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Thanksgiving oven schedule

Turkey in an oven bag: cooking time by weight

A turkey in an oven bag roasts at 350 °F and finishes sooner than one in an open pan. The bag maker Reynolds says it usually cooks about an hour faster. This page copies the times from Reynolds' oven bag chart, which I opened in October 2026, and turns them into clock times for a 5 PM dinner.

Whole turkey at 350 °F

The chart lists a range for each weight band, with no water added to the bag. The last column is the clock time the turkey goes in, planned for the long end of the unstuffed range and a 30 minute stand before carving (the chart gives no rest time; USDA suggests 20 minutes and I chose 30).

WeightUnstuffedStuffedUnstuffed goes in for 5 PM
10 to 12 lb 1 h 30 min to 2 h 2 h to 2 h 30 min 2:30 PM
12 to 16 lb 2 h to 2 h 15 min 2 h 30 min to 2 h 45 min 2:15 PM
16 to 20 lb 2 h 15 min to 2 h 30 min 2 h 45 min to 3 h 2:00 PM
20 to 24 lb 2 h 30 min to 3 h 3 h to 3 h 30 min 1:30 PM

Compare an open pan. The USDA's table for a 20 to 24 lb unstuffed turkey at 325 °F is 4½ to 5 hours, against 2½ to 3 hours in the bag at 350 °F. The bands are not identical for smaller birds: the USDA gives 3 to 3¾ hours for 12 to 14 lb, and Reynolds gives 2 to 2¼ hours for 12 to 16 lb. Both numbers are in the turkey roasting time chart, which has the full USDA table.

Breast and drumsticks

CutWeightTime at 350 °F
Bone-in breast 4 to 8 lb 1 h 15 min to 2 h
Bone-in breast 8 to 12 lb 2 h to 2 h 15 min
Boneless breast 2½ to 3 lb 1 h 15 min to 1 h 45 min
Boneless breast 3 to 5 lb 1 h 45 min to 2 h 15 min
Boneless breast 5 to 8 lb 2 h 15 min to 2 h 30 min
Boneless breast 8 to 12 lb 2 h 30 min to 3 h
Drumsticks (add ¼ cup water or broth) 1½ to 3 lb 1 h 30 min to 1 h 45 min

Breast and drumstick times at 325 °F in an open pan are on the turkey breast cooking time page, and legs and thighs on turkey legs and thighs cooking time.

Setting up the bag

  • Reynolds says Large bags are for poultry and meat up to 8 lb and Turkey Size bags for 8 to 24 lb.
  • Shake 1 tablespoon of flour in the bag, add sliced celery and onion, set the thawed turkey on top, and cut six half-inch slits in the top so steam can escape.
  • Use a pan at least 2 inches deep and tuck the bag ends in. The bag must not touch the heating elements, the oven walls or the racks.
  • Done at 165 °F (74 °C) in the breast and the thigh, checked in several places and away from the bone. That matches the USDA minimum on the time chart. Stuffing should reach 165 °F too.
  • USDA does not recommend stuffing a turkey. For even cooking it suggests baking the stuffing in a dish, as in the menu below. If you do stuff the bird, the stuffing has to reach 165 °F, so check it with a thermometer. USDA also says to follow the bag maker's directions.

A 14 lb bagged turkey in one oven

The bag roasts at 350 °F, the same temperature as most sides, so the oven stays at one setting and nothing waits for it to heat up. Menu: a 14 lb turkey (the 135 minute long end of the 12 to 16 lb band), then stuffing in a dish, sweet potato casserole and dinner rolls. Dinner at 5 PM. The turkey goes in at 2:00 PM, comes out at 4:15 PM and stands covered for 30 minutes. The sides bake while it stands. The side dish times are typical values I picked.

TimeStep
1:45 PM Preheat the oven to 350 °F
2:00 PM Put Turkey in a bag, 14 lb in the oven (350 °F, 2 h 15 min)
4:15 PM Take Turkey in a bag, 14 lb out to rest, covered (45 min before serving)
4:15 PM Put Stuffing (in a dish) in the oven (350 °F, 45 min)
4:30 PM Put Sweet potato casserole in the oven (350 °F, 30 min)
4:45 PM Put Dinner rolls in the oven (350 °F, 15 min)
5:00 PM Take Stuffing (in a dish) out
5:00 PM Take Sweet potato casserole out
5:00 PM Take Dinner rolls out
5:00 PM Serve

Open this menu in the planner to change the weight, the dinner time or the dishes. The Reynolds turkey section says nothing about browning the skin, so check the bag's package for that.

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