Oven Roasted Turkey With Mojo (Cuban Thanksgiving Turkey)

The holidays are approaching, which means it’s time to bring out all the fabulous recipes that merit the occasion. Of course, an oven-roasted turkey is one of those ingredients that must make it to our tables during the festivities, whether it is Thanksgiving or Nochebuena.

To make your lives easier, we have this simple and super delicious Latin-style oven-roasted turkey recipe, sure to please everyone at the dinner table. No brine necessary. 

Ingredients

• Turkey
• Cilantro
• Garlic
• Onion
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Sazon
• Culantro
• Achiote
• Salt
• Lemon Juice
• Celery
• Carrots
• Onion

How to Prepare a Turkey

Before you get started, if you have a frozen turkey, you need to defrost it completely in the refrigerator.  Place it in a large roasting pan or baking sheet to prevent any leaks from running through your fridge. If you don’t have a lot of space, you can place the turkey in a plastic bag to catch any drippings. 

The turkey will take 2-3 days to completely defrost based on the size of your bird. 

On the day of roasting, allow the turkey to rest outside of the fridge for about 3 hours to get the chill-out. Allow it to come close to room temperature before roasting so that it cooks evenly. 

Once defrosted, remove the neck and giblets. You can discard or reserve these to make stock or soups. Rinse the turkey inside and out with a mixture of water and lime juice. Pat dry with a paper towel before seasoning.

How to Cook Oven Roasted Turkey

This is a criollo-style turkey that is marinated with homemade garlic mojo and Latin seasonings such as oregano, cumin, cilantro, and sazón con achiote. 

First, you want to rinse the turkey with a mixture of water and lemon, and pat it dry with a paper towel. Place it in a roasting pan while you prepare the seasoning. 

In a food processor or blender, mix the cilantro, garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, sazón, salt, and lemon juice.

Rub mixture all over your turkey, both outside and inside the turkey cavity.

Stuff the turkey with celery, carrots, and onions. 

Place turkey in the refrigerator and let marinate overnight. This will allow all the flavors from the seasoning to infuse into the turkey so that the meat is flavorful and delicious. 

Remove turkey from the fridge for about 3 hours before roasting to take the chill out of the meat so that it cooks evenly. 

Roast the turkey at 430°F for 30 minutes to start crisping the skin.

After 30 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350°F and cover the turkey with aluminum foil. 

Continue to bake until the center of the thigh reached a temperature of 165°F, about 3 hours for a 12-pound turkey. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Recipe Notes and Tips

• If using a frozen turkey, defrost in the refrigerator for 3 days prior to seasoning.
• Season the turkey the day before baking, place in the fridge, and let marinate overnight for better taste.
• Remove turkey from the fridge about 2-3 hours before cooking. Your turkey should be at room temperature before placing it into the oven to roast. It will cook more evenly and be more tender if it’s at room temperature.
• Bake the turkey for around 15 minutes for every pound. To check the temperature properly, place a meat thermometer below the drumstick into the thigh as the dark part of the meat takes longer to cook. When the thermometer reads 165°F, it’s ready to remove from the oven.
• Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving it. This allows the juices to redistribute and you won’t end up with dry meat. You can cover it with aluminum foil until ready to carve.

This oven-roast turkey with mojo recipe is magnificent. The skin is extra crispy, the meat is moist, and the flavor is unbelievable.

Nothing beats a great turkey, and this one is a must-try.

More Recipes For Your Holiday Meal: 

• Pineapple Chipotle Glazed Ham
• Roasted Pork Shoulder
• Glazed Ham and Pineapple Empanadas
• Arroz con Guandules (Pigeon Peas Rice)
• Pasteles en Hoja (Dominican Style Tamales)

Roast Turkey With Mojo

Author: Vanessa

This criollo-style roast turkey with mojo is marinated with a homemade garlic mojo and Latin seasonings then baked to golden brown perfection. This is an easy and flavorful turkey recipe perfect for your Thanksgiving dinner.

4.60 from 20 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Latin

Servings 10 servings

Calories 576 kcal

Equipment

• Stove Oven
• Roasting Pan

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 12- to 15- pound turkey
• ▢ 1 cup cilantro
• ▢ 20 cloves of garlic
• ▢ 1 medium onion
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• ▢ 2 tablespoons oregano
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sazón, culantro and achiote seasoning
• ▢ 2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ ¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• ▢ 3 celery stalks, cut into big chunks (optional)
• ▢ 2 carrots, cut into big chunks (optional)
• ▢ 1 medium onion, cut in 4 (optional)

Instructions

 

• Rinse turkey with a mixture of water and lemon, and pat dry with a paper towel. Let turkey sit in the roasting pan while you prepare the seasoning.
• In a food processor or blender, mix the cilantro, garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, sazón, salt, and lemon juice.
• Rub mixture all over your turkey, both outside and inside the turkey cavity.
• Stuff the turkey with celery, carrots, and onions. Place some celery, carrot, and onion pieces in the roasting pan around the turkey. This step is optional.
• Preheat oven to 430°F. Place turkey in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
• After the 30 minutes have passed, lower the oven temperature to 350°F and cover the turkey with aluminum foil. Continue to bake until the turkey reaches a temperature of 165°F, about 3 hours for a 12-pound turkey.
• Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

Notes

• If using a frozen turkey, defrost in the refrigerator for 3 days prior to seasoning.
• Season the turkey the day before baking, place in the fridge, and let marinate overnight for better taste.
• Remove turkey from the fridge about 2-3 hours before cooking. Your turkey should be at room temperature before placing it into the oven to roast. If it’s at room temperature, it will cook more evenly and be more tender.
• Bake the turkey around 15 minutes for every pound. To check the temperature properly, place a meat thermometer below the drumstick into the thigh as the dark part of the meat takes longer to cook. When the thermometer reads 165°F, it’s ready to remove from the oven.
• Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving it. This allows the juices to redistribute and you won’t end up with dry meat. You can cover it with aluminum foil until ready to carve.

Nutrition

Calories: 576kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 85gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 278mgSodium: 920mgPotassium: 1030mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2442IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 91mgIron: 4mg

The nutritional information of this recipe and all recipes on mydominicankitchen.com is only an estimate. The accuracy of any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

KeywordHow to roast a turkey, How to roast a turkey in the oven, turkey marinade, Turkey with Mojo

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*Update Notes: This roast turkey with mojo recipe was originally published in November 2016. It was updated in November 2020 with new pictures as well as extra notes and tips. This post was originally featured on POPSUGAR, for whom I am a contributor and part of POPSUGAR Select Latina.