With so many people opting for smaller holiday meals this year, I wanted to share my foolproof method of roasting a turkey breast.
I rarely roast a whole turkey. I usually break my turkeys down and cook the dark and white meat separately as they require different cooking times and I can better control the outcome. Also, I’m not spending hours and hours wrangling a large, hot bird in an out of an equally hot oven, a scenario in which I have been burned (literally) one too many times. Approached separately, a turkey breast and legs can be cooked in about two hours with much less fuss. I then reassemble on a platter so it resembles the original bird.
This strategy also allows me to use the back and neck to make a long-simmered turkey stock before the holiday. I use this technique year-round as a healthier alternative to deli count turkey.
One key to this technique is turning the breast over after an hour. This will assure the underside of the bird is cooked through. I find many roast breasts recipes don’t call for this and it can lead to under cooking the meat close to the bone. I recommend tongs for this duty but picking up the bird with a clean dish towel works fine, too.
You don’t need a special roasting pan for this version. A simple 9×12 Pyrex will work perfectly well. Do let the butter sit out at room temperature as it will be easier to spread on the skin. Once you’ve tried this, feel free to experiment with seasonings and vegetables. I often add mushrooms and even some squash as I like the earthy flavor they add to the finished gravy.
Roast Turkey Breast
Equipment
- Roasting or casserole pan
- Tongs (to turn turkey)
Ingredients
Turkey and seasonings
- 1 5 to 7 pound bone-in turkey breast
- 2 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 tablespoon sage or poultry seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Pan vegetables and stock
- 2 medium onions peeled and quartered
- 1 large carrot cut into two-inch pieces
- 1 stalk celery chopped in half
- 1 apple cored and quartered (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup turkey stock
For gravy
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups turkey stock
Instructions
To roast the turkey
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Pat the turkey breast and/or legs dry with paper towels. If your turkey is cold, it will be hard to slather it with butter, so just cover it with dots of butter. Season with salt, pepper and sage or poultry seasoning. Spread the cut up onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves and if you desire, apple in the bottom of a small roasting pan. Add a half cup of turkey stock. This will keep the vegetables from sticking and add moisture.
- Roast for one hour. Carefully turn the breast over. Roast for another half hour to cook and brown the underside. Reduce heat to 325F.
- Turn over and cook for 30 more minutes or until an instant-read meat thermometer reads at least 158F/69C. Remove from roasting pan to a cutting board or platter. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and rest for at least 20 minutes. As it rests, the internal temperatures will rise to 165F/74C.
To make the gravy
- Pour off the juices from the pan into a bowl. Dump the roasted veggies, bay leaves, and fat at the bottom of the pan into a two-quart or larger saucepan over medium-high heat. Add a pat of butter. Heat through ad let remaining juices evaporate a bit. Then sprinkle in flour. Stir to coat the vegetables and cook for two minutes until it smells like popcorn.
- Add two to three cups chicken stock and reserved pan juices and stir until thickened. Pout through a sieve or colander to remove the vegetables. Return to the pan and cook over low heat until slightly reduced and to desired thickness.
Main photo by Bockarev Photography. Recipe photo by Africa Studio.
I took a holiday cooking class with you a few years ago and this was how you taught us to roast the turkey breast. I still make it this way. I add two legs in the same pan for my son-in-law since he’s the only one who eats dark meat. It’s so much faster than roasting a turkey.
In the class, you added dried mushrooms to warm water and added that in place of one of a 1/2 cup of stock along with the mushrooms. I always do that, too. I used to really dread making gravy but this way it always turns out and its so good. Thank you, Kathleen!
Hi Clare!
I remember. I am going to add in the dried mushroom trick as an option. Can’t wait to do in person classes again!
Should I put the turkey pieces on a roasting rack inside the roasting pan or just straight on the pan? And what position should the oven racks be in? Middle or lower rack?
You can do either. If you put them straight on the pan, you’ll want to add some water at the end to loosen them from the bottom. If you have nothing in the oven, you can put in your middle rack or the hottest part of your oven. Don’t know what that is? Here’s a tip. Take a sheet pan and line it with a bit of flour. Put it into the oven on 400 F for about 10 minutes. You’ll see where the hot spots are in your oven — and if you’re crazy like me, you’ll repeat this on the top, middle and bottom rack and find out what part of your oven if the hottest. But in general, the middle rack is always a good option.