Try this Roasted Turkey Breast recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 0.764400000646186 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0.0205800000173973 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (30g)
- Sodium 78.9860000012427 mg
- Sugar 0.764400000646186 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 24 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Rinse and pat dry the turkey breast.
- With your fingers, carefully separate skin from the turkey meat and spread half of the butter under the skin.
- Spread the rest of the butter on top of the skin.
- Place turkey breast in a roasting pan and season with kosher salt and pepper.
- Pour wine over breast, then squeeze juice from the lemon over the breast and then add to pan with the garlic.
- Top the breast with thyme sprigs.
- Roast turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the breast reaches 140 degrees, or for about 30-35 minutes.
- Remove from pan and cover and rest for at least 15 minutes and then slice turkey as needed.
- Reserve pan drippings for gravy if desired.
Overcooking poultry stems from trusting arbitrary clock times rather than monitoring internal thermal thresholds. Muscle fibers in poultry tighten significantly and expel moisture rapidly as temperatures climb past 160 degrees Fahrenheit, leaving white meat chalky and fibrous. Inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the breast without touching bone prevents this failure by tracking protein denaturation in real time. Pulling the meat at 140 degrees accounts for residual carryover cooking during the mandatory fifteen-minute resting phase, where internal juices redistribute through relaxed muscle tissue instead of pooling on the carving board. Butter distributed beneath the skin melts directly against the lean pectoral muscle, creating a localized lipid barrier that shields the surface proteins from harsh dry oven heat while aromatics like crushed garlic and thyme infuse the rendering fats. When roasting without a traditional heavy roasting pan, a sturdy rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack allows adequate air circulation beneath the skin for even crisping. White wine added to the base of the pan introduces acidity and moisture, creating a flavorful steam environment that prevents the bottom of the cut from scorching during the initial blast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
