I may be dramatic sometimes, but I am NOT being dramatic when I say this fried turkey recipe is LIFE CHANGING. I can say that because it seriously changed mine. I had never in my life had a turkey so juicy, flavorful and delicious until we fried a turkey. No worries folks, I'm going to tell you step-by-step how to make the best fried turkey IN THE WORLD and included is easy but damn delicious rub and injection marinades.
How to Deep-Fry a Turkey
Frying turkey does come with a few cautions, but if you follow directions you will have no problems! We have fried turkey for several years in a row now, and have a few pro tips.
1. Follow directions. (wait, did I already say that?)
3. INJECT and RUB that baby!
We have tried only injecting, the next year we tried only marinating the turkey in a rub but year 3 was our magical year. That year we RUBBED and INJECTED and we can honestly say this is the only way to do it.
How to make an injection marinade
I love to make my own injection marinade for the turkey. It's quick, easy and I know what ingredients are going into the turkey! Here is what you need.
- lemon juice
- oil and water
- melted butter
- spices (thyme and sage)
- Worcestershire sauce
- Realsalt's garlic salt and Realsalts's onion salt
Make sure you turkey is completely thawed, rinsed and pat dry. Mix all ingredients together and inject with this amazing syringe. I grabbed mine off of amazon, here is the link.
How to inject a turkey for frying
You want to make as little holes in your turkey as possible while injecting as much marinade into the turkey as possible. How you do this? By sticking the needle in and moving it in different directions through one hole. See pictures below.
Rub for fried turkey
For the rub you want to use quality ingredients! You also use a lot of salts to help keep moisture in and deeply flavor the meat. My favorite salts are Redmond RealSalt. Their salts are bursting with the best flavor. I use them all the time for basically every recipe. They really do make a difference. For the rub you will use:
- RealSalt onion salt
- RealSalt garlic salt
- RealSalt seasoning salt
- paprika
- chili powder
- and fresh ground pepper
How to rub a turkey
Because we are frying the turkey you want to it be a dry rub. Do not apply butter to the skin before the rub. Mix the seasonings together and sprinkle on the bird.
Start by gently spreading the rub on all the surfaces, You want it in every nook and cranny!
Yes even make sure you coat the cavity of the turkey
Last wrap the turkey in cling wrap and let the rub and injection marinade do it's work! Let it set for 24 hours. ok, ok, if you are running out of time you can let it marinate for less than that. For the best results let marinate for 24 hours prior to frying,
HOW TO FRY A TURKEY
OK! Today's the day you are going to deep fry the best turkey! IT's been marinated and rubbed and the turkey is ready for the oil.
You will need-
- A {marinated} Turkey (1.5 lbs x # of people you are feeding= size of turkey to buy) HOWEVER, make sure it will fit in your pot. Different fryers have different sized pots. Ours will not hold more than an 18lb turkey.
- a turkey fryer, WE LOVE this one called LOCO. it is great quality and so much safer than other friers we have purchased. This Loco deep fryer is 100% worth the investment.
- 3 gallons of Peanut oil (we price matched and walmart it the cheapest) Peanut oil is the best to fry your turkey in. It has a mild flavor and a very high smoke temp.
- Probe thermometer (we have found thermoworks chef alarm to be the most accurate and best thermometer)I also used this extra long, 12 inch, thermometer for it.
- Propane tank
How much oil do I use to fry my turkey
The most common reason there are accidents with deep frying turkeys is because there is too much oil displacement when the turkey is lowered into boiling oil. To make sure you have enough, but not too little oil in your pot this is what you can do:
- fill your pot to the fill line with water:
2. Wrap your turkey in an air tight bag, place into basket and dunk in water so it is completely submerged. Add or remove water to the appropriate fill line. Mark the water line.
3. Dry out the pan and fill pot with oil to your marked line. Preheat peanut oil to 275 Degrees.
How long do I fry a turkey?
You fry the turkey for about 3-5 minutes per pound, however, I highly recommend to not rely on the time rather to invest in a thermometer like chef alarm that can withstand high temps and can remain in the turkey the entire time you fry. (I recommend this if you are smoking or roasting turkey too). Turkey's are highly temperamental and easily dried out when they are over cooked. Dont take the chance, just get a great thermometer (just bite the bullet and buy this chef alarm already). You want the internal temp to be 165 of the turkey.
HOW DO I KEEP THE SKIN FROM TURNING TOO DARK OR BURNING?
Did You MAKE THIS RECIPE? HAVE QUESTIONS?
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The best fried turkey
Ingredients
- 1 large turkey under 18 lbs
- 1 injection syringe
- 3 gallons peanut oil
Turkey Rub
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon onion salt
- 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Turkey Injection Marinade
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ¼ cup oil canola or vegetable
- 3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup water
- ½ large lemon fresh, squeezed
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon onion salt
Instructions
- Thaw your turkey completely, rinse and pat dry. Mix your injection marinade ingredients together and fill syringe. Poke 1 hole and move the needle into different positions as you push out marinade into the turkey. Do this in different parts of the birds, making as little holes as possible with getting the marinade in as much of the bird as possible.
- Mix the rub spices together and rub all over bird, in cavity and in under skin also. Wrap turkey in cling wrap so it is completely covered and refrigerate 1 hour -24 hours. The longer the better!
- When ready to fry fill pot with water to first fill line, cover turkey in airtight bag and submerse into water to ensure the water will not over flow when placed in the hot oil. Mark water line. You want the turkey completely submerged in oil.
- Dry pot and add peanut oil to marked line. Preheat oil to 275. Remove from plastic wrap and pat dry one more time. When oil reaches temp add turkey to bucket and lower using the hanger/hook. Wear gloves to protect hands and arms from oil splattering.
- Insert thermometer probe and close lid. Allow oil to heat to 325. Cook until Internal temp of turkey reaches 165 degrees. Remove from oil and let rest for about 20-30 minutes before carving.
Gary Kirshner says
Unbelievable outcome!! Followed to a tee and everyone commented that it was the best turkey they have ever had. Had professional chef at the table and was amazed at the flavor and moistness. Only hard part was regulating the temperature and clean up which I'll be better prepared next year. Even the turkey haters loved it!!
Juan Castejon says
Incredibly delicious the best turkey I have prepared, and the best super easy to make, I highly recommend this recipe
Jeff Baker says
Started this process Wednesday night, on a 15 lb. Fresh Turkey. So, by the time I dropped it, today, it had well over 36 hours in Marinade. Using a 30 quart Fryer, the 15 lb bird put the required Oil level, over the maximum. So, I removed the Legs and wings, and deep fried them separately. The end results, were AMAZING! A beautifully cooked Turkey that was moist and flavorful, from the crust, into the meat. The absolute BEST Turkey I've ever had! Thank You! And Happy Thanksgiving!
JJT says
I am with you on everything but the water and water tight bag to see how much oil. You have to accurately account for the cavity of the bird that fills with oil.
Desarae says
The additional air in the bag compensates for the oil in the cavity.
Jonelle says
My pot will hold a 20lb turkey. How long does it take to heat the oil up? Also I am only going to brine. I read so where to cut a slit under the leg do the oil will drain out. Do I need to do this .
Desarae says
The bigger the bird the less oil will be in the pot (meaning it will heat up faster) + it also depends on the outside air temperature of where you live. You can plan about 20 minutes before it reaches a good temp to insert the turkey. Be sure not to wait until the oil reaches full temp.
Also make sure your turkey is patted dry completely before inserted into oil.
You don’t need cut a slit in the leg. The skin keeps a lot of the oil out and as you rest the bird the remaining oil runs off.
Andrew Postell says
Have used this same receipe for several years now. Everyone loves this turkey!
Runda says
I’m trying your recipe for the first time. I’ve already have marinated the turkey but just wanted to ask if the chili powder makes it spicy.
Kadee says
No, it is not spicy, it just adds a nice savory flavor.
Vanessa says
Hello, i have a couple questions. When marinating how many holes do you make approximately and where?
When frying the bird, Do you keep a thermometer on the oil and another on the turkey? What’s the best part of the turkey to poke the thermometer in order to check the temperature?
Desarae says
Great questions! Poke 1-2 holes in every major cut. For instance 2 in the breast. One in the each leg. 1-2 in the thighs etc. keep injecting until the marinade is out.
For the thermometer insert the probe in the deep part of the breast, for the oil thermometer insert in the top pan of the so you know when the oil reaches the right temp and doesn’t get too hot or too cold.
Desarae says
One year we didn’t pay attention to the oil temp too close and it burnt the skin, the inside was actually still perfect 😂 but it looked reallly bad.
Jason G says
Love this recipe and used it 2 out of 4 times frying a Turkey tried others but love this one the most
Bruce says
Use this everytime and came out perfect.
scott says
I read somewhere else that said about preheating oil to 350 and not to let the oil drop below 340 because of oil seeping into the bird and I see you say preheat the oil to 275. How much of a temperature drop will there be with a 18lb bird?
Desarae says
If you cook at 350 you have a higher chance of oil splattering. Oil seeping in has never been an issue for us, the temperature is still high enough.
I feel like our drop was about a 20-25 degree drop but it didn’t last very long.
Gerry Neves says
I'll be trying your recipe, sounds delicious. I have a few questions for you. We bought a fresh turkey from trader joe's and it comes with a brime solution with the typical ingredients such wate, salt and sugar. Can we inject and rub this turkey as stated on your recipe or will it be too salty due to the pre brime? If so which turkey do you recommend us buying? I've tried searching online but I can't find a straight forward answer.
Thanks in advance.
Desarae says
If your turkey is already been marinating in a brine then I wouldn’t worry about injecting the turkey. Just do the rub! I usually get my fresh turkeys from Costco they don’t have a brine in it.
Gerry Neves says
Thanks for clearing that up for us. We'll go with the rub as you mentioned. Next year we'll get it right lol.
Gary says
I'm a little confused .... Do you keep the lid on the pot the whole time the turkey is deep frying? Thanks
Desarae says
Yes, keep the lid on the whole time to keep it from splattering on you. We’ve owned two fryers the one pictured in this post has a hole in it so the thermometer probe can stay inserted while the lid is on.
Valecia reggans says
Can you marinade more than 24 hours?
Desarae says
You can, but it is not recommended. Marinating too long can break down the fibers of the meat causing the meat to be mushy. Sometimes the flavors can start to overpower the meat also.
JGO says
This looks awesome and can’t wait to try! We’ve fried turkeys now for some time, but never left in a thermometer…which makes total sense!!! Two questions: where is the best place the insert the thermometer, and when do you insert it…after it’s in the pot or before?
Desarae says
Great Question. We like to insert it into the deep part of the breast. If you have a probe thermometer insert it at the very beginning.
Kim says
Which probe would you recommend for frying?
Kadee says
I really like the extra long probe from thermoworks. 12 inches or longer works best.
Steve Davis says
Wow
Brent Gendleman says
Ok … I’m going on for the plunge! We are preparing Friendsgiving turkey at the outer banks next week. Two guys who haven’t done this before and the fryers wife is chef level and he is an engineer… so with a consultant, engineer and cooking sme… what could go wrong?
I have faith in your impressive directions to ensure our drive home safety. Let you know how it goes ;-)
Marc M says
Anyone ever brine first and then follow this recipe for injecting and then doing the rub? I've always brined for 24-36 hrs then either done the traditional oven or peanut oil fryer. I always get huge compliments on my bird and was curious if it's necessary to do all that or if it's overkill and just follow this recipe without brining?
Thanks!
Meagan says
Did you try this? I always brine, but have never injected flavor and dry rubbed it too.
I would think the dry rub would burn in the oil for that long?
Brian says
Mmmmm fried turkey is the best! Thanks for sharing.
David Hodgens says
I've always did mine the same way as you. However this Thanksgiving a renown Chef that is a close friend suggested that instead of rubbing the out side of the Turkey that I should go under the skin breaking loose the membrane and rub the turkey including the cavity just as you instruct. This traps the seasoning under the fat and infuses the meat much better than just the skin rub does. I did as he said and it was even better that what I thought could not get better. Lol. Food for thought.
Faron Ellison says
OMG!!! Best Turkey ever.
Tricia says
Turned out delicious. I couldn't find onion salt to save my life so I used garlic and onion powder and a tbs of kosher salt instead. I kept my thermometer in the entire time. Took a little over an hour to fry to temp using my electric turkey fryer . Two days later, the meat is still tender and tasty. Going to use this recipe for Cornish hens.
Thank you!
Joe says
Best Deep Fried Turkey ever! As you suggested I will be getting a better thermometer for my Christmas turkey. I took it out of the pot 10 minutes early to check the internal temp and it was done, Glad I did. It was soo tender and full of flavor their was barley any left of a 21 pound bird for 8 people. Thank you and this is my new Best recipe
Terry says
Made this today. Awesome recipe! Flavorful, tender and juicy! Will be frying my Turkey from now on!
Grace says
I dont have dried thyme and couldnt find it anywhere... can I use fresh? If so how much?
Is the seasoning suppose to be super salty? I used Lawery's seasoning salt as it was all we could get at the moment and the rub is super salty? Will it stay salty when its fried or should I use less seasoning salt?
Desarae says
yes you can use fresh, just make sure use injector with the biggest hole so the leaves will get out without clogging.
Amanda Burnett says
Can't wait to try it! Can you marinade for more than 24 hours?
Jennifer says
Can you use an air fryer with this recipe?
Desarae says
I have not tried this method, but I think it would work on the rotisserie in your air fryer.
Reggie says
Question, if your thermometer is in the turkey while you fry to make sure the temp gets to the perfect number, how do you know how hot the oil is? Are you using two thermometers or are you only testing the turkey temp once it is close to the time when it should be done? Thanks!
I can't wait to try this out this Thanksgiving!
Desarae says
Hi Reggie! You can keep a thermometer in the oil to make sure it is consistently at the right temp and not over or under heating. Then remove the turkey periodically to check the temp of the bird.
Daniel Mccuan says
Hey Kadee first commenting long time fan. This will be my first time doing a deep fried turkey. I will be trying your recipe on Thanksgiving.
George says
I see all the ingredients for the marinade and rub but it doesn’t show the amount of the ingredients for any of them. Help
Desarae says
Hey George, Maybe try to refresh your page- they are showing up on my end and on a few different browsers.
Phil says
I have been frying turkeys myself for a few years and eating them for a long time. I definitely got a couple great tips in here that I believe will really improve my bird on Christmas. Thanks!
Berenice Arriaga says
THE BEST! Super tasty.
Owen Carver says
Wow, this is the real deal. I can't wait to smell it once it comes out of the oil!
Ginger says
You said 3 to 5 mins per pound but you said 3 hours of cook time for an 18 pound turkey ? I’m thinking 90 mins. That’s 5 mins. Per pound ? Help
Desarae says
Hi Ginger! Thanks for your comment. I’ve updated the recipe card. It used to not have so many options for putting in times (prep/cook/resting) so three hours was the total time for oil to heat up, bird to cook and rest :) definitely go by a internal temp of the bird when actually frying it. But to give you an about cook time it should be 3-5 minutes per pound.
Jon says
I've read somewhere that it's best to leave the bird uncovered for the 24 hours to let the skin dry out a bit. You guys have it wrapped. Just want the skin crispy! Please let me know what the difference is. Thanks!
Desarae says
Our skin has always been really crispy. After letting the seasoning sit on the turkey for 24 hours with the wrapping we still pat it dry one more time before putting it into the oil.
Ed says
Do you let the turkey get to room temperature before putting it in the deep fryer or put it cold from the refrigerator?
Desarae says
Room temp! If its cold, it will just increase the cooking time. Make sure it is thawed all the way through and pat dry. no moisture.
Paul says
I ALWAYS deep fry my turkey. This year I'm going to try your recipe, but please tell me your nutrition facts are off. I don't think there's any way you could have that much sodium, fat, and cholesterol oer serving.
Desarae says
no, Theres something wrong with the calculator and sodium- i'm having issues with it with other recipes so i just deleted and am contacting the company! Thanks for pointing it out.
Beth says
Haven’t made it yet but Looking at this recipe for thanksgiving day. I noticed there is chili powder in the rub. Does this result in a little spice in the flavor of the bird?
Desarae says
It doesn't really had much heat, just flavor. If you eat the skin, which we don't, it might add some heat. Are you looking for spicy heat?
Erica says
Do you use Lemon Pepper instead of fresh ground pepper? I noticed it on your picture but not in the recipe.
Desarae says
We use pepper, I think this year I just used that shaker becuase its what we had and it is 99% pepper, it doesn't have much lemon flavor.
CaSara says
Hi there, we're looking forward to trying this recipe out this year. With the injectable marinade, what kind of oil do we use? Peanut oil? Thanks for your time!!
Desarae says
we used canola or vegetable oil, but you can use your favorite.
Shannon F Brandt says
What type of oil in the injection
Desarae says
we used vegetable or canola- but you can use olive or avocado too.
Janet Braxton says
above you mention:
HOW TO MAKE AN INJECTION MARINADE
I love to make my own injection marinade for the turkey. It’s quick, easy and I know what ingredients are going into the turkey! Here is what you need.
lemon juice
oil and water
melted butter
spices (thyme and sage)
Worcestershire sauce
Realsalt’s garlic salt and Realsalts’s onion salt
but I don't see the amount of Worcestershire sauce listed in the recipe.
Kadee says
Whoops! I've corrected the card - 3 tbsp.
Bonnie says
How much of each of the ingredients in The injection marinade?
Kadee says
The ingredients are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Morgan says
How much Worcestershire sauce in the injection?
Kadee says
Whoops! I've corrected the card - 3 tbsp.
Lai says
If you don’t have the dripping from the turkey how can you make the gravy?
Kadee says
Often turkeys come with a gravy packet - I use that, or I make a homemade gravy using turkey broth or stock. Check out our tips here: https://ohsodelicioso.com/how-to-make-turkey-gravy/
June r says
I put the giblets and turkey neck and some celery tops in a saucepan and bring it to a boil then simmer. Strain the contents into a bowl then return the liquid to the saucepan. Strip the meat from the neck and finely chop it with the heart. Do not use the liver or gizzard. Add the finely chopped meat back to the liquid in the saucepan. Add more water and 1/4 turkey gravy powder (from a jar) and bring to boil. Simmer stirring occasionally. Delicious turkey flavor with a lot less fat.
Andrea says
How much Worcestershire sauce is in the marinade?
Kadee says
Whoops! I've corrected the card - 3 tbsp.
Cindy says
Definitely always frying a turkey every thanksgiving now thanks to this recipe. I love how easy and fresh the ingredients are. e
Jackie says
Holy Cow! this is amazing. I have to say I will be injecting and rubbing the turkey from here on out! Thank you!
Desarae says
It makes a difference huh!! Totally a game changer for us too.
Carol Davis says
Can you fry turkey the day before and carve and reheat the next day? Will it dry out?
Desarae says
It would probably dry it out more than you probably prefer. It's best if it is served immediately after frying.