Roasted Turkey Breast with Raspberry Glaze

 

 

Turkey isn’t just for Thanksgiving, but can be made anytime throughout the year. This is a recipe for a delicious roasted turkey breast with a raspberry glaze.

Ingredients

1 whole turkey breast
4 tbsp. butter
Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 c. raspberry preserves
4 tbsp. port wine
3 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Directions

First, place your turkey on a roasting pan and preheat your oven to 325* F. Then, making sure it is softened, cover the entire surface of the turkey breast liberally with 4 tbsp. butter (you can either let the butter sit out for 30 minutes at room temperature, or you can microwave it for 10 seconds). Cover the turkey breast with the kosher salt, then again with the freshly ground pepper. Place the turkey into the preheated oven. You will cook the turkey for 25 minutes per pound, making sure that the thickest part of the breast reaches the internal temperature of 165* F.

Once your turkey is in the oven, you can begin to make your raspberry glaze. Place a small sauce pan over medium to high heat. Put in 3 tbsp. butter, and then add 1/2 c. raspberry preserves, 4 tbsp. port wine, and 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce. Stir this over medium to high heat until butter is melted. By this point, the consistency of the raspberry glaze should be smooth. Taking a glazing brush, liberally glaze the turkey with the raspberry glaze every 15 minutes until the turkey breast is done. After many layers, the glaze will be incorporated in to the skin and meat, giving it lots of extra juicy flavor.

When the turkey is done, and the thickest part of the breast has reached the desired internal temperature of 165* F, remove it from the oven and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature to allow the juices in the meat to set. Slice to serve, paying close attention to keeping the glazed skin intact on each piece of meat for flavor.

In general, roasting a turkey breast is hard work, so you’re better off following a few guidelines if you are roasting your first bird. Here are some good tips to follow before you put your turkey breast in the oven. If you aren’t making the turkey breast with raspberry glaze, chop up onion, celery, and carrots to add flavor to the juices and enhance the aroma throughout your kitchen. Be sure to salt and pepper the entire surface, including the underside and the bones, for flavor. Remember that frozen turkey breasts are actually fresher than fresh turkey breasts because they are frozen at the peak of freshness, while fresh turkey breasts will have to be shipped to the grocery store after being packaged and will sit in the store until purchased. But, always remember to allow your frozen turkey to thaw completely before roasting. Avoid using the disposable aluminum pans, as these are too flimsy and may not be able to hold your turkey breast, and could be a hazard when removing it from the hot oven. Adding 1 cup of chicken broth or chicken stock to the bottom of the roasting pan will make your turkey breast moist. Cooking bags are a great idea in which to roast your turkey. They will automatically baste the turkey and will also make the meat moist.

While the turkey is roasting, use the pop up thermometer as a guide but only rely completely on a meat thermometer put into the thickest part of the meat. The internal temperature should always be 165* F. A shallow roasting pan will allow the air to flow more adequately around the turkey breast, making it cool more evenly. To keep moisture in the breast meat, cook it breast side down, then turn it over during the last hour to brown the breast. Use a turkey baster to make sure you’re getting enough of the juices to thoroughly baste the breast completely. This will get more liquid to disperse on the top at one time. And if you find that your turkey is browning too soon before the cooking process is complete, putting an aluminum foil tent over the breast will keep it from getting too dried out.