A few years back, I hosted my first Thanksgiving. I vividly remember calculating how many pounds of turkey I would need, whether to get a fresh or frozen turkey and then deciding how to cook it and for how long. Every year since, I have gone through the same process. And every year I’ve done things a bit differently in the never ending hope of finding a combination that will result in the perfectly seasoned, moist turkey.
This year I nearly made my Mom cry when I told her that I would be getting boneless turkey breasts, as opposed to a whole turkey. My thought process was as follows:
- Dealing with a 20+ pound turkey (raw or cooked) is a pain in the butt, especially after a few glasses of wine.
- I didn’t want to deal with the turkey neck/giblets yet again (its gross!)
- No one in my family likes dark meat.
- Cooking a whole turkey, and then letting it rest, takes HOURS!!
Thus, my proposed solution was perfect…but it would deny my family the picture perfect golden turkey being carved at the dinner table. And they were just going to have to deal with it.
And deal with it they did…and I can’t tell you how many compliments I got this year! The skin was crispy, the meat was flavorful and moist. And needless to say, there was plenty of white meat to go around! And it was so easy to make and took only about 45 mins from start to finish!
This is how I made by Oven Roasted Turkey Breasts…
I started with 2 2.5 lb skin on turkey breasts (they came connected but I cut them apart to make them easier to maneuver). I patted them dry and then seasoned both sides with salt and pepper.
I heated my cast iron skillet to medium/high heat and added 1 Tbs of ghee and a few smashed garlic cloves.
Once the ghee was heated, I placed the turkey breasts in the pan skin side down and cooked for 5 minutes to get a nice crispy skin. I then turned the breasts over and cooked them for another 5 minutes.
I then added 2 more Tbs of ghee, several sprigs of rosemary and thyme. I then basted the breasts in the seasoned oil for a few minutes. Basting (in case you are not familiar) involves tilting the pan so that the fat/ghee flows to one side, then using a spoon you ladle the fat over the top of the meat repeatedly.
I then placed the pan in a 325 F oven uncovered. Using a meat thermometer I cooked the breasts to an internal temperature of 150 F. It took about 25 – 30 minutes during which time I occasionally based the breasts.
After a bit of a rest, the breast were easy to handle and slice, and the meat was flavorful, moist and juicy. So guess what were having for Christmas dinner…Oven Roasted Turkey Breasts!
- 2 2.5 Lb organic turkey breasts
- 3 Tbs Ghee, separated
- 3 Garlic cloves, smashed
- 3 Sprigs fresh rosemary
- 12 Sprigs fresh thyme
- Salt/pepper
- Pre-heat your oven to 325 F.
- Take the turkey breasts (if they come connected, cut them apart to make them easier to maneuver), pat them dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium/high heat, add 1 Tbs of ghee and a few smashed garlic cloves.
- Place the turkey breasts in the pan, skin side down, and cook for 5 minutes to get a nice crisp skin.
- Turn the breasts over and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add to the pan 2 more Tbs of ghee, the rosemary and thyme and baste the breasts in the seasoned oil for a few minutes.
- Turn off the heat and insert a meat thermometer (if using).
- Place the pan in the oven uncovered and cook to an internal temperature of 150 F (it should take about 25 - 30 minutes) occasionally basting.
- Allow the meat to rest before slicing.