Roasting a whole turkey is a staple of many holiday meals. However, when feeding a smaller group, tackling an entire bird can seem wasteful and overwhelming. Halving your turkey is an easy way to scale down your holiday centerpiece while still enjoying all the delicious flavors.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll share step-by-step instructions for halving a turkey, plus tips for choosing, prepping, and cooking your bird to crispy, juicy perfection.
Why Cook a Half Turkey?
Serving an entire turkey for just a few guests often leads to lots of wasted leftovers. Halving your turkey provides the perfect portion for intimate gatherings of 4-6 people. Other benefits include:
- Shorter cook time – Halves take only 1.5-2 hours at 350°F.
- Easy to maneuver – Fits nicely in pans and on grills.
- Less expensive – You can save money on a smaller bird.
- Freezes well – Freeze the other half for later use.
Selecting and Prepping a Half Turkey
Buying Your Half Turkey
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Purchase a fresh or frozen whole turkey and ask the butcher to cut it in half. This ensures even sizes.
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Or, look for packaged half turkeys available frozen or fresh About 4-7 lbs is an ideal size
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Allow 1 lb per person when estimating how big a half to buy.
Thawing Safely
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Keep frozen half turkeys in fridge 2-3 days to thaw. Place on a tray to catch drips.
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Do not thaw at room temperature or in hot water – this risks bacterial growth
Seasoning and Prepping
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Pat turkey dry and place on a rack in a roasting pan, breast-side up.
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Rub the skin liberally with oil or butter. Season inside and out with salt, pepper and herbs.
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Put onion, carrots, garlic and fresh herbs in the cavity for added moisture and flavor.
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Tie the legs together to hold shape if roasting. Tuck wing tips under.
Cooking Methods for Half Turkeys
There are several excellent options for cooking your holiday half turkey.
Oven Roasting
This traditional approach results in golden, crisp skin and juicy meat.
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Heat oven to 325°F. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan.
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Roast approximately 15 minutes per pound, until 165°F breast/180°F thigh.
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Baste frequently with butter, broth or drippings for maximum moisture.
Smoking
Infusing your turkey with smoky barbecue flavor is sure to impress.
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Set up smoker or grill for indirect cooking at 225-250°F.
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Use wood chips, chunks or pellets for flavor – try hickory, apple, cherry.
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Smoke turkey to 165°F breast/180°F thigh, about 2-3 hours.
Grilling
The grill imparts delicious char while quickly searing the meat.
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Heat grill to medium. Place turkey skin-side down on oiled grates, about 6 inches from heat.
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Grill 30-40 minutes until browned. Flip and grill 30 minutes more, until cooked through.
Spatchcocking
This method of butterflying the turkey speeds cooking.
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Use shears to cut out backbone. Flatten breastbone to butterfly.
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Grill or roast at 400°F for 1-1.5 hours until fully cooked.
Handy Tips for Roasting Half Turkey Success
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Brining adds flavor and juiciness. Soak 4-12 hours in a saltwater solution.
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Maintain even heat in the oven. Use an oven thermometer to confirm temp.
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Monitor temperature doneness, not time. Insert probe thermometer in thickest part.
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Tent loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning if needed. Don’t tightly wrap.
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Carve after resting 10-15 minutes so juices reabsorb for moist, tender meat.
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Make gravy from the tasty pan drippings.
Serving Suggestions for Half Turkeys
Roasted half turkey is endlessly versatile for holiday meals. Here are some serving ideas:
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Carve turkey and serve with classic sides like mashed potatoes, stuffing, and veggies.
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Slice for sandwiches with cranberry sauce and mayo on crusty bread.
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Dice or shred meat for casseroles, soups, pot pies, and other delicious leftovers!
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Pair with fresh greens for main-dish turkey salads full of protein.
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Stuff into wraps or flatbread with seasonal fruits, nuts, and tangy dressing.
When scaled down to size, half turkey is an easy, economical, and elegant entree for Thanksgiving and other celebrations. Follow proper thawing and food safety, prep your bird well, and roast or grill to succulent perfection. With less waste and stress than a gargantuan turkey, half birds are a smart choice for feeding a crowd or just your immediate family this holiday season.
The Other, More Dubious Objection
Some people like to bring the whole turkey to the table, its skin burnished to a glossy chestnut. I blame Dickens, with his description of roast goose, for cementing the idea in so many impressionable young minds that a whole fowl must be paraded before the guests prior to being carved and served. (Thinking about it, Dickens also bears some responsibility for muddying the waters when it comes to proper stuffing, though I suppose we must give him some leeway as a product of his time.)
I simply ask whether observing this ritual justifies a poorly cooked turkey, particularly if you intend to take a pragmatic approach to carving, which does not involve using a ceremonial fork and dull, silver-handled knife, to mangle a dried out, rapidly cooling turkey while a line of impatient guests look on. If you instead follow an easy series of steps guaranteed to efficiently get the most meat possible off the turkey, you should do so in the kitchen, with the goal of a beautifully arranged platter, ready to serve the moment all the trimmings have hit the table.
An Unconventional Approach for Perfect Turkey: Pretend It’s a Chicken
One thing that always strikes me about turkey recipes is their assumption that there will be at least some compromise. Generally this means the breast will be overcooked in order to get the legs to reach a proper temperature. People try all sorts of things to mitigate this, like brining and putting ice packs on the breast prior to cooking or tinfoil over it at the start. More ambitious chefs may spatchcock the turkey, which makes it lie flat and cook more evenly.
But these are at best imprecise interventions, at worst cosmetic charms that have little actual impact on the finished bird. Quite simply, the shape of a turkey works against any and every effort to have it all finish cooking at once. But there is a much more straightforward approach: cut the turkey into pieces. Once the turkey is separated into breast, legs, and wings, nothing could be easier than pulling out each cut as it finishes roasting and not a moment before or after.
The first and best objection to this is that cutting apart a turkey takes effort. True, so far as it goes. While a few minutes with a good chef’s knife will separate a whole chicken into individual cuts, a turkey is made of considerably sterner stuff.
A spatchcocked turkey or chicken is only half cut apart, with just the back removed. As noted, this lets it lie flatter, and cook more evenly, since it moves the legs from an insulated position tucked in close to the body to the outer edges, where they are exposed to more heat. But removing the back is the hardest part, far more difficult than cutting off the legs or wings, which require a little patience but no particular skill, strength, or special tools.
Enter the halfcocked turkey.
A halfcocked turkey is the inverse of a spatchcock. Don’t bother cutting out the back. Simply remove the legs and the wings and nothing else. You might need to get clever with some balls of aluminum foil to keep the breast section propped upright in the roasting pan, or you can flip it from one side to the other occasionally during cooking, but otherwise cooking is very straightforward.
(Update 10/13/2024: Though I mostly stand by what Ive written above, Ive since cut up a few more turkeys, and removing the back really isnt so difficult, and its nice to have the breast portion balance itself and fit in the oven more easily. Watch this video for clear instructions, and simply cut off the legs and wings rather than leaving them attached. Not that you DO NOT need to remove the keel, which is the thin bone that separate the two sections of the breast. Its hard to do, and theres no point.)
I’ve already pointed out the benefit to this approach. As each piece reaches its target temperature, remove it to a platter. The breast won’t dry out, the thighs won’t be undercooked. After everything is ready and rested, simply carve, briefly warm back up if necessary, and serve.
How to Spatchcock a Turkey
FAQ
How to split a whole turkey in half?
To cut a turkey in half before cooking, start by placing it breast side up on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to cut down along one side of the backbone. Cut through the rib bones until you reach the tail. Repeat on the other side of the backbone.
Is it worth spatchcocking a turkey?
Spatchcocking turkey cooks more evenly and more quickly than non-butterflied versions, for stunningly crisp skin and perfectly cooked white and dark meat.
Can you cut a raw turkey in half and cook it?
If you’ve cut your turkey in half, it will cook faster than a whole one. You won’t be able to use the onion or the apple either, so a little more basting is in order. You should be able to get the halves done in three or four hours. Again, test the thickest part of the thigh for doneness.
What does half a turkey look like?
Half-turkeys include one breast, one thigh, one drumstick and one wing — that is, they are sliced down the breast bone to be a half of a whole turkey. Roasted on their side (skin side up, bones down), they look pretty impressive in their roasting pan, and cook much more quickly than a whole bird.
How do you cook a half turkey breast?
Choose a shallow roasting pan that is just large enough to comfortably fit the half turkey breast. Place it skin-side up for a crispy and golden brown exterior. For added flavor, you can also place some aromatic vegetables like carrots, onions, and celery around the turkey breast.
Can you half Cook a Turkey?
After the backbone is removed, it’s relatively easy to cut the turkey in half. Cut through the breastbone from neck to tail and separate the halves. If you’ll be frying your bird or need it separated into pieces for easier cooking, you can also remove the turkey legs and cut away the wings.
How long does a half Turkey take to cook?
Roasting turkey halves in the oven is a truly great way to cook a turkey, especially for Thanksgiving. The turkeys cook evenly, the skins get golden brown and crisp, the halves are easy to carve, and the turkeys cook in about 2 hours. Can you buy 1/2 turkey? Publix Fresh Half Turkey, All Natural, Usda Inspected, Grade A.
How much does a half turkey weigh?
An average half turkey weighs 4 to 7 pounds. Allow about 1 pound per person when determining what size to buy. Smaller birds cook more quickly than larger ones. You can buy a whole turkey and ask the butcher to cut it in half, or look for packaged half turkeys. Both fresh and frozen options work well.
How do you cut a Turkey in half?
After the backbone is removed, it’s relatively easy to cut the turkey in half. Cut through the breastbone from neck to tail and separate the halves. If you’ll be frying your bird or need it separated into pieces for easier cooking, you can also remove the turkey legs and cut away the wings.
Should you cut a Turkey in half before cooking?
When hosting Thanksgiving for just a few or feeding a smaller family, roasting a whole turkey doesn’t make sense. Cutting a turkey in half before cooking is a simple process that’s perfect for intimate gatherings. With less waste and easier cooking, your holiday meal will be stress-free.