Roasted Turkey Breast with Gravy Recipe

Turkey breast roast served with gravy, potatoes, and green beans on a plate.

5 from 1 vote

Roasted Turkey Breast with Gravy Recipe

Here's an easy recipe for Roasted Turkey Breast served with gravy on the side! Whether you are serving a smaller crowd for Thanksgiving or need a simple turkey dinner, this foolproof recipe will guide you through the process of making the turkey breast roast.

Prep Time30

Cook Time2

Resting time30

Total Time3

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: servings

Author: Aysegul Sanford

Equipment

Ingredients

For The Turkey Breast:

6 pound turkey breast skin and bone-in
½ cup herb compound butter recipe below
1 large onion sliced into thick rounds
1 large carrot sliced in large chunks
2 celery ribs sliced in large pieces
3 cloves garlic peeled and rough chop
1 lemon
½ cup dry white wine such as sauvignon blanc or pinot gris (or chicken stock for an alcohol-free option)

For The Herb Compound Butter:

2 oz unsalted butter ½ stick - at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons fresh rosemary finely minced or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme finely minced or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon fresh sage finely minced or ¼ teaspoon dried sage
1 clove fresh garlic finely minced or pressed
½ teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the turkey gravy:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons drippings from roasting pan fat separated * it can be a little bit more or less
3 cups chicken stock or turkey or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For The Turkey Breast:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F/232 degrees C.
Remove the turkey breast from the fridge 30 minutes or an hour prior you are ready to roast it.
Meanwhile, make the herbed butter by mixing together butter, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a bowl until well combined.
Pat dry the turkey breast with paper towels on all sides.
Using your fingers, gently separate the top skin from the meat, being careful not to tear the skin.
Place three tablespoons of the softened herb butter underneath the skin on both sides.
Spread the remaining herb butter on the top and sides of the turkey skin.
Place one half of the lemon in the neck cavity rounded side up and secure the turkey skin with a toothpick*.
Spread onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in an even layer in a large roasting pan or a casserole dish. Pour in the wine (or chicken stock.)
Place the turkey breast on top of the vegetables. You may have to arrange the vegetables to “prop” the breast to stay upright.
If using a temperature probe, place it in the thickest part of the breast, being careful not to touch the bone. If you hit the bone, pull back by approximately ½ inch. Set it to alarm at 155 F/ 68 C. (see notes if you do not have a thermometer probe).
Place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 325 F/ 163 C.
Roast for 1 ½ -2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 155 F/ 68 C.
Remove the turkey breast from the oven, place it on a cutting board, and lightly tent with foil. Do not remove the temperature probe if using it. Let it rest for 30 minutes. As it sits, it should reach 165 F/74 C with the help of the residual heat.

To Make The Turkey Gravy:

Remove the vegetables from the roasting pan.
Pour the pan drippings into a glass measuring cup. Set aside so that the fat can separate, for about 10-15 minutes. Skim the fat off and discard. You should end up with three tablespoons of drippings. If you have more, you can discard the rest.
Place the roasting pan on top of the stove at medium-high heat. If you use an oven- and stove-safe roasting pan, you can use it to make the gravy. Otherwise, you can use a medium saucepan.
Melt the butter and then sprinkle the flour. Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the flour is lightly browned, about 6-8 minutes. Keep a close eye on it and adjust the heat accordingly to prevent burning.
Add the drippings and stir, scraping up any “brown bits” from the bottom of the roasting pan.
Add the stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 10-15 minutes until thickened to your desired consistency.
Taste the gravy and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
You can serve it as it is or if you prefer a smooth and silky gravy, you can strain it. To do that, place a mesh strainer over your serving bowl. Pour the now-cooked gravy into the strainer, and use the back of a spoon or spatula to press “lumps.”

To Serve:

Remove the temperature prope.
Carve your turkey breast and transfer the slices onto a serving platter.
Serve with gravy on the side.

Notes

Yields: This recipe serves 6 people (¾ lbs turkey breast) per person comfortably. The nutritional values below are per serving and include the calories coming from the gravy as well.
High and low temperature: We intentionally started with a high temperature to crisp up the skin and turned it down to a lower temperature to cook the breasts in a gentle heat. Also, because of the mild heat, we did not think that covering it with foil was necessary.
Lemon hack: Placing a whole lemon in the cavity helps prevent the turkey skin in the neck area from sinking, but it is an optional step.
Check doneness: A meat thermometer is the best tool for the most accurate results when cooking turkey. If you don't have a probe thermometer, we recommend using a digital thermometer and following the time and temperature guide provided in the blog post above. Based on the weight of your turkey breast, it's best to check doneness closer to the end of the cooking time.
Residual heat: We intentionally cooked the turkey to 155 degrees F, as the residual heat continued to cook it during the resting process. During our recipe testing, it took about 20 minutes of resting time for the roasted turkey breast to reach 165 degrees F.
Storage & serving leftovers: Leftover turkey breast and gravy can be refrigerated in airtight containers for up to 3 days. A foolproof method to reheat turkey is to slice the meat and place it in a pan or skillet. Add chicken or turkey broth, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 5-8 minutes. While the turkey breast is reheating, you can warm the leftover gravy in a small saucepan.
Quantity of the gravy: The quantity will depend on the pan you use. When we used the roasting pan, there was a lot of evaporation because of the wide opening, resulting in 1 ½ cups of gravy. If you use a medium saucepan, you should end up with approximately 2 cups of sauce.

Nutrition

QR code

Scan this QR code with your phone's camera to view this recipe on your mobile device.