Herb Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe - Cookin Canuck (2024)

FAQs

Should turkey breast be up or down in roasting pan? ›

It's personal preference whether you choose to cook a turkey breast-side up or breast-side down. The United States Department of Agriculture advises to cook a whole turkey breast side up during the entire cooking time.

Turkey breast temperature

Though it's a much smaller cut than a whole turkey, it's still important to test the internal temperature of your turkey breast at the thickest part of the breast. Again, 165°F (73.9°C) is the magic number.

A simple mixture of broth, butter, lemon, garlic, pepper, and salt delivers moisture and flavor to the white meat and enhances the texture and taste of the dark meat. If you're choosing to brine this bird and then inject it, do not add salt to the injection mixture because the turkey will end up being too salty.

Use a dish that just fits the turkey breast, place it into the dish then if you find it to be unstable, use slices of orange to prop the breast up a little so it stands tall. (Instead of orange slices, try lemon or onion slices or even carrots). Roast the turkey breast in a 325-degree F oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

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.

Cooking a turkey upside down allows the juices to trickle down during the roasting process for extra moist and juicy breast meat. Plus, since the dark meat is closer to the heat source, it cooks faster than it does with the traditional method. It's a win-win!

Cover the turkey to prevent over-browning.

If the skin over the breast meat begins to brown too darkly toward the end of cooking, cover it with aluminum foil to prevent scorching.

We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. We've done the math for you — check out the chart below to determine both turkey cook times and estimated servings (with leftovers!).

First, Bring Your Bird to Room Temp

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.

It doesn't matter if you're roasting, frying, or smoking your turkey, there's no need to give it a rinse unless you've brined it (more on that below). Cooking the turkey kills any bacteria, but washing a turkey before you cook it opens the door to dangerous cross contamination.

Should I put ice on turkey breast before cooking? ›

By using an ice pack to lower the temperature of the turkey breast, theoretically, you'll even out the cooking process and end up with perfectly cooked dark and light meat.

When it comes to seasoning, salt and pepper are the right place to start. But you can expand upon these basics by using fall herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage, which are natural accompaniments for turkey.

Before it goes in the oven, the turkey should be at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge (1 hr for a whole turkey, or 30 mins for a cut) before cooking.

"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."

The idea is that by roasting your bird breast side down, it's further away from the heat source and the juices from the dark meat can trickle down to the white meat, resulting in juicier white meat that won't dry out. Then you flip the turkey right side up so the skin on the breast can crisp up in the oven.

Roasting a turkey upside down guarantees moist and tender white and dark meat every time since the breast is protected from the oven's heat. It's faster and easier than you think. Simply flipping the turkey upside down on the roasting rack cooks the thighs faster while basting the breast meat with its juices.

Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, then place it (breast-side up) on a rack in a roasting pan. Stuff and season the turkey: Fill the cavity with stuffing. Rub the skin with butter, then season with salt and pepper. Pour two cups of stock into the roasting pan and loosely tent the turkey with foil.