Roasted Rolled Turkey Breast with Herbs

Martha offers a primer on turkey and shares her recipes for turkey 101, roasted turkey in parchment paper, braised turkey legs, and roasted rolled turkey breast with herbs, all sure to be year-round favorites.  

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 medium onions, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
  • 4 medium carrots, halved lengthwise
  • 1 boneless, skin-on whole turkey breast, tenderloins removed, about 4 3/4 pounds
  • 2 1/4 cups homemade stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice or white wine
  • 1 ½ tablespoon instant flour, such as Wondra

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine butter, orange zest, parsley and sage. Stir to combine; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Evenly distribute half of the butter mixture under the skin of the turkey breast. Flip the turkey breast and rub the remaining butter evenly on the inside of the breast; season with salt and pepper. Starting with one short side, roll the turkey breast into a log shape, tucking ends under to ensure even cooking. Using kitchen twine, tie the breast at one-inch intervals. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
  4. Arrange onion slices in the bottom of a 12-inch ovenproof sauté pan and scatter carrots around the perimeter of the pan. Add 1 cup of chicken stock to the pan and place turkey breast, seam-side down on top of the onions. Transfer sauté pan to oven and cook, basting the turkey and vegetables every 15 minutes with the pan juices, until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees and the juices run clear, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. After an hour, tent the turkey with foil to avoid over browning. Transfer the turkey breast from the pan to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil and let stand 15 minutes before slicing.
  5. Meanwhile, remove and discard vegetables from sauté pan. Transfer pan juices to a fat separator; discard fat. Place the pan over medium-high heat and add orange juice scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the defatted pan drippings to the pan and stir to combine. In a small jar with a tight fitting lid, combine remaining 1 1/4 cups chicken stock with flour and shake to combine. Slowly add chicken stock mixture to the pan, whisking to incorporate. Continue to cook until thickened, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Slice turkey breast and serve with gravy.