The safest way to thaw a frozen turkey is in the refrigerator. This will take time, but because it's always a consistent temperature, this is the most reliable way. As a rule it will take one day for every 4-5 pounds of weight. So if you have a 14 pound bird, for example, figure on 3-4 days in the refrigerator to fully thaw the bird. I also like to thaw the turkey on a baking sheet located on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. This way if the plastic wrapping should happen to leak, the baking sheet will catch any drippings.