![Sliced turkey breast with orange wedges and sage leaves on a platter](https://assets.epicurious.com/photos/560aa3226a59cdb91b60182a/1:1/w_2560%2Cc_limit/51137810_turkey-breast.jpg)
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Active Time
30 minutes
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Total Time
2 1/2 hours
If you're sharing the holiday with asmaller group, we highly recommend a Thanksgiving turkey breast. You'll still end up with plenty of leftovers for what many consider the best perk of the Thanksgiving holiday: the day-after turkey sandwiches.
Editor's Note:This recipe is part of ourGourmetModern Menu for Thanksgiving for 2 or 20. Menu also includes:Roasted Butternut Squash Ribbons with Arugula, Pancetta, and Hazelnut Salad;Mashed Potato and Cauliflower Gratin;Cabernet-Cranberry Sauce with Figs;Challah, Sausage, and Dried Cherry Stuffing;and for dessert,Apple Crostata with Spiced Caramel Sauce.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings, with leftovers
Turkey:
汤:
Special Equipment
Roast turkey breast:
Step 1
Heat oven to 425°F with rack in lowest position. Discard any excess fat from inside turkey cavity. Pat dry inside and out.
Step 2
Stir together butter, sage, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Grate enough zest from orange to measure 1 teaspoon and add to butter mixture. Halve orange lengthwise and save one half for another use. Cut remaining half into wedges.
Step 3
Starting at wider, thicker end of breast, gently slide an index finger between skin and flesh of breast to loosen skin, leaving skin attached to breast at other end (be careful not to tear skin). Push butter mixture evenly under skin on both sides of breast, and massage skin from outside to distribute butter evenly.
Step 4
Put turkey on V rack in roasting pan and sprinkle all over with 3/4 teaspoon salt (if using a kosher turkey, see the Cooks' notes) and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Put orange and red onion wedges in area between rack and breast. Add 1 cup water to pan and roast turkey 30 minutes.
Step 5
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Rotate breast 180 degrees and baste with pan juices, then roast 30 minutes.
Step 6
Rotate breast again 180 degrees, and baste with pan juices. Tent breast loosely with foil and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast (test both sides, close to but not touching bone) registers 165°F, 25 to 40 minutes longer. (Baste with juices once more; if pan becomes completely dry, add 1/2 cup water.) (Total roasting time: about 1 1/2 hours.)
Step 7
Transfer turkey to a platter, reserving juices in pan. Let turkey stand, uncovered, 25 minutes. Discard orange and onion wedges.
Make gravy while turkey stands:
Step 8
Pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into 1-quart glass measure (do not clean roasting pan), then skim off and discard fat. (If using a fat separator, pour pan juices through sieve into separator and let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully pour pan juices from separator into measure, discarding fat.)
Step 9
Position roasting pan across 2 burners, then add 1 cup water and deglaze roasting pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Pour through sieve into glass measure containing pan juices. Add enough turkey stock to pan juices to bring total to 2 1/4 cups (if stock is congealed, heat to liquefy).
Step 10
Melt butter in a 1½- to 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add stock mixture in a stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Stir in any turkey juices accumulated on platter and simmer 5 minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper.
•If using a kosher turkey, reduce the salt sprinkled on the turkey breast to 1/2 teaspoon.
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Reviews (8)
Back to TopThis was a great recipe for our 10 person (with 3 small children) Thanksgiving. Plenty of meat - we used 5.5 lbs (three boneless breasts). Made following the exact recipe - the gravy came out particularly well!
ninadg
11/24/2017
I just tried this recipe and it is fantastic!! Followed recipe exactly, except I added garlic salt directly on top of the breast and white wine to the gravy. The turkey is moist and delicious and the gravy is very tasty with the citrus and wine. My guests loved it!
Bebe77
Washington, D.C.
1/18/2015
Fantastic! Turkey was moist and delicious! This is a keeper!
Gantos
Newport Beach
1/2/2015
This recipe is fantastic the beast turkey I have ever eaten very moist very tasty everyone at my dinner party raved over it! The only thing I did differently was add garlic powder and I placed the turkey directly on the pan no rack no water and did not turn the breast I just filled the cavity with the orange and onion. I will be making this my go to turkey recipe.
Lorpit
Nc
9/14/2014
How do you "Discard any excess fat from inside turkey cavity. Pat dry inside and out." when you're just cooking the breast?
debierose
Chicago, IL
12/2/2013
According to my Wife, this might have been the best turkey she ever had. The turkey was moist, and the citrus was a nice compliment to the turkey and sage. We did not make the gravy that accompanies the recipe.
rugbyprop3
密尔沃基WI
11/21/2013
This recipe received rave reviews from dinner guests. The best part, cook it a little earlier in the day, slice and put it in a crock pot on low. You won't miss any cocktails with your guests. Two 6-7 pound turkey breasts served 10 guests leftovers. Cooking time was 2 hours.
PALSCOTT
Bloomfield Hills, MI
11/6/2013
needed about an hour for a 6 pound breast instead of 30-45 minutes on the last session of roasting. So total time was about 3 hrs. 45 minutes counting the pre-cooking room temp. sit. Kept adding water to pan at each basting and turning. Didn't use onion because of Judy but did use orange slices in the pan. Next time I'll put them between the rack and the turkey as the recipe says. Didn't have the herbs or the lemon but will try them next time.
luattheridge
mesilla
12/23/2012