A bone-in turkey breast, rubbed in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and baked. Pictured here with southern cornbread, dressing and skillet green beans with turkey gravy.

Classic Oven-Roasted Bone-in Turkey Breast

One thing that I have certainly learned in this world of cooking is that when it comes to large cuts of meat, you really need a digital in-oven probe-style meat thermometer (#ad), and not just the typical stick-in instant read thermometer.

I bought this Polder back in 2012 and so far it's still hanging in there!

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Since all ovens vary in the way that they cook, using a digital in-oven thermometer means that you can insert the probe, set the temperature you need the meat to reach and it will set off an alarm as soon as that temperature is reached. There's no need to keep opening the oven and removing the turkey toward the end of the cooking time to keep checking the temperature because every time you do that you lose some heat.

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Typically, when it comes to roasting a whole turkey, I have also always relied on a brine. Nothing is worse than a flavorless and dry roasted turkey and a brine will give you a bit of insurance to get that juicy result we all want!

This time though, I decided to be a rebel.

Since I wasn't roasting a full turkey for a holiday dinner, but chose to do a bone-in breast for just us for any day, I took a risk. I didn't use a brine at all, but I did use my Polder (#ad).

Thankfully, it turned out tender and delicious, so that in-oven thermometer makes a difference!

Here's what you'll need to make my Classic Oven Roasted Bone-in Turkey Breast:

• 6 to 8 pound bone-in turkey breast
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning, or to taste, optional
• 2 cups apple cider or apple juice

For the Gravy:

• 1/2 cup fat (bacon drippings, cooking oil, butter, or a combination)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (more or less) room temperature turkey or chicken stock/broth including reserved, defatted drippings
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Here's how to make it!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a V-rack in a roasting pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. If you don't have those, you can place the turkey breast on a layer of chunky onions, carrots and celery in an extra large oven safe skillet or baker as a substitute for a rack.

Place turkey breast side up on the rack and rub with olive oil all over, inside the cavity of the breast, underneath and on the top.

Rub half of the salt inside the cavity and sprinkle the remainder all over the top of the turkey breast. Sprinkle with black pepper and Creole or Cajun seasoning, if using. Add half of the apple cider or juice in the roasting pan and set the remainder aside so you can refresh it as needed during the roasting time.

If using an electronic in-oven timer, insert the probe into the thickest part of the breast without touching any bone and set for 165 degrees F. Bake, uncovered, about 25 minutes per pound (roughly 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours, depending on size of the breast) or until juices run clear when poked with the tip of a knife. Internal temperature should reach 165 degrees F if using an instant read thermometer (#ad).

Use a turkey baster (#ad) to baste breast with juices from the roasting pan periodically, about every 30 minutes, adding the remaining apple cider to the roasting pan as needed.

I purchased this roaster with a rack many years ago and it was a great purchase. Using a V-rack in a roasting pan (#ad) holds the meat steady while elevating it, keeping it from getting soggy on the bottom and allowing the air to circulate all around for more even cooking, and allows the fats to drip away from the meat and giving you some great pan drippings for basting and gravy.

When temperature is reached, remove from oven, carefully transfer breast to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil to keep warm. Defat pan drippings (#ad) to make gravy if desired.

Let rest for 10 minutes before carving and transfer slices to serving platter.

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Posted by DeepSouthDish.com on November 18, 2024

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