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5 from 2 votes

Bone In Turkey Breast - Roasted

This bone-in turkey breast (turkey crown) has golden, crispy skin and moist, juicy white meat on the inside. It's a quicker, smaller alternative to roasting a whole turkey.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time4 hrs
Brining (optional)8 hrs
Total Time4 hrs 30 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Holiday
Servings: 6
Calories: 787kcal

Ingredients

Brine ingredients (optional for frozen turkeys)

  • 2 cups orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 4 sprigs rosemary
  • 8 cloves garlic sliced
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 sprigs fresh sage
  • peel from 2 oranges
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 16 cups water
  • 1 cup kosher salt

Turkey ingredients

  • 8 pound bone-in turkey breast with skin, remove gizzards from turkey's cavity.
  • 2 large onions quartered
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1 large carrot peeled and cut into pieces
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 4 sprigs rosemary
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 sage leaves
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 tablespoons salted butter softened
  • peel from 1 orange cut into thin strips
  • 2 cups turkey broth or chicken, store-bought

Gravy ingredients

  • 2 cups turkey drippings reserved from roasting
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Instructions

Brining the turkey (optional)

  • Simmer the orange juice, salt, brown sugar, cloves, rosemary, sage, bay leaves and orange peels in a small saucepan for 30 minutes. Let the liquid cool completely and then transfer to a large stockpot and add 2 gallons of cold water.
  • Place the turkey in the brine, cover the stockpot with a lid and place it in refrigerator for 8-16 hours.
  • Rinse the turkey under cold water to remove extra salt left over from the brine. Pat the turkey dry using paper towels.

Preparing the turkey

  • Preheat oven to 275°F. Rub the outside of the turkey with garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper.
  • Place a few onions, carrots, garlic cloves and pieces of celery in the turkey's cavity with a sprig of rosemary and a sprig of thyme. Use toothpicks to close up the extra skin at the bottom of the bird. You can tuck the skin in at the top cavity.
  • Place the remaining carrots, onions and garlic in the roasting pan and add the sage and remaining fresh herbs. Pour 2 cups of broth into the bottom of the pan.
  • Cover the roasting pan with foil and roast for 2 and ½ hours (or 20 minutes per pound).
  • When the turkey has about 10 minutes left of roasting time, combine the softened butter with the orange zest. Rub the turkey down with the butter and place it back in the oven, uncovered.
  • Adjust the oven temperature to 350°F and roast the turkey for 1 and ½ hours more (or 10 minutes per pound). Baste every 20-30 minutes. Once the internal temperature registers at 165°F, the turkey is done. Remove the turkey breast from the roasting pan and let it cool slightly before transferring to a cutting board.

Preparing the gravy

  • Remove the vegetables and herbs from the roasting pan that the turkey was in. Set them aside or discard them. Transfer the liquid from the pan to a spouted measuring cup. Once the fat settles on top, use a spoon to skim and discard the fat.
  • Reserve ⅔ cup of the liquid and transfer the rest to a saucepan. Make a slurry by whisking some flour into the reserved liquid and then pour the slurry into the saucepan.
  • Bring the saucepan to a simmer over low heat. The gravy will thicken as it simmers. Simmer for about 2 minutes or until it reaches your desired consistency.

Notes

  • Remove the plastic, pop-up timer that's inserted in the bird prior to roasting. A probe thermometer is much more reliable.
  • An 8 pound breast needs a full 36 hours to thaw.
Calculating roasting time by weight:
  • 1st stage of roasting (275°F): 20 minutes per pound (example: 8 pound turkey breast x 20 minutes = 160 minutes or 2.5 hours)
  • 2nd stage of roasting (350°F): 10 minutes per pound (example: 8 pound turkey breast x 10 minutes = 80 minutes which is around 1.5 hours)
For an 8 pound, bone-in breast the total roasting time is about 4 hours.

Nutrition

Calories: 787kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 132g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 368mg | Sodium: 1797mg | Potassium: 1605mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2629IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 4mg