Description
This Roast Turkey Breast recipe offers a juicy, flavorful main course perfect for family dinners or holiday feasts. The turkey breast is seasoned with a savory herb butter, roasted to perfection with aromatic vegetables, and served with a classic homemade gravy made from pan drippings.
Ingredients
Scale
Turkey and Herb Butter
- 6 lb. bone-in skin-on turkey breast, fresh or frozen and fully thawed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh sage or parsley
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Vegetables
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 celery ribs, cut into chunks
Gravy
- 1/3 cup pan drippings fat
- 1/3 cup purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, preferably homemade, plus more to thin as desired
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Move the oven rack one level below center for even roasting.
- Prepare Turkey Skin: Carefully separate the skin from the turkey breast using a large spoon or wooden spoon handle, leaving the outer edges intact to keep the butter from running out.
- Make Herb Butter: In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter with minced garlic, fresh thyme, rosemary, sage or parsley, and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Apply Butter Under Skin: Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels. Rub about half of the herb butter underneath the skin of the breast evenly, then rub the remaining butter on top of the skin.
- Season: Season the entire turkey breast thoroughly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Prepare Roasting Pan: Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery chunks to a medium roasting pan. If available, place a roasting rack over the vegetables; if not, you may place the turkey directly on the vegetables.
- Roast Turkey: Place the turkey breast skin-side up on the rack or vegetables. Roast in the preheated oven until the thickest part registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 2 to 2 1/4 hours.
- Rest Turkey: Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest on a carving board tented loosely with foil for about 10 minutes to allow juices to redistribute before carving.
- Make Gravy: Discard the vegetables from the roasting pan. Pour the pan drippings into a fat separator or measuring cup and measure out 1/3 cup of fat drippings for the gravy. Heat the fat in a saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in the flour and cook while stirring constantly for 1 minute.
- Finish Gravy: Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and any additional drippings, cooking and whisking until the gravy thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and thin with more broth if necessary.
Notes
- For a 6 lb. turkey breast, plan for 36 to 48 hours of thawing time in the refrigerator if frozen; never cook from frozen.
- If the turkey skin begins to over-brown near the end of cooking, tent it loosely with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
- Using a roasting rack helps the turkey cook evenly and prevents the meat from sitting in fat.
- Herbs can be adjusted based on preference; parsley can be substituted for sage if desired.
- Low-sodium chicken broth helps control the salt level in the gravy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
