Easter is fast approaching, and what better way to celebrate than with a delicious pan-roasted turkey breast? This dish serves two to four people, which makes it perfect for a smaller gathering. The turkey breast is cooked right in the sauce, so it picks up all that wonderful flavour and stays nice and moist. Serve it with roasted spring vegetables, and you've got a meal to remember. Let's get to it.
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This post is written as a paid partnership with Turkey Farmers Of Canada and thinkturkey.ca
Getting Ready
Once you start cooking this pan-roasted turkey breast, things are going to happen pretty quickly. So, you want to make sure you have all of your ingredients prepared and ready to go. The ingredients are one bone-in skin-on turkey breast, one cup of sliced onion, one tablespoon of sliced garlic, a quarter cup of brandy or white wine, one cup of water or stock, one tablespoon of sliced sage, one teaspoon of chopped thyme, and a bit of salt and pepper.
Prep the turkey breast by patting it dry with a paper towel, then season it on both sides with salt and pepper. Patting the skin dry is essential because moisture on the surface will prevent you from getting that beautifully crisp, golden skin. If you have time, you can even leave the turkey breast uncovered in the fridge for an hour before cooking to help dry out the skin even further.
Cooking the Pan-Seared Turkey Breast
Searing the Turkey Breast
The most important step in cooking the pan-roasted turkey breast is to get a really nice sear on it: the more colour, the more flavour. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add in two tablespoons of olive oil. Put the turkey breast in the pan, skin-side down and leave it alone for about five minutes or until it is brown. Flip and cook for another five minutes to brown the underside.
Resist the urge to move the turkey around in the pan. Leaving it undisturbed allows the Maillard reaction to work its magic, creating that deep, savoury crust that gives the dish so much of its character. If you find the skin is sticking, give it another minute -- it will release naturally once it is properly browned. This same searing technique works beautifully for other proteins as well, like the pork chops with creamy mushroom sauce or a simple herb and garlic roasted beef.
Building The Sauce
Once the turkey's browned, take it out of the pan, set it aside, and turn the heat down to medium. Add in one more tablespoon of olive oil along with the onions and cook for two minutes, stirring every thirty seconds or so. Add in the tomato and garlic and cook for one more minute.
Deglaze the pan by pouring in the brandy and scraping all the brown bits off the pan's surface. Those brown bits -- called fond -- are packed with concentrated flavour, so make sure you get every last one of them. After about a minute, or once the brandy has almost completely evaporated, add the water and herbs.
Finishing The Turkey Breast
The final step in cooking the turkey breast is to add it back into the pan and bring the liquid to a boil. Put a lid on the pan, turn the heat to low and simmer for 35 minutes or until the turkey's internal temperature reaches 165°f. Take the turkey out of the pan and set it aside to rest for ten minutes.
The sauce should be the consistency of chunky salsa. If it is too thin, put it back on the heat until it reaches the desired consistency. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed. While the turkey is cooking, check the pan every ten minutes to ensure the water level isn't too low. If it seems like the pan is going to cook dry, add another half cup of liquid.
Letting the turkey rest is just as important as the cooking itself. Resting allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, so when you slice into it, those juices stay in the turkey rather than running out onto the cutting board. Ten minutes is all you need -- cover it loosely with foil to keep it warm.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bone-in skin-on turkey breast
- 3 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 cup thinly sliced onion
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon sliced garlic
- ¼ cup brandy
- 1 cup water or stock
- 1 tbsp sliced sage
- 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
- kosher salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Pat the turkey breast dry with a paper towel and season on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and put the turkey breast on the skin side down. Cook the breast for 5 minutes, flip and cook for 5 more minutes. Take the turkey breast out of the pan, set it aside, and turn the heat down to medium.
- Add the remaining olive oil and the onion to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so. Add in the tomatoes and garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the brandy, cook for about a minute or until it has mostly evaporated, then add the water or stock and the herbs.
- Return the turkey breast to the pan, let the water or stock come to a boil, put a lid on the pan, turn the heat to low and simmer for 35 minutes or until the turkey's internal temperature reaches 165°f. Check the pan every 10 minutes as you may need to add a little more liquid.
- Take the turkey out of the pan and set it aside to rest for 10 minutes. The sauce should be the consistency of a thick salsa. If it is too watery, put it back on the heat for a minute or two. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Remove the bone from the turkey breast and discard it. Thinly slice the breast and serve with the sauce on top.
Roasted Spring Vegetables
The spring vegetables include one pound (454 g) each of baby yellow potatoes, baby carrots, and asparagus. Cut the potatoes in half and put them in a medium pot with the carrots. Cover with cold water and put the pot on the stove on high heat. Bring the pot to a boil and cook for five minutes.
Drain the potatoes and carrots and let them sit in the colander for three minutes to steam. This quick blanch and steam step is a little trick that ensures your potatoes are perfectly tender inside while still getting crispy on the outside in the oven. Break the ends off the asparagus and discard them. Put the tops of the asparagus in a medium mixing bowl, add the carrots and potatoes, along with two tablespoons of olive oil, one teaspoon kosher salt, and a quarter teaspoon black pepper. Spread the vegetables out onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and roast in a 400°f oven for 30 minutes.
A tip for the asparagus: rather than cutting the ends with a knife, bend each spear near the bottom and it will naturally snap at the point where it goes from tough to tender. This way, you never have to guess where to cut.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb baby yellow potatoes
- 1 lb baby carrots
- 1 lb asparagus
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 400°f.
- Cut the potatoes in half and put them in a pot with carrots. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil on high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain and let sit to steam in the colander for 3 minutes.
- Break the ends off the asparagus and put in a medium mixing bowl with the potatoes, carrots, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Spread the vegetables out onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes.
Serving The Pan-Roasted Turkey Breast
To serve, remove the bone from the turkey breast and discard it. Thinly slice the breast. Spread the roasted vegetables out onto a serving platter and fan the turkey breast out over the vegetables. Spoon the sauce over the turkey and enjoy.
If you want to take the presentation up a notch, arrange the vegetables in groups by colour around the edge of the platter, then lay the sliced turkey down the centre. A few fresh sage leaves scattered on top make a lovely finishing touch. This is the kind of dish that looks like it took all day but really comes together in about an hour.
Final Thoughts
This pan-roasted turkey breast has become one of my favourite dishes to make for smaller holiday gatherings, and I think you will love it just as much. The herbed tomato sauce is bursting with flavour, and those roasted spring vegetables bring such a lovely freshness to the plate. It is the kind of meal that feels special without being fussy, and that is exactly what I look for when I am cooking for the people I care about.
If you give this recipe a try, I would love to hear how it turned out. And if turkey is your thing, be sure to check out thinkturkey.ca for more great turkey recipes and inspiration. Thank you to Turkey Farmers of Canada for sponsoring this post.
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