Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast and Stuffing Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

A turkey breast is the ideal size for small gatherings and is far faster to cook, going from fridge to table in under 2 hours.
You only have to keep in mind a single final target temperature, instead of having to worry about legs and breasts cooking at different rates with a whole bird.
Removing the turkey breast halfway through to finish roasting on its own ensures both the meat and the stuffing are cooked to the right temperature.
Adding pan juices to the stuffing just before reheating provides moisture and saturates it with rich turkey flavor.

Perhaps your family is small. Perhaps your friends all bailed on you the week before. Perhaps only half your family eats meat. Heck, perhaps you simply don't enjoy leftovers.*

*You weirdo.

Point is, there are any number of reasons you might have for not wanting to roast an entire turkey for Thanksgiving, but nobody should be deprived of juicy meat, crispy skin, and turkey-saturated stuffing on that day, am I right?

My initial thought was that since I already have a great method for crisp-skinned spatchco*cked roast turkey, and a roast turkey breast is essentially a spatchco*cked breast without the legs, I should just be able to use the exact same technique, throwing the breast on top of a casserole dish full of stuffing to catch the drippings. I tried it, using my classic sage and sausage stuffing recipe, and rubbing my turkey over and under the skin with some herb butter.

Simply cooking a turkey breast is far easier than cooking a whole turkey, since you only have a single final target temperature in mind, instead of having to worry about legs and breasts cooking at different rates. As soon as that breast is at 150°F, you can pull it out of the oven and let it rest.

About halfway through cooking, I realized there was a problem.

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast and Stuffing Recipe (1)

The Problems With Cooking Turkey Breast

While my stuffing was already pushing 180°F and starting to char around the edges, the turkey breast was not even close to finished. It still had a good 30°F to get up to my 150°F target temperature.

On top of that, the butter in the stuffing, combined with the sausage fat, and the rendering fat from the turkey breast made the stuffing unpalatably greasy—there was a huge pool of oil on top of it. This greasiness is exacerbated by the fact that if the stuffing gets much above 160°F or so, the eggs I use to bind it will curdle and break, squeezing out the fat that they were initially trapping.

Fortunately, the solution was relatively simple.

The Solution

First of all, I decreased the butter content of my stuffing, figuring that what renders from the turkey will make it plenty rich.

Second, I decided to just remove the turkey breast half way through roasting, and let it finish on its own. Once it had cooked, I then took all those exuded pan juices and poured them right back onto the stuffing.

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast and Stuffing Recipe (2)

Since the turkey needs to rest for about 20 minutes anyway to make sure that you don't lose all its juices, this gives you ample time to throw that stuffing back into the oven to crisp up on top and reheat to 160°F. The stuffing comes loaded with turkey flavor, but if you want even more, make sure to stuff the cavity under the breast and under the flap of fat near the neck with stuffing as well before you start to roast.

November 2012

Recipe Details

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast and Stuffing

Prep20 mins

Cook2 hrs

Active45 mins

Total2 hrs 20 mins

Serves6to 8 servings

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, divided
1 1/2 pounds sage sausage, removed from casing
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
4 large stalks celery, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
4 cloves garlic, minced or grated on microplane, divided
1/4 cup minced fresh sage leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried sage leaves)
32 ounces (4 cups; 946ml) low-sodium chicken or turkey broth, preferably homemade
3 large whole eggs
2 1/2 pounds (about 2 loaves) high quality sandwich bread or soft Italian or French bread, stale or dried in the oven
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 whole bone-in, skin-on turkey breast (about 4 to 5 pounds), patted dry

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. In a large Dutch oven, melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat until foaming subsides (don't allow butter to brown), about 2 minutes. Add sausage and mash with stiff whisk or potato masher to break up into fine pieces (largest pieces should be no greater than 1/4-inch). Cook, stirring frequently until only a few bits of pink remain, about 8 minutes. Add onions, celery, garlic, and sage and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add half of chicken stock.
Whisk remaining chicken stock, eggs, and 3 tablespoons parsley in a medium bowl until hom*ogeneous. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, slowly pour egg mixture into sausage mixture. Add bread cubes and fold gently until evenly mixed.
Using poultry shears, cut off and remove any back portion that may be attached to the turkey (there may not be any). Fill cavity under turkey breast and under flap of fat around neck with stuffing. Transfer remaining stuffing to a buttered 9- by 13-inch baking dish and place turkey on top.
Using your hands, carefully separate the turkey skin from the meat by inserting at the bottom of the breast, being careful not to tear it. In a small bowl, combine remaining butter with remaining parsley and oregano. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Stir with a fork until hom*ogenous. Rub mixture evenly over and under turkey skin.
Transfer to oven and roast until stuffing starts to brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer turkey to a wire rack set in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, and return turkey to oven. Continue roasting until turkey is golden brown and crisp, and thickest part near bone registers 145 to 150°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven, transfer to a plate, and let rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour exuded juices back over stuffing. Return stuffing to oven and cook until it's golden brown and registers 160°F on an instant read thermometer, about 15 minutes. Carve turkey, spread over stuffing, and serve.

Special Equipment

9- by 13-inch baking dish

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Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast and Stuffing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you cook the stuffing before you stuff the turkey? ›

Mixing dry and wet ingredients produces an environment that bacteria may thrive in hours before cooking. Fully cook raw meat, poultry, or seafood ingredients before adding to stuffing. Combine the ingredients and place them in your bird immediately before cooking. Don't stuff whole poultry with cooked stuffing.

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Should turkey breast be covered or uncovered when roasting? ›

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

Is it better to cook a stuffed turkey at 325 or 350? ›

For the best results, our Test Kitchen recommends cooking a stuffed turkey at 325°F.

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How many minutes per pound to cook stuffed turkey? ›

Roast a stuffed turkey for 15 minutes per pound at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). It is important to check the temperature of the stuffing; it should be 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) when you insert the thermometer into the center of the stuffing.

Read On ›

Can you put stuffing in a raw turkey? ›

Why Cooking Stuffing in Your Turkey Is Dangerous. The USDA advises that whole turkeys be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F to kill any potentially harmful bacteria. That temperature includes any potential stuffing deep in the turkey's cavity.

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When should I put the stuffing in my turkey? ›

Place the prepared stuffing in the whole turkey just before roasting. Stuffing the night before could cause food-borne illness. Stuff both the neck and body cavities of a completely thawed turkey, allowing ½ to ¾ cup of stuffing per pound. Don't pack stuffing too tightly, as it may cause uneven cooking.

Learn More ›

Do you put water in the bottom of the roasting pan for turkey? ›

"Often, consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."

Know More ›

How do you keep turkey breasts from drying out? ›

Start in a hot heated oven at 450 degrees F, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F just before you put the turkey in the oven. The initial high heat will help brown the skin, then the lower heat will help cook the turkey breast on the inside without drying it out.

Find Out More ›

Should turkey breast be room temp before roasting? ›

Your turkey will cook more evenly and faster if you start it out at room temperature so remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. If you plan to stuff your turkey, wait until you're ready to put it in the oven before putting the stuffing in the turkey.

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How long does it take to cook a stuffed turkey at 325 degrees? ›

Stuffed Turkey Cook Times

These times are based on a room temperature turkey at 325 degrees F the entire time; plan on about 15 to 17 minutes per pound (the times below are based on 15 minutes per pound).

Keep Reading ›

Is 325 too low to cook a turkey? ›

Oven Temps: Best roasting is two stage process—425°F (218°C) for 1 hour, then down to 325°F (163°C) for however long it takes until the turkey is done. If you read a post telling you exactly “how long to cook a turkey,” hit the back button fast.

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Is 350 too high for turkey? ›

Begin by roasting your turkey at 425°F for 40 to 45 minutes before lowering the temperature of the oven to 350°F for the rest of the cooking time. Like the other method, it's a good idea to brush the turkey every 15 to 20 minutes with butter or olive oil to help the surface brown and keep the meat moist.

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What is the best temperature to cook a stuffed turkey? ›

While the best temperature to cook a turkey is always 325°F, how much time your bird will need in the oven will depend on its weight. An unstuffed 8-pound turkey can take less than 3 hours, while a stuffed 24-pound turkey can take over 5 hours. Here's how long it takes to cook a fully thawed turkey.

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Is turkey done at 165 or 180? ›

Hold the thermometer still until the numbers stop increasing. If it is not ready, return it to the oven. According to the Department of Agriculture, a turkey must reach 165 degrees F to be safe, but you can take it out of the oven as low as 160 degrees F because the temperature will rise at it rests.

Why shouldn t you cook stuffing in the cavity of the turkey? ›

It Could Give You Salmonella Poisoning

This seems like an empty threat to anyone who routinely takes the risk by licking cookie dough off the spatula, but hear us out: Stuffing's pretty porous (all that bread!), which means that as the turkey cooks, juices containing salmonella could seep into it.

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Is it better to cook the stuffing inside or outside of the turkey and why? ›

For this reason, many experts recommend baking the stuffing outside the bird, where it can easily be cooked to 165°F and is less likely to harbor bacteria.