Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing and gravy – the perfect Thanksgiving meal for this year’s holiday.
Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing
This Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing is great when you don’t need to make a whole bird, such as for a smaller family Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving. I typically make this Dry Brine Turkey when I host a large Thanksgiving, but when I have friends over, or just want Thanksgiving any time, I love making this smaller turkey breast. Serve this dish with your favorite Thanksgiving sides like Green Bean Casserole, Spinach Gratin, or Scalloped Potato Gratin.
You can prepare the stuffed turkey a day ahead and bake right before eating. Butterfly the turkey breast and then roll it up with stuffing. Then, I place the skin back on and tie it with string. The skin makes the turkey even juicier, but you can discard it after cooking if you prefer. Covering the baking dish with foil, makes the turkey breast extra juicy with lots of pan drippings to make gravy.
How do you keep a turkey breast from drying out?
I used Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Foil to cover the turkey breast in the baking dish while roasting. The foil makes the turkey juicy while also creating pan drippings for the turkey gravy that would otherwise dry up. Once the turkey is cooked, I remove the foil and brown the skin under the broiler for a few minutes. The cranberry stuffing inside the turkey also keeps it from drying out.
How to Butterfly the Turkey Breast:
- Use a sharp paring knife and your fingers to remove the skin from the breast, reserving the skin. Turn the turkey over so the side that had skin faces down and lay it flat on the cutting board.
- Holding the blade of the knife parallel to the board about halfway down, slice into the thickest portion of the breast. Cut along the length of the breast but not all the way through.
- Unfold so that the turkey opens like a book. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until the turkey is of uniform thickness (about 1/4 inch).
More Stuffing Recipes You’ll Love:
- Stuffing Muffins
- Chicken Sausage and Herb Stuffing
- Mushroom Fennel Quinoa Stuffing
- Mom’s Stuffing, Lightened Up
- Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Stuffing
Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 large boneless turkey breast half with skin, (about 2 1/2 lbs)
- 1-1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 to 8 pieces cooking twine
- 1 teaspoon salted butter, softened
Stuffing:
- 5 ounces whole wheat french bread, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 medium onion, minced
- 1 large stalk celery, minced
- 4 fresh sage leaves, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon turkey or poultry seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and fresh pepper, to taste
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped
- 1 piece Reynolds Wrap® Heavy Duty Foil
Gravy (makes 2 cups):
- 2 cups turkey or chicken broth
- 2 leaves fresh sage
- 3/4 teaspoon turkey or poultry seasoning
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the Cranberry Stuffing:
- Stale cubed bread works best here, you can cut the bread the night before and let it sit to harden.
- If your bread is fresh, preheat the oven and bake the bread cubes on a large baking sheet at 250°F for about 30 minutes, stirring half way until the bread is completely firm.
- In a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the butter; when melted add onion, celery, parsley, sage, turkey or poultry seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and saute on medium low until soft, about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes then transfer to a large bowl and add the toasted bread and cranberries. Add broth, egg and mix well.
For The Turkey Breast:
- Remove the skin from the turkey breast and set aside keeping the skin in one piece and reserve for later.
- Trim the fat and remove the tenderloin.
- Place the turkey breast on a plastic cutting board and butterfly it open (see notes).
- Then cover the breast with plastic wrap and pound it to about 1/4” thickness in a rectangle shape.
- Season both sides of the turkey with salt. Spread the stuffing onto the pounded turkey breast leaving a 3/4 inch border around all the edges.
- Roll it jelly roll style and top with the skin.
- Cut cooking twine long enough to tie the breast with 4 to 6 pieces of twine. Cut off extra twine. Spread the butter on top.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Set the rack to the center of the oven.
- Transfer to a baking pan and cover tight with Reynolds Wrap® Heavy Duty Foil. Cook in the center of the oven until an internal temperature in the center of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees, about 45 to 55 minutes.
- Uncover the foil, then broil on high 5 to 7 minutes until the skin is golden. Allow it to cool 5 minutes while you make the gravy.
- Combine all the gravy ingredients in a pot along with any pan drippings and bring to a simmer, whisking well over medium-high heat.
- Cover and simmer over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until thickened. Discard the herbs.
- Cut off the twine on the breast and slice into 12 slices. Serve with gravy.
Last Step:
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Carbohydrates: 19.5 Fiber: 2 Sugar: 2.5 Protein: 49
Nutrition
Categories:
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Reynolds Wrap® Foil. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Skinnytaste possible. All thoughts are my own.
Made this for the first time the other day. Amazing flavor. Definately making this again soon!
Can this be prepped then frozen until the day before you cook it? It looks & sounds wonderful but time is an issue. Thank you.
Can you make this with a skinless turkey breast?
Yes but won’t be as pretty
We made your cranberry stuffed turkey roll for Thanksgiving I just wanted to let you know this was absolutely wonderful even my husband liked it he said it was better than any turkey recipe we’ve dohe rests me with done so I just wanted to let you know how great it was thank you so much for that great recipe
Its just harder to pound and roll
Can you sub breadcrumbs for the croutons? I don’t have any bread to use
It wont be the same
Excellent! Definitely worth the effort. Making for a second time in less than 2 weeks!
So good! I didn’t have dried cranberries so I subbed fresh sliced in half and added it to the celery and onion as I made the stuffing. Turned out moist and yummy!
Had an impromptu two person Thanksgiving and this recipe was PERFECT! So moist and delicious even though it was all white meat!
Thanks for a wonderful recipe during a weird year!
Question regarding the beaten egg? No instructions on where it is used?
Sorry! It gets added with the broth- fixed now! 🙂
Approximately how many cups is 5 oz of bread?
Planning to make this tomorrow and in looking at the recipe I don’t see where to add the egg? Am I missing something?
PS I love every. single. one. of your recipes. Thank you!!!
Can you prepare this the night evicted and then just pop it in the oven ?
I meant night before
This recipe was amazing. Moist and flavorful I highly recommend this to all. Unfortunately, my sous chef , my partner, and I did not communicate very well and purchased a bone in turkey breast but we learned how to debone it. But it all worked out and it was truly a wonderful pre Thanksgiving turkey.
It’s only gonna be my household for Thanksgiving this year, and 3 of the 5 of us (🙄 kids) don’t eat turkey so I’ve been looking for a a recipe to make using just breasts! This is PERFECT! Can’t wait to try it!!
What side of the foil do you use. Dull or shinny????
Hi, Gina, this looks delicious!
Please clarify if I purchase a 5 pound boneless turkey breast or 2 1/2 pound boneless turkey breast to make this.
Happy Thanksgiving, Ruth
,what happened to the tenderloin that was removed?
Not sure I follow?
Look under recipes for Turkey Tenderloin its there.
Hi – I love every skinnytaste recipe I’ve made, thank you! Could you make this in the air fryer? I don’t have an oven right now. Or should I just go with the slow cooker turkey breast recipe instead. Thanks.
If this fits in your air fryer it will be great!
Sounds so good. I had not thought of putting cranberries in the stuffing but will try it this year. I put them in everything else!! Love me some cranberries.
yum!