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Person injecting marinade into a turkey's thigh.
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5 from 3 votes

Turkey Injection Recipe

Here’s a simple turkey injector recipe made with butter and chicken broth. Use this easy recipe to add flavor and moisture to your turkey so it is perfectly juicy all throughout. It can be used for the whole turkey or the turkey breast (or other parts.)
Prep Time3 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Injecting Time20 minutes
Total Time28 minutes
Course: Dinner, Meat
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 1 cup
Author: Aysegul Sanford

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter One 4 oz. stick
  • 1 cup chicken stock at room temperature (or turkey stock)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 turkey 14-16 pounds - fully thawed if frozen, cleaned and dried with paper towel

Instructions

  • Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until just melted. Do not let it turn brown.
  • Off the heat, add the chicken stock, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and Kosher salt. Whisk until everything is incorporated. Let it cool for a few minutes. It doesn’t have to be cold, but rather just close to room temperature.
    A collage of images showing the making of the injection seasoning.
  • Place the injector tip into the butter mixture and pull the plunger back to fill the syringe. If the mixture separates, you can “agitate” the butter solution by plunging back and forth a couple of times to emulsify and incorporate all the ingredients.
  • Prior to injecting the bird, make sure that any air pockets in the syringe are removed. To do so, point the syringe upwards and gently push the plunger until all the air is extracted.
    Person drying the turkey and filling the syringe with the injection mixture.
  • Inject the marinade into the bird (you can start from anywhere) by inserting the tip at a 45-degree angle, distributing ¼ ounce per site at least 1 inch deep. You can start to pull the tip out as you slowly inject, but do not force it. Stop the injection just before you reach the skin.
  • Continue this process throughout several areas of the turkey, including the wings, breast, thighs, and legs, for a total of 20 to 24 times. Don't be tempted to massage or distribute the liquid because it will self-absorb as it rests in the fridge. If you notice the solution escaping from a different pierced area, apply slight pressure using your finger to prevent the solution from oozing out while injecting it into an adjacent area.
    Person injecting a turkey and covering it before storing it in the fridge.
  • Once your turkey is fully injected, loosely cover it with stretch film and refrigerate it for 4 hours or overnight (no more than 36 hours).

Notes

  • Yields: This recipe yields 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) of injection fluid, which is ideal for a turkey that is between 14-16 pounds. The nutritional values below do not include turkey, and they are for the whole injector recipe.
  • Make-Ahead: You can technically make this recipe ahead of time, but if you do, you still need to warm it up on the stove. Therefore, I do not recommend making it ahead.
  • Storage: If you decide not to use the whole marinade, be sure to discard the rest to prevent contamination.

Nutrition

Calories: 926kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 94g | Saturated Fat: 58g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 248mg | Sodium: 2906mg | Potassium: 502mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2821IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg

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