Roast Turkey Breast with Traditional Stuffing

4.67 from 3 votes

Roast Turkey Breast with Traditional Stuffing

Roast Turkey Breast with Traditional Stuffing is perfect if you're a Thanksgiving novice, have picky eaters or are doing a small-scale Thanksgiving. It's as showstopping as a whole turkey! Best of all, you can get it prepped the night before and it cooks in a fraction of the time it takes to roast a whole turkey.

Prep Time30

Cook Time2

Total Time2 30

Course: Chicken and Turkey

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen

Equipment

Ingredients

Turkey Brine

Easy Turkey Brine Recipe

Stuffing

Oil or cooking spray for baking dish
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 stalks celery finely chopped
4 cups chicken broth preferably low-sodium
1 bag (12-ounce) herb-seasoned stuffing cubes or 2 boxes (6-ounce each) stuffing mix
1 large egg beaten
Chopped fresh parsley optional

Turkey and Gravy

6 cups chicken broth or turkey broth, preferably low-sodium
Canola oil for roasting pan
1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) boneless turkey breast half with the skin
Freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, divided
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt if needed

Instructions

Turkey Brine

Brine the turkey per the linked recipe.

Make the Stuffing

Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Heat the butter in a skillet or saute pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and celery and cook 5-6 minutes or until softened.
Add the chicken (or turkey) broth and bring to a boil.
Add the stuffing cubes or stuffing mix and stir. Turn the heat off, cover and let stand 5-10 minutes or until all the broth is absorbed. Let cool to room temperature.
Stir in the egg and add the parsley if using.
Remove 2 cups of the stuffing. Transfer the rest to the prepared baking dish and refrigerate until needed.

Continue with the Turkey and Gravy

Pour the chicken (or turkey) broth into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer and reduce while the turkey roasts. (You want to reduce it by approximately 1/3 or to 4 cups). Turn the heat off when that is accomplished.)
Lightly oil a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or roasting pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Carefully butterfly the turkey breast, open it and lay it flat on a cutting board or another flat surface. With the tip of a boning knife, carefully and very lightly cut some shallow slits in the opened breast just to get it to lie flatter and create more surface area. Place a gallon-size zipper-top over the opened turkey breast and gently pound it with a meat mallet or rolling pin to flatten it out some more.
Season the flattened turkey breast with black pepper. Spread the reserved 2 cups of stuffing over the flattened breast, leaving a 1-inch border.
Turn the right side of the turkey breast over the filling then bring the left side over. Secure with butcher's twine, making sure the filling is securely inside and the skin is nicely flattened and secured over the top of the breast.
Place in the prepared roasting pan. Spread 4 tablespoons of the butter over the turkey breast. Roast for 1 hour. Baste with the buttery pan juices once during this time.
Place the baking dish of the remaining stuffing in the oven alongside the turkey. Baste with the buttery pan juices while the oven door is open. Continue roasting the turkey for another 20-30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees IN THE CENTER OF THE STUFFING.
Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter and tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes. (Carryover cooking while resting will take the breast to 165 degrees.) Check the stuffing so it doesn't get overly browned and cover with aluminum foil or another cover if needed.
Carefully pour any brown buttery drippings into a saucepan. (Avoid any that are overly browned.)
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the saucepan and melt over medium heat.
Add the flour and cook 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly.
Pour in the reduced broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook until thickened. Season with salt and black pepper if needed.
Slice the turkey breast and serve the stuffing and gravy with the turkey breast.

Notes

SUBSTITUTIONS:

Also works great with a pork roast!

TIPS:

To speed up the brining process, butterfly the turkey breast before immersing it in the brine. Because the turkey breast is halved, this will cut your brining time in half.
After butterflying a turkey or chicken breast, I very lightly “score” the inside in a few places from top to bottom with the tip of a boning knife. This will help the breast lie flatter.
When pounding any type of protein, it’s a good idea to cover it. I always use a gallon-size zipper-top bag because it’s thicker than plastic wrap which can tear very easily.

MAKE AHEAD:

You can get everything prepped to the point of roasting 24 hours before. However, make sure the stuffing is thoroughly chilled before tying the breast.

Nutrition