Herbed Turkey Breast with Roasted Apples
The moment you have all been waiting for, it’s time to reveal the star of Thanksgiving dinner—my Herbed Turkey Breast with Roasted Apples. Honestly, does it get more autumnal than this?
A turkey breast is a great option to serve if there are only a few guests and you will still likely have leftovers. Serve this with turkey gravy and all the side dishes!
Festive Thanksgiving Flavours in a Smaller Portion
Turkey is a staple during Thanksgiving, and has always been a tradition to have this for Thanksgiving dinner probably for decades now. While cooking an entire turkey is fun and a bit of a culinary challenge, that is WAY too much for two people! So, for a smaller crowd, I opted to cook a turkey breast. I picked up this fantastic, locally-raised turkey breast from the butcher at Red Barn grocery store here in Victoria.
I found this skin-on turkey breast to be incredibly rich and flavourful despite just being the turkey breast (i.e. white meat), and frankly, I didn’t miss the dark meat at all! If you have the option to buy local or free-range, definitely do it! The better quality meat, the less work you have to do to it to make it taste delicious!
Bake Low and Slow for a Juicy Turkey Breast
Even though I didn’t cook a whole turkey, the turkey breast was still huge—and more than enough for two people. This turkey breast was almost 4 pounds! We definitely had lots of leftovers for a few days. I baked the turkey at 350 degrees F, fairly low heat, for about an hour and 45 minutes. The basic rule of thumb is to cook the turkey for 20 minutes per pound. The turkey is done when it reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F, so I like to remove the turkey breast from the oven once it reaches 160 degrees F. Then, I cover it with tinfoil and let it rest on the counter for another 20-30 minutes to let it finish cooking. This resting time also makes the turkey breast nice and juicy!
Avoiding the Turkey Tan Lines
This turkey breast came wrapped in cotton netting to keep the whole breast together through the cooking process. I began the cooking the turkey breast with the netting on, and about halfway through cooking I removed it so that I could avoid having the white marks left on the turkey breast from the netting once cooked… the ‘turkey tan lines’ as I like to call it LOL.
I also basted the turkey in a mixture of butter, olive oil, sage and thyme- classic for Thanksgiving- about every 20 to 30 minutes or so. This ensures that the turkey breast gets nice and evenly browned, and that the skin will get nice and crisp. I also nestled the entire breast on top of a bed of sliced apples and onions which take on all the flavour of the turkey and give the dish and the gravy a bit of sweetness.
A Delicious Gravy to Enhance the Turkey
And yes, the GRAVY… possibly the best part of Thanksgiving dinner. While the turkey is resting, I pour all the turkey juices from the pan into a sauce pot and add about 1 ½ cups of chicken stock. I bring all that to a boil and then add a slurry of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and some water to thicken the gravy. I was really pleased with the extra little sweetness from the apples in the gravy. It’s just a little twist on the traditional turkey gravy.
Once the gravy is done, I go ahead and carve the turkey breast. Luckily, there are no bones in the breast, making it super easy for carving. All you need is a sharp knife to cut through the breast. Place a few slices on your plate and enjoy it with all the gravy and side dishes you want. May I suggest my recipes for Chive Mashed Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts with Shallots & Pancetta or Traditional Bread Stuffing?
Get the Recipe: Herbed Turkey Breast with Roasted Apples
Herbed Turkey Breast with Roasted Apples
Ingredients
For the Turkey:
- 1 3 to 4 pound turkey breast skin on
- 1 yellow onion sliced into 1 centimeter thick rounds
- 1 Honeycrisp apple sliced into 1 centimeter thick rounds
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 8 large sage leaves finely chopped
- 6 sprigs of thyme leaves removed and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
For the Turkey Gravy:
- Turkey juice from the pan
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water cold
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the onions and apples in the bottom of a large baking dish, and then place the turkey breast on top of it. Keep the cotton netting around the turkey breast for the first half of the cooking process, we will remove it part way through cooking.
- Combine the butter, olive oil, sage, thyme, salt and pepper in a small pot over medium-high heat. Mix to combine and cook everything together until the butter is fully melted, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Spoon one third of the butter mixture over the turkey breast, making sure to evenly coat the entire breast. Bake the turkey breast in the oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove the turkey breast from the oven. It should not be opaque white in colour and slightly firm. Use scissors to remove the cotton netting and place the turkey back in the pan. Spoon over another one third of the butter mixture and bake again for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the remaining butter mixture to the turkey and continue to bake the turkey until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees F.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and cover with foil. Let the turkey rest for 20 to 30 minutes to allow it to finish cooking and to let all the juices stay within the meat.
- While the turkey is resting, make the gravy. Pour all the turkey juices from the cooking pan into a small pot. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water until fully smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pot and whisk together so that there are no lumps. Once the gravy has thickened, it is done.
- Serve the slices of turkey breast warm with lots of gravy, the roasted apples and onions, and side dishes! Enjoy!
Nutrition
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