How To Easily Grill a Whole Turkey or Chicken.
This is how to easily grill a whole turkey or chicken on the BBQ. I love to make my Thanksgiving turkey on the grill and free up my oven for cooking other dishes.
I also like to grill a whole chicken on the gas grill too.
So simple, juicy, smokey, and delicious.
The easiest turkey I've ever made! No basting, and very little monitoring.
I just brush oil or melted butter over it, rub the sea salt in, and refrigerate overnight.
Then I put it in a roasting pan with broth or water, and place it on the grill and cover, and let the magic happen.
This is awesome with chicken too. I was so tired of trying to juggle all the Thanksgiving dishes with one oven.
It is sad that I don't have a double oven, but the grill solves all my food juggling problems.
Not to mention, it is much faster than roasting in the oven. So your bird will be ready much faster, and that leaves more time for family and friends, and less time for bird-sitting.
Leftover Turkey Recipe Ideas:
Keto Turkey Tetrazzini Skillet
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 12 lb Whole turkey or chicken or larger depending on size of grill, defrosted and giblets and neck removed (can also use a chicken)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, or melted ghee or butter
- ½ to 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning *optional
- 2-4 cups GF organic chicken or turkey bone broth, homemade or bone broth, or can use water
- 1 cup extra broth or water
- 1 disposable roasting pan with rack, (I use the disposable one, because it gets messy and if you don't have the rack kind, then you will need to add broth more frequently to the pan.)
Directions:
- Rinse and pat dry turkey. Brush oil or butter all over turkey. Rub sea salt and optional poultry seasoning all over oiled or buttered turkey.
- Cover and refrigerate uncooked turkey overnight (you could skip this step & go right to grilling, but it is even better when you do this step)
- Preheat gas outdoor grill on high for 12 minutes with lid closed, or prepare regular grill for indirect heat.
- Turn down gas grill to medium low or medium. Make sure turkey neck skin is tucked under and wings and legs are tucked in. Place turkey, breast side up, on the rack inside roasting pan, and pour the chicken or turkey broth into the bottom of the pan.
- Place roasting pan with the turkey in it on the barbeque grill and close the lid of the grill. Check to see if pan needs more broth or water, a couple times through cooking cycle. Add more broth or water if it starts to evaporate.
- Grill for about 2 to 3 hours, until internal temperature reaches 165 F° to 170 F (74 C°). Check with a meat thermometer after a 2 hours and go from there. Remove turkey from grill and let cool for 15 minutes before carving.
Printable Recipe Card Below
📖 Printable Recipe Card
How To Easily Grill A Whole Turkey
Ingredients
- 12 lb Whole turkey, or larger depending on the size of your grill defrosted and giblets and neck removed (can also use a whole chicken)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or melted butter
- ½ tablespoon to 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning *optional
- 2-4 cups GF organic chicken or turkey broth or can use water
- 1 disposable roasting pan with rack (I use the disposable one, because it get messy and if you don' have the rack kind, then you will need to add broth more frequently.)
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry turkey. Brush oil or butter all over turkey. Rub sea salt and optional poultry seasoning all over oiled or buttered turkey.
- Cover and refrigerate uncooked turkey overnight (you could skip this step & go right to grilling, but it is even better when you do this step)
- Preheat gas outdoor grill on high for 12 minutes with lid closed, or prepare regular grill for indirect heat.
- Turn down gas grill to medium low or medium. Make sure turkey neck skin is tucked under and wings and legs are tucked in. Place turkey, breast side up, on the rack inside roasting pan, and pour the chicken or turkey broth into the bottom of the pan.
- Place roasting pan with the turkey in it on the barbeque grill and close the lid of the grill. Check to see if pan needs more broth or water, a couple times through cooking cycle. Add more broth or water if it starts to evaporate.
- Grill for about 2 to 3 hours, until internal temperature reaches 165 F° (74 C°). Check with a meat thermometer after a 2 hours and go from there. Remove turkey from grill and let cool for 15 minutes (it continues to cook while cooling) before carving.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Data: Serving size: one 4 oz serving out of 8 servings, Calories: 194, Fat: 11 g, Carbohydrates: 0 g, Sugar: 0 g Sodium: 734 mg (½ tablespoon sea salt and 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning) Fiber: 0 g, Protein: 21 g, Sugars: 0g.
David Johnson says
I do our turkey this way every year. However I stuff the bird and start it upside down for one hour. I roll it over and go two more hours to 170 degrees. Let it rest for 45 minutes carve and serve.
Stacey says
Hi David, Someone at my work also said that they grill their turkey upside down first then turn over later. I'm convinced and I'm going to give that a go this year.