Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys.
It’s almost Thanksgiving.
Which means, turkey, turkey, turkey, turkey, turkey. (For those of you who prefer sweet things, the alt of that is pie, pie, pie, pie, pie. Don’t worry. We’ve got that covered too. Stay tuned!)
The thing about turkey is that it’s intimidating.
There are *foolproof* recipes.
There are innumerable will-solve-all-your-turkey-problems *guides*.
There are HOTLINES.
In short, every year there’s a fresh wave of turkey cooking noobs left scratching their heads over what to do with this large and intimidating bird.
The Solution to Thanksgiving Turkey Intimidation
Sometimes the solution to a problem such as this isn’t to struggle on through until you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Rather, take a different path entirely. What is that path you ask? A simple Herb Roasted Turkey Breast for those who would rather skip the messiness of a whole bird.
This Herb Roasted Turkey Breast is perfect for Friendsgivings galore, couples enjoying a quieter holiday, and the abundance of proud white meat fiends out there. This turkey breast comes out perfectly juicy–perfect for dinner and the next day for sandwiches–and is delightfully manageable to prepare alongside your standard sides.
Speeeeaking of sides, we’ve got you covered on that department too. This recipe makes perfect use of turkey, pan drippings, and aromatic vegetables so you can whip up the main event—turkey; the side—stuffing; and the piece de resistance—GRAVY.
The secret of the recipe is using the mirepoix base to add flavor to the turkey while it roasts, but, ultimately, to make a special stuffing right in the turkey roasting pan that takes less than 20 minutes.
The best part? On the big day, the Herb Roasted Turkey Breast, Stovetop Stuffing, and gravy all come together in under 90 minutes!
No corners are cut, and you’ll have flashbacks of grandma’s Thanksgiving turkey recipe in no time (unless hers is dry–in which case, it will be way way better than anything she ever made).
If you really want to get crazy, you can even make this as a special fall dinner any time of year. Yeah, that’s right. We went there. And if you’re up for it, adapt this recipe for a full turkey! Just multiply the turkey marinade recipe by 3 and follow the roasting instructions in our original “Grandpa’s Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey” recipe. Easy peasy.
Turkey noobs no more! Let’s go.
Recipe Instructions
The Roasted Turkey Breast
First prepare the turkey. For the marinade, combine the salt, sugar, garlic, thyme, oregano, sage, basil, paprika, black pepper, olive oil, and butter in a small bowl. Toss the carrots, celery and onion together in a medium-sized roasting pan. Be sure to use a roasting pan that you can place on the stovetop.
Pour 1 tablespoon of the marinade onto the mirepoix mixture (that’s the carrots, onions, and celery), and toss until the marinade is incorporated.
Place the turkey breast in the roasting pan and spread the rest of the marinade over the turkey breast, coating the entire surface area, including under the skin where you can reach it. Cover with plastic wrap and let the turkey marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
The next day, when you’re ready to cook your turkey, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and take the turkey out of the refrigerator to allow it to come back up to room temperature. Roast the turkey breast for about 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Baste the turkey in the pan juices, and add half a cup of water or chicken stock to the roasting pan if it looks dry.
Tent the breast with a piece of foil (use a small piece of foil placed on top of the turkey with the sides still exposed) so it does not burn, and turn the temperature down to 350 degrees. Bake for another 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160-165 degrees, and remove from the oven. because the turkey will continue to cook as it’s resting––this ensures that you won’t dry out your bird. Repeat: “this ensures that you won’t dry out your bird” so get that instant read meat thermometer and follow our directions!
Transfer the turkey breast to a cutting board to rest, leaving it covered in foil.
For the Herbed Stovetop Stuffing
Now for the stove top stuffing or turkey dressing, as some people call it. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove any congealed blood from the turkey pan and discard it. Yes, tis the reality of cooking meat! You can do this. Pour off any juices in the roasting pan into a fat separator (if your fat separator has one of those strainer attachments, you may be able to skip the skimming step). In short, you should only have the cooked carrots, celery, and onion in the roasting pan. Place it directly on the stove top over low to medium heat.
Stir the 1½ tablespoons of butter into the roasted vegetables along with the dried dill. This dried dill is fragrant and is important for Thanksgiving stuffing!
Then add 1½ cups of the chicken stock/turkey drippings mixture to deglaze the roasting pan.
Next, add the bread cubes to the pan, and toss the mixture until the bread soaks up all of the liquid.
Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The stuffing may begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, so add the rest of your turkey drippings/chicken stock mixture to deglaze the roasting pan again, followed by the fresh sage, flat-leaf parsley, thyme, and oregano. Turn down the heat if needed.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir everything together until combined. Use a metal spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan so it does not stick and burn. Cook for another 5 minutes, and remove from the heat. Cover with foil until you are ready to serve.
For the Turkey Gravy
This is the last thing you should make. Pour the turkey fat/olive oil mixture (it will likely be mostly olive oil, as a turkey breast doesn’t yield a ton of fat) into a saucepan along with 1 tablespoon of butter. Heat over medium heat, and whisk in 1/3 cup of flour until all the flour is absorbed (about 1 minute) and creates a roux. Stir in the paprika and fresh ground black pepper and then gradually whisk in your turkey drippings and chicken stock mixture to form the gravy. Keep stirring until the gravy has a uniform consistency. Add one teaspoon of soy sauce and salt to taste. Next, whisk in the cornstarch mixture and let simmer for 30 seconds.
Tips for Serving
To serve your roasted turkey breast, debone it, and cut it into 1-inch slices. Serve the turkey homestyle on a large plate with the stuffing and gravy alongside it. You can save the turkey breast bone to make stock or perhaps even Turkey Congee, so don’t worry about carving it perfectly!
This Easy Thanksgiving Turkey Breast recipe covers the turkey breast, stuffing and gravy. Feel free to make mashed potatoes (if you’re worried about timing and coordination, it’s a good idea to make it while the stuffing is cooking), and crack open a can of cranberry sauce (Yes, we are diehard canned cranberry fans. Sue us.) to enjoy a complete Thanksgiving meal!
Are you hungry for the a Thanksgiving turkey dinner yet?
Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Stovetop Stuffing
Ingredients
For the turkey:
- 7 pound whole turkey breast (about 3 kg, defrosted, rinsed and thoroughly patted dry with a paper towel)
- 3½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1½ tablespoons garlic (crushed)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
- 1½ cups celery (cut into small half-inch cubes)
- 1½ cups carrots (cut into small half-inch cubes)
- 1½ cups onion (diced)
For the stuffing:
- 1½ tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ of your turkey drippings (the “broth” only mixed with chicken stock to reach 2 cups volume)
- 2 cups walnut raisin bread (cut into ¾-inch cubes)
- 2 cups multi-grain bread (cut into ¾-inch cubes)
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (chopped)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the gravy:
- ¼ cup turkey fat drippings from the pan (plus light olive oil if needed to reach ¼ cup volume)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ of your turkey drippings (the “broth” only mixed with chicken stock to reach 2 cups volume)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- Salt (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
Instructions
- First prepare the turkey. For the marinade, combine the salt, sugar, garlic, thyme, oregano, sage, basil, paprika, black pepper, olive oil, and butter in a small bowl. Toss the carrots, celery and onion together in a medium-sized roasting pan. Be sure to use a roasting pan that you can place on the stovetop.
- Pour 1 tablespoon of the marinade onto the mirepoix mixture (that’s the carrots, onions, and celery), and toss until the marinade is incorporated. Place the turkey breast in the roasting pan and spread the rest of the marinade over the turkey breast, coating the entire surface area, including under the skin where you can reach it. Cover with plastic wrap and let the turkey marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
- The next day, when you’re ready to cook your turkey, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and take the turkey out of the refrigerator to allow it to come back up to room temperature. Roast the turkey breast for about 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Baste the turkey in the pan juices, and add half a cup of water or chicken stock to the roasting pan if it looks dry.
- Tent the breast with a piece of foil so it does not burn, and turn the temperature down to 350 degrees. Bake for another 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160-165 degrees, and remove from the oven. Transfer the turkey breast to a cutting board to rest, leaving it covered in foil.
- Now for the stuffing. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove any congealed blood from the turkey pan and discard it. Yes, tis the reality of cooking meat! You can do this. Pour off any juices in the roasting pan into a fat separator (if your fat separator has one of those strainer attachments, you may be able to skip the skimming step). In short, you should only have the cooked carrots, celery, and onion in the roasting pan. Place it directly on the stove top over low to medium heat.
- Stir the 1½ tablespoons of butter into the roasted vegetables along with the dried dill. Then add 1½ cups of the chicken stock/turkey drippings mixture to deglaze the pan.
- Next, add the bread cubes to the pan, and toss the mixture until the bread soaks up all of the liquid. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The stuffing may begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, so add the rest of your turkey drippings/chicken stock mixture to deglaze the pan again, followed by the fresh sage, flat-leaf parsley, thyme, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir everything together until combined. Use a metal spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan so it does not stick and burn. Cook for another 5 minutes, and remove from the heat. Cover with foil until you are ready to serve.
- Now it's time to make the gravy. Pour the turkey fat/olive oil mixture (it will likely be mostly olive oil, as a turkey breast doesn't yield a ton of fat) into a saucepan along with 1 tablespoon of butter. Heat over medium heat, and whisk in 1/3 cup of flour until all the flour is absorbed (about 1 minute) and creates a roux. Stir in the paprika and fresh ground black pepper and then gradually whisk in your turkey drippings and chicken stock mixture to form the gravy. Keep stirring until the gravy has a uniform consistency. Add one teaspoon of soy sauce and salt to taste. Next, whisk in the cornstarch mixture and let simmer for 30 seconds.
Tips & Notes:
nutrition facts
