versatile” in a bag recipes. Oh my gosh . . . game changer food prep, here I come!! Thanks very much from Claudia in CA.

      P.S. Dorothy — I so appreciate your terrific web site: design/format, clear complete fun info and super photos. Just wanted you to know . . . thank you. Claudia