Description
A flavorful and juicy roast turkey breast recipe featuring herb-butter rubbed under the skin, slow-roasted to perfection, and served with a rich 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 purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, preferably homemade, plus more to thin as desired
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and position the oven rack one level below the center.
- Prepare Turkey Skin: Gently separate the skin from the turkey breast using a large spoon or wooden spoon handle, taking care to leave the skin attached at the edges to prevent butter from leaking out.
- Make Herb Butter: In a mixing bowl, combine softened butter with minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage (or parsley), and season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Apply Butter: Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels. Spread about half of the herb butter underneath the skin evenly, then rub the remaining half over the outside of the skin. Season the entire breast with salt and pepper.
- Prepare Roasting Pan: Place chopped onion, carrot, and celery into a medium roasting pan. If available, place a roasting rack on top of the vegetables; if not, place the turkey directly on the vegetable bed.
- Roast Turkey: Position the turkey breast skin side up on the rack or vegetables. Roast in the preheated oven until the internal temperature at the thickest part reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, approximately 2 to 2 hours and 15 minutes.
- Rest Turkey: Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a carving board, and tent loosely with foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes before carving to retain juices.
- Prepare Gravy: Discard the vegetables. Pour the pan drippings into a fat separator or liquid measuring cup and measure out 1/3 cup of fat drippings. Heat the fat in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook while stirring constantly for 1 minute.
- Finish Gravy: Gradually whisk in the chicken broth along with any remaining turkey drippings. Continue whisking until the gravy thickens. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and thin with additional broth if necessary.
Notes
- Allow 1 1/2 to 2 days (36 to 48 hours) in the refrigerator to thaw a 6 lb frozen turkey breast completely. Never cook turkey breast from frozen.
- If the skin begins to over-brown toward the end of roasting, loosely tent the turkey with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
- For best results, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature instead of relying solely on cooking time.
- Homemade chicken broth enhances the gravy flavor but store-bought low-sodium broth can be used as a substitute.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 125 mg
