Roast Turkey Breast
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
2 hrs
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Total Time
2 hrs 20 mins
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Servings
6
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Roast Turkey Breast
Description
This Roast Turkey Breast recipe uses a 6-pound bone-in, skin-on turkey breast as the main ingredient, enhanced with a softened butter mixture infused with garlic, thyme, rosemary, and sage. The butter is carefully worked under the skin to keep the breast moist while imparting herbaceous flavor, with additional butter spread over the skin to improve browning and taste. The turkey is seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper all over.
A combination of onion, carrot, and celery pieces is placed in the roasting pan as a bed and aromatic base, with the turkey placed skin side up either on a roasting rack or directly on the vegetables. The oven is set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and the turkey roasts until its thickest part reaches 165 degrees internally, typically about 2 to 2 1/4 hours. Resting the turkey loosely tented with foil before carving ensures juices redistribute for moist meat.
The drippings left in the pan after roasting are used to make gravy by discarding vegetables, adding flour to create a roux, and incorporating chicken broth to achieve desired consistency. This gravy offers a savory companion to the roast turkey.
For best results, the turkey should be fully thawed before cooking, which may take 36 to 48 hours in the refrigerator. If the skin begins to brown too rapidly near the end of roasting, loosely covering with foil helps prevent over-browning.
Ingredients
- 6 lb. turkey breast fresh or frozen and fully thawed, bone-in, skin-on
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
- 1 Tbsp minced thyme fresh
- 1 Tbsp minced rosemary fresh
- 1 Tbsp minced sage or parsley, fresh
- salt freshly ground
- black pepper freshly ground
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 large carrot peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 celery cut into chunks, ribs
Gravy
- 1/3 cup flour purpose
- 3 cups chicken broth preferably homemade, plus more to thin as desired, low-sodium
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Move oven rack one level below center.
- Carefully separate skin from breast using a large spoon or the handle of a wooden spoon, while leaving outer edges if skin intact (so butter doesn't just seep out).
- In a mixing bowl stir together butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage and season with some salt and pepper.
- Dab chicken dry with paper towels. Rub about half of the butter mixture all over underneath the skin then remaining half over.
- Season all over with salt and pepper.
- Add onion, carrot and celery to a medium roasting pan. Place a roasting rack over veggies if you have one (otherwise you can just place turkey directly over vegetables).
- Place turkey skin side up on rack. Roast in preheated oven until center or thickest portion registers 165 on an instant read thermometer, about 2 to 2 1/4 hours.
- Let turkey rest on a carving board tented with foil for about 10 minutes before carving.
- For the gravy, discard veggies then pour drippings into a fat separator or liquid measuring cup. Measure out 1/3 cup of the fat drippings.
- Heat fat drippings in saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly 1 minute. While whisking pour in broth an any remaining turkey broth drippings.
- Let cook, whisk constantly, until mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste as needed, thin with more chicken broth as desired.
Notes
- Allow 1½ to 2 days for thawing the 6 lb turkey breast in the refrigerator before roasting; do not cook frozen turkey.
- If the skin starts to over-brown near the end of cooking, loosely tent the turkey with foil to protect it.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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