How to Achieve Crispy Turkey Skin Using the Oven Bag Method

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No more dry, overcooked turkey! This method may not produce the photo-perfect brown skin shown on the Butterball commercials, but it will guarantee the juiciest, most flavorful turkey youve ever served. With excellent drippings for your gravy and noodles as well.

Preparing turkey in a roasting bag produces a wonderful holiday centerpiece. Its simple to do and speeds up the cooking process. Every time the turkey is perfectly tender and juicy. The seasonings and veggies are basic but add just the right amount of flavor. This recipe is perfect for a beginner cook to the most experienced chef. Impress your family at your holiday meal with a beautiful turkey. — The Test Kitchen

For many home cooks, the appeal of cooking a turkey in an oven bag is undeniable. The bag keeps the turkey moist and tender as it cooks, and also makes cleanup a breeze. However, one downside of the oven bag method is that you often don’t get that crispy, crunchy turkey skin that many love.

But don’t despair! While it takes a little extra effort, you can absolutely get crispy turkey skin using the oven bag technique. In this article, we’ll explain the basics of the oven bag method, why it can inhibit crispy skin, and share helpful tips for how to get the best of both worlds: a juicy tender turkey with an ultra-crispy skin.

Oven bags have grown in popularity over the years due to their many advantages when roasting a turkey or chicken. Here’s a quick rundown of why cooks opt for the oven bag method:

  • Moist and tender meat – The bag traps in steam and juices as the turkey cooks keeping it incredibly moist and tender. No more drying out!

  • Easy cleanup – Since all the drippings are contained in the bag, there’s no pan to scrape and scour afterwards. Simply discard the bag.

  • Saves time – Oven bags allow you to cook the turkey more quickly. Less time in the oven means you can spend more time with guests!

  • Self bastes the turkey – The trapped steam in the bag essentially bastes the turkey from the inside out No basting required!

So as you can see, oven bags offer some stellar benefits when roasting turkey or chicken. But what about that crispy skin? Let’s take a look.

Why Oven Bags Inhibit Crispy Skin

To achieve crispy, crunchy, golden brown turkey skin, you need dry heat and exposure to airflow. The oven bag environment provides neither. Here’s why:

  • Moist environment – All that great steam that keeps the turkey tender also saturated the skin, keeping it moist and soft.

  • No airflow – With the turkey fully encased in a bag, the skin doesn’t have exposure to any moving air which helps dehydrate and crisp the skin.

  • Lower oven temperature – Many oven bag recipes call for roasting at a lower temp, like 325°F rather than 350°F+ needed for crispy skin.

So when using the oven bag method, you sacrifice crispy skin in favor of a moist, tender turkey. But there are ways to get the best of both worlds!

Tips for Getting Crispy Turkey Skin with Oven Bags

If you don’t want to give up your oven bag but still want crispy skin, try these tips:

  • Air dry the turkey – After removing it from the brine or rinse, thoroughly pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Allow it air dry in the fridge overnight, uncovered. This helps remove moisture.

  • Loosen the bag – Don’t wrap the turkey too tightly in the bag, and leave an opening at the top to allow airflow.

  • Brush oil on the skin – Coat the skin with a thin layer of oil before cooking. This helps promote browning.

  • Brown the skin – Roast the turkey at 400°F for the first 45 minutes to an hour. Then lower to 325°F for the remainder of the time.

  • Finish with high heat – Remove turkey from the bag about an hour before it’s done. Increase oven to 425°F to crisp and brown the skin.

  • Chill before carving – Let turkey rest 20-30 minutes before carving. This firms up the skin.

Step-By-Step Method for Crispy Skinned Oven Bag Turkey

Follow these simple steps, and you’ll enjoy tender, flavorful turkey with an incredibly crispy skin:

Prep:

  • 1. Remove giblets from turkey cavities. Rinse turkey inside and out with cool water, then pat dry.

  • 2. Liberally coat skin with oil or butter. Season skin with salt, pepper, and any other desired seasonings.

  • 3. Place turkey in the oven bag, leaving space at the top. Do not wrap skin too tightly.

Roast:

  • 4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place turkey in a roasting pan, and put in the oven.

  • 5. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This initial high heat helps brown the skin.

  • 6. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue roasting until a thermometer reads 160°F when inserted in the thickest part of a thigh.

Crisp the Skin:

  • 7. Carefully remove turkey from the oven bag and place directly on the roasting rack.

  • 8. Increase oven temp to 425°F. Roast for 30-60 minutes more, until skin is crispy and browned.

  • 9. Remove from oven, tent loosely with foil, and allow to rest 20-30 minutes before carving.

  • 10. Carve turkey and enjoy your moist, deliciously tender meat topped with crispy, crunchy browned skin!

Common Questions About Oven Bag Turkeys

If you’re new to the oven bag technique, here are answers to some common questions:

What size oven bag do I need?

Choose an oven bag that is 2-inches larger than the turkey. Most turkeys under 16 lbs can fit a standard large oven bag. Larger turkeys may need an extra-large or jumbo size.

Can I stuff the turkey before putting it in the bag?

Yes, you can stuff the cavity as you normally would. Just allow a little extra roasting time, about 30 additional minutes.

What temperature and time should I use?

For a 12-16 lb turkey, roast at 400°F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, then reduce to 325°F until it reaches 160°F internally. Larger turkeys take more time.

What if my oven bag leaked?

Don’t worry, this can happen occasionally even with proper sealing. Simply place the turkey in a foil pan and finish roasting. The turkey will still be moist and tender.

Can I reuse the drippings for gravy?

Absolutely! Open the bag carefully after removing the turkey. Pour drippings into a fat separator, then proceed with your typical gravy recipe.

Enjoy Perfectly Cooked Turkey and Crispy Skin

See? You really can have moist, deliciously tender turkey and gorgeously crisped skin when using the oven bag method. With a few tweaks to ensure high heat exposure and airflow around the skin towards the end of cooking, you’ll enjoy the best of both worlds.

Next holiday when you roast turkey, give this oven bag technique a try. Your guests will be delighted with the juicy meat and that satisfying crispy skin. And you’ll love how easy oven bag turkey is from start to carve!

So go ahead and enjoy your favorite advantages of oven bag roasting, like a fuss-free kitchen and quick cook time. Just be sure to follow the tips above, and you’ll be rewarded with the perfect turkey: tender and juicy on the inside, with an irresistibly crispy, crunchy skin your guests will rave about.

how do you make turkey skin crispy in a bag

How To Make turkey, roasting bag method

  • 1 Three days before the day you want to roast your turkey, put your frozen turkey on the bottom shelf of your fridge (in a pan if you have room for it) or on a kitchen towel to catch any blood that may happen to come out.
  • 2 One hour before you want to put the turkey in the oven, remove from the fridge. In a clean sink, remove the turkey wrapping. Check cavities for giblet and/or gravy packs and remove them. Inspect turkey skin all over for pin feathers or broken quill tips. If you find any, remove these by pinching the skin around it and using the tip of a paring knife to pluck out being careful not to rip or cut the skin. In COLD water, rinse the turkey really good inside and out, and hold over the sink and drain well.
  • 3 Lay the bird on a counter that you have prepared with at least 3 or 4 layers of paper towels. With another big wad of paper towels, dry the turkey really well.
  • 4 On a plate, slice your stick of cold butter into pats. Season the pats with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powders.
  • 5 Season inside the cavities of the turkey the same way. Carefully pull up the skin on the turkey breast. You will see a clear membrane that attaches the skin to the meat. Using your finger, poke a hole through the membrane and carefully begin separating it all over the top of the breast. Be careful not to rip skin or detach it from the meat. Do both sides, top, and bottom. From the top and bottom, insert half of your butter pats on each side of the turkey breast into the pockets you have created. Press on the top of the skin and smooth the butter out as evenly as you can on the breast.
  • 6 Fill cavities with root vegetables. If youre doing only a breast, you can only do this in the neck cavity. Pat turkey dry again with paper towels.
  • 7 Using about 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil, massage oil into turkey skin all over, especially on breast and top of legs. Season skin of turkey in this order, lightest to darkest: salt, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, paprika, pepper, and parsley. If you like lemon, you can also do lemon pepper seasoning and put fresh lemon quarters in the cavity.
  • 8 Prepare your bag as per the directions on the box.
  • 9 Put the turkey into the bag. Put the rest of the root veggies around the turkey. If youre doing only a breast, use the veggies to help prop it up.
  • 10 Close it up as per directions and dont forget to put slits in the bag.
  • 11 Roast in the oven according to the directions on the box, not according to the time on the turkey packaging. The bag will cut your cooking time down, so go by box directions.
  • 12 Cooking in the bag will give you a juicy turkey but the skin wont get crispy. If you like brown crispy skin, take the turkey out of the bag for the last 15 minutes of roasting. The best way to do this is to poke a hole with a paring knife in one bottom corner of the bag. Tilt pan to that corner, draining all the juice into a pan to reserve for gravy. Once the bag is drained, slit the top of the bag with a knife or kitchen scissors, carefully removing the bag from around the turkey. Discard bag and veggies. Place turkey back into the oven for an additional 15 minutes. Remove turkey from oven and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.
  • Last Step: Dont forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And dont forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!

Ingredients For turkey, roasting bag method

  • paper towels
  • a turkey or breast, whatever size is appropriate for your family (at least 1 pound per person)
  • roasting pan, size proportionate to turkey
  • a Reynolds turkey bag (only that brand and the appropriate size for the turkey)
  • 1 stick cold butter
  • salt and pepper
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • poultry seasoning
  • paprika
  • dried parsley
  • vegetable oil
  • 2 onions, quartered
  • 4 ribs of celery, cut into large chunks
  • 1 carrot, cut into large chunks

I Only use Oven BAGS to Cook Turkey and it comes out Juicy with Crispy skin EVERYTIME!

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