Turkey Breasts

Turkey breast is very popular in the United States and Canada as a roast and ingredient in sandwiches. A whole turkey breast also takes up less space in your refrigerator and cooks in less time than a whole turkey. A turkey breast is the meat from the chest of the turkey. This large cut is the only white meat on the bird. Because of this, it’s a little more expensive per pound than a whole turkey, but it’s also easier to work with and store.

How to Cook Turkey Breast
Turkey breast can be roasted whole in the oven, grilled, or smoked, or sliced into thin cutlets and pan-seared. It can also be prepared in an electric pressure cooker or slow cooker. A boneless, skin-on breast can be butterflied, stuffed with ingredients like herbs, mushrooms and breadcrumbs, then rolled up, tied and roasted for an attractive holiday entree.

As with a whole turkey, turkey breast can be dry-brined or wet-brined with spices, herbs and other flavorings before roasting. Use skin-on, bone-in turkey breast if roasting whole, since it stays juicier when roasted and its crisp skin boosts flavour and texture. Turkey breast is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 165°F. Allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before carving into slices against the grain and serving.

A whole, bone-in turkey breast will serve between 3 and 10 people as an entree depending on its size—plan on buying 1¼ pounds of bone-in turkey breast per person.