We’re having a smaller dinner for Thanksgiving this year. Luckily, we all love the white meat of the turkey! So instead of making my gluten free roasted turkey recipe this year (see tips here), I’ll be roasting just breasts. If you’re cooking for a small crowd and enjoy white meat or need to cut back on fat in your diet, you’ll appreciate this recipe. I also link to other gluten free recipes and tips. Enjoy!
See my list of gluten free turkey brands.
Watch the video below the recipe to learn how to split a whole breast.
Roasting turkey breasts instead of stuffing, roasting, and basting a whole turkey is much less work. It's the perfect solution for white meat lovers.
Ingredients:
- Two 2 to 3-pound boneless turkey breast halves with skin
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions:
- If you purchased a whole turkey breast, the day or night before, debone per the below video. Set in the refrigerator overnight on a plate uncovered. Save carccass to make turkey broth.
- Thirty minutes prior to roasting, set the breasts out at room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 325ºF*.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Season the turkey breasts on both sides with salt and pepper and put them skin-side up on the baking sheet. Rub the outside of the skin with butter. Place the turkey breasts on the prepared sheet. Place on a shelf in the upper third of the oven if you need to bake stuffing at the same time. (You'll eventually place the stuffing on a shelf in the bottom third of the oven covered with foil. Then uncover the last 20 minutes.) Otherwise, place it on the center shelf.
- Rotate the pan(s) halfway through cooking, but keep them on the same shelf they were originally placed. Roast the breasts until the skin is golden brown, a total of 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. A boneless turkey breast should cook until it reaches 165ºF when tested in the thickest portion of the breast. (A bone in whole turkey is done when it reaches 180ºF.) However, undertook it, and then place it under a broiler until the skin is brown. I cookedcmine until it reached 155 degrees prior to broiling.)
- Transfer the breasts to a cutting board to rest for 10 - 15 minutes prior to slicing. Slice and serve.
Tips
High Altitude: Add approximately 5 – 10 minutes per pound.
*Consider roasting the breasts at 500 degrees F for about 10 minutes to seal in the fat.