This Dutch Oven Turkey Breast is incredibly juicy, succulent, and so flavorful! Perfectly roasted turkey breast with crispy skin, slathered in a garlic and herb compound butter and topped with homemade gravy. The only roasted turkey breast recipe you’ll ever need!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword christmas, holiday, thanksgiving, turkey breast
2-3 DAYS BEFORE COOKING: If your turkey is frozen, you want to transfer it to the refrigerator 2-3 days before you want to cook it so it can start to defrost. Keep the turkey in its original packaging, and place it in a large bowl or dish to catch any drippings.
30 MINUTES BEFORE COOKING: Pull defrosted turkey out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to cooking.
VEGGIE PREP: Chop vegetables and herbs and set aside. Save the zested lemon and cut into quarters, remove visible seeds.
MIX: Combine all the ingredients for the garlic and herb butter in a small bowl and mix well.
TURKEY PREP: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Unwrap your turkey, and take note of its weight so you know about how long to cook it! Trim any excess skin from the turkey breast and discard. If the turkey came with a gravy packet, you can discard it or add it into the homemade gravy. If your turkey came with any giblets, you can save for making stock. Pat the turkey down with paper towels to dry the skin well. Gently lift the skin of the turkey away from the breast to create a pocket. Give the turkey a generous sprinkle of salt, adding some in the central cavity as well. I like using gloves to make handling the turkey easier.
RUB: Rub down the dried turkey evenly with the butter mixture, concentrating most of the mixture under the skin. Using gloves or a silicone spatula makes this easier.
ARRANGE: Stuff the cavity of the turkey with a quarter of an onion, some carrot and celery pieces, a lemon quarter, and some fresh herbs. Place the turkey in the dutch oven skin side up. If you are using a leave-in meat thermometer (I highly recommend you do!), insert it into the thickest part of the turkey breast. Set the thermometer to alert when it reaches 165°F. Add the rest of the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and lemon pieces around the turkey. Drizzle olive oil on top of the veggies with a few cracks of salt and pepper.
ROAST: Roast the turkey, uncovered, for 20 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. I usually take the turkey out when it hits around 162°F, as the temperature will continue to rise when you remove it from the oven. Check the turkey periodically to make sure the skin isn’t getting burnt. If it starts looking too dark, loosely tent a piece of foil on top of it.
REST: Once the turkey is done, allow it to rest for 15 minutes before cutting into it.
GRAVY: While the turkey is resting, strain the turkey drippings into a glass measuring cup. Melt butter in a saucepan on medium low heat, and slowly whisk the flour into the melted butter, whisking out all the lumps. Let the roux cook for about 2 minutes while stirring. Slowly whisk the turkey drippings and chicken broth into the roux to make the gravy. Add in a few pieces of roasted carrot, onion, celery, and garlic cloves, and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until gravy reaches desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
CARVE: To carve the turkey breast, place it on a cutting board. With a sharp large knife, cut the breast from the bones by cutting gently down along one side of the breastbone. Once you hit bone again, curve your knife away from the center breastbone to cut the bottom of the breast away. Repeat on the other side. Slice the breast pieces against the grain to desired thickness.
SERVE: To serve, arrange the turkey slices with roasted veggies and fresh herbs on a serving platter with a side of gravy. Option to top with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Notes
The USDA recommends allowing one day of defrosting in the refrigerator per 4-5 pounds of turkey, so make sure to leave yourself enough time!
Snap a picture of your turkey label before you trash it so you can know the exact pounds! You'll need this for calculating defrosting time and cook time.
Patting the turkey dry with paper towels is key in getting a perfectly golden crispy skin.
Using a leave-in meat thermometer is the BEST way to ensure a juicy properly cooked turkey. Remove the turkey from the oven when it is 2-3 degrees away from 165°F, and the residual heat will cause the temperature to continue rising.
Roast an unstuffed turkey breast at 350°F for 15-20 minutes per pound.
How to store leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I find the turkey has the best flavor the first 1-2 days after cooking.
How to freeze: You can freeze leftover dutch oven turkey breast for up to 3 months.
How to reheat: Reheat turkey in the microwave. It may dry out as it reheats. Saving extra gravy can help with this.