This juicy Roast Turkey Breast is coated in garlic and rosemary butter and served with easy homemade gravy. Perfect for a smaller Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner when you don't need to cook a whole turkey.
Prep: Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/Gas 5.
Make the seasoned butter: In a small bowl, combine 1.5 tablespoons of Butter (melted), 1 Garlic clove (crushed), 5 g of Fresh rosemary (leaves only; chopped) and 1 tablespoon of Chicken seasoning.
Coat the turkey: Pat 1.2 kg of Turkey breast dry with kitchen paper, then coat it with the garlic and rosemary butter.
Add the vegetables: Put 2 Carrots (cut into chunks), 1 Onion (quartered) and 3 sprigs of Fresh rosemary into a deep roasting tin.
Add the turkey and stock: Sit the turkey breast on top of the vegetables and carefully pour 125 ml of Vegetable stock (low salt) into the bottom of the tin, avoiding pouring it directly over the turkey.
Cover and cook: Cover the roasting tin loosely with foil and roast for 50 minutes.
Baste the turkey: Remove the foil and baste the turkey with the roasting juices. Return it to the oven, uncovered, for another 20-30 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
Check and rest: Check the thickest part of the turkey with a meat thermometer. It should reach at least 75°C (167°F), held for 30 seconds. Remove the turkey from the oven, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
To make turkey gravy
Remove the vegetables: Remove the carrots and onion from the tin. You can serve these alongside the turkey if you like.
Remove the fat: Skim off as much fat as possible from the surface of the cooking liquid.
Transfer 250 ml of Turkey cooking liquid to a saucepan and top up with 250 ml of Chicken stock.
Make the slurry: Put 2 tablespoons of Cornflour (corn starch) into a small bowl and mix with 4 tablespoons of Cold water to make a smooth slurry.
Whisk in the slurry: Bring the cooking liquid and stock to a gentle simmer. Gradually whisk in the cornflour mixture, adding only as much as you need to thicken the gravy.
Simmer the gravy: Simmer until the gravy reaches your preferred consistency, then season if needed and pour into a gravy jug.
Notes
Baste just once. Basting the turkey with the roasting juices when you remove the foil helps coat it with flavour. You don't need to keep opening the oven, as this lets heat escape.
Check the temperature early. Turkey breast is lean and can dry out if overcooked. Start checking before the estimated cooking time is up, particularly if your joint is thin or your oven runs hot.
Always rest the turkey. Leave it loosely covered for 10-15 minutes before carving. This helps retain the juices and makes slicing easier.
Pat the turkey dry. This helps the butter and seasoning coat the surface. If the melted butter runs off, spoon it back over the joint; softened butter will cling better if you prefer a thicker rub.
Use the right roasting tin. A deep tin with enough room around the turkey works best. The size and shape of the pan can affect cooking time and how quickly the juices evaporate. The roasting tin in these pictures is 28x23x6cm (11x9x2½ inch).
Don't wrap it tightly in foil. Cover the roasting tin loosely during the first part of cooking, then uncover it so the turkey can brown. Keep a little liquid in the base of the tin so the vegetables and roasting juices don't burn.