BEST roast trukey breast recipe! Fool-proof guide for juiciest turkey breast with perfectly crispy skin. Flavored with Mediterranean spices, garlic & herbs. See suggesgtions for what to serve along!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Inactive Time (for Salting Turkey Breast)30 minutesmins
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie
Servings: 6people
Calories: 254.2kcal
Author: The Mediterranean Dish
Ingredients
For Turkey
2 ½lbbone-in turkey breastthis would be ½ of a whole turkey breast
Salt the Turkey. Pat the turkey breast dry and season with kosher salt on both sides (be sure to carefully lift the skin up and season with salt underneath as well.) Set aside at room temprature for 30 minutes BUT, if you have the time, chill the turkey in fridge uncovered for 2 hours or overnight (see notes).
If you have chilled the turkey, take it out and set it aside at room temperature while you work on the rest of the ingredients.
Roast the grapes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Add the grapes to a 9 ½ x 13 baking pan (mine is cast iron like this one). Toss with a little extra virgin olive oil and salt. Roast in the heated oven for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and transfer the grapes to a plate for now. Leave the oven on.
Flavor the Turkey with the Spice Mixture, Garlic and Fresh Parsley. In a small bowl, mix together the spices. Season turkey with spice mixture on all sides (again, carefully lift skin and rub spice mixture underneath.) In a large bowl, combine garlic, parsley and about ⅓ to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil. Add the turkey into the bowl and apply the garlic and parsley mixture all over (again, very important to apply mixture underneath the skin.)
Assemble the Turkey Breast in the Pan. In the same pan you used earlier, add the shallots and celery to make a bed for the turkey. Simply season with kosher salt and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil. Place the turkey breast on top.
Roast the Turkey Breast. Put the turkey pan on the middle rack of the heated oven and immediately turn the heat down to 350 degrees F. Roast for up to 45 minutes or until its internal temperature registers somewhere between 150 to 155 degrees F. Check occassionally, if at some point during roasting, you notice the turkey skin turning too dark, cover it with foil and continue roasting.
Add Grapes Back In. Closer to the end of your roasting time, carefully remove the turkey from the oven to add in the grapes. Return to the oven very briefly so the grapes warm through (if your turkey needs a little bit of color, stick it under the broiler for a couple of minutes and watch carefully).
Remove from Oven and Let Rest Briefly Before Serving. Cover the turkey loosley with foil and let turkey rest undisturbed for about 15 minutes before slicing through to serve. The turkey meat will continue to cook and its internal temparture should rise to 165 degrees F.
To Carve or Slice the Turkey Breast. Transfer the turkey breast to a clean cutting board. Start at the breast bone and continue carving from there making sure to keep your knife close to ribs. Once the meat is off the bone, you can slice the breast crosswise into slices.
Video
Notes
Make sure your turkey thawed before cooking. It will typically take 1 day or so to thaw out in the fridge.
Salt the Turkey Breast First. Do not skip salting the turkey. If you have the time, salt and refrigerate the turkey uncovered for 2 hours or even overnight or for at least 30 minutes at room temperature while you work on other things. The kosher salt will do its work of tenderizing and flavoring the turkey. And if you do end up chilling it uncovered, the circulating air will dry up the skin some which will help it cook to a cripsy golden brown while the tukey breast stays nice and juicey.
To Double The Recipe. If you are planning to feed more people, you can use a whole turkey breast in this recipe rather than ½ turkey breast. The method remains the same, but you can double the amount of spices and increase the garlic and fresh parsley mixture a bit to cover the full breast. It will take about 1 hour or a little more to fully cook.
The roasted grapes are optional and are not included in nutrition information (with grapes: 306 calories). If you skip the grapes, still, heat the oven to 450 degrees F to start with and reduce the heat to 350 degrees F when you insert the turkey in the oven.
What to serve along.The options for sides and salads to go along with this turkey breast are endless. Greek roasted potatoes are a favorite (and you can do these the night before if you like and simply warm them through before serving.) This butternut squash quinoa; or this fall rotini pasta are also great options. And a big festive salad like Balela!
Storing leftovers. If you've roasted turkey breast to use for sandwiches, for example, or if you have leftovers, you can refrigerate for later use. Store roast turkey breast in tight-lid glass containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days.