Of all the bone in turkey breast recipes out there on the internet, why choose this one? It's super simple, makes a delicious white wine turkey gravy, and gives you a flavorful, moist alternative to fussing with an entire bird.
This roasted turkey breast is a great alternative to making an entire bird for a smaller celebration, but it's also easily scalable for the larger gatherings who are white meat lovers.
The white wine gravy has all the familiar flavors of a traditional turkey gravy, with a big punch of wine for extra umph and flair. The wine also adds a bit of acidity to the gravy that balances out the meat nicely, and is still delicious on stuffing, rice, or mashed potatoes.
How to Roast a Turkey Breast
My basic way to make a deliciously moist turkey breast in the oven is to:
- leave the skin on
- roast bone-in
- slather it in butter
- moisture/liquid from the underside while roasting from the top
First, place sliced onions in the bottom of your 3 quart baking dish. This will be the base for your turkey and will also add a ton of flavor to the gravy and bird.
Now you can place your bone in turkey breast on top of the onions, turkey skin side up.
Mix the fresh herbs into the butter to make the herb butter rub.
Slather it all over the top of the turkey breast, on top of the skin. Warning: this is more difficult than it seems like it should be ( butter will get all over your fingers but I promise fingers are the best way to go about this task!) but it does not need to be perfect.
See below for proof:
Once you've slathered all the herby butter on, pour the chicken broth and wine into the baking dish, being careful not to pour it directly on top of the turkey as this will make the butter slide off.
Now we're ready for the oven! Bake in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 55 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meat is 165 degrees.
Once the bone in turkey breast is cooked, remove it from the baking dish and set it aside under a tent of foil to stay warm while you make the gravy.
To Make the Turkey Gravy
We're going to follow the basic method of making a roux, then adding the liquid from the baking dish to it so we get all that delicious turkey / herb / wine/ onion flavor.
If you've never made a roux before, it's very simple, but a picture HELPS! Below you can see what the roux looks like when it's done. When your turkey gravy roux looks like the picture below, it is time to start gradually adding your liquid.
You want to add 2 cups total of liquid to make the gravy. Depending on the size of your baking dish, you may or may not use all of the liquid left in the dish after baking the turkey breast.
Looking for some great side dishes for turkey breast?
Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 bone in skin on split turkey breast between 2-3 lbs
- ½ teaspoon fresh chopped sage leaves
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary leaves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 Tablespoons room temperature butter
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
- ½ cup dry white wine
- slices of yellow onion enough to make a rough "base" for the turkey to sit on - about 3 slices of a large onion, 5-6 of a small
- 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Mix four tablespoons of the butter with the sage, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper until well combined. Set the remaining two tablespoons of butter aside for later.
- Rub all of the herb butter mixture all on top of the turkey breast.
- Place the onion slices in the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the turkey breast bone-side down on top of the onions. Pour the chicken broth and wine into the pan.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the internal temperature is 165°F.
- Once the turkey is cooked through, remove it from the pan and set it on a cutting board to rest, loosely tented with foil, while you make the gravy.
To make the white wine turkey gravy:
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt the remaining two Tablespoons of butter set aside earlier. Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour, forming a paste. Slowly whisk the paste in the pan for about a minute, or until it changes from a pale yellow to a slightly deeper color yellow.
- Slowly drizzle in 2 cups of the liquid ( but not the onions ) from the bottom of the roasting pan into the small pan with the flour and butter, whisking as you go. Once all 2 cups of the liquid is combined, let the mixture simmer for another minute over medium heat, or until it thickens. You may add more liquid from the pan for a thinner gravy, or simmer the mixture for longer for a thicker gravy.
- Carve the turkey and serve with gravy!
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