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Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing

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Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing and gravy – the perfect Thanksgiving meal for this year’s holiday.

Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing with green beans.
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.

Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing up close

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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).

Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing ingredient shot.turkey breast pounded thinturkey breast with stuffingturkey breast stuffed and tiedturkey breast in baking dish with foil.Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing

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Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing

5 from 6 votes
3
Cals:484
Protein:68.5
Carbs:19
Fat:12.5
This Turkey Breast is stuffed with Cranberry Stuffing and served with gravy – the perfect Thanksgiving dish for a smaller crowd.
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing with green beans.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: 2 slices with 1/3 cup gravy

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.
    stuffing

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.
    foil on baking pan
  • 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.
    turkey rolled with stuffing.

Last Step:

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Notes

*Nutritional info without the skin based on a 2.5lb (raw) skinless turkey breast.
Yield: 6 servings, Serving Size: 2 slices with 1/3 cup gravy. Points 6G, 4B, 4P
Calories: 336calories, Total Fat: 7 Saturated Fat: 2, Cholesterol: 135.5 Sodium: 797.
Carbohydrates: 19.5 Fiber: 2 Sugar: 2.5 Protein: 49

Nutrition

Serving: 2 slices with 1/3 cup gravy, Calories: 484 kcal, Carbohydrates: 19 g, Protein: 68.5 g, Fat: 12.5 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Sodium: 1700 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 2.5 g

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.

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28 comments on “Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing”

  1. Can this be prepped then frozen until the day before you cook it? It looks & sounds wonderful but time is an issue. Thank you.

  2. Avatar photo
    Michele A. Matzen

    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

  3. 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! 

  4. Avatar photo
    Deanna Abbondola

    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!

  5. 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!!! 

  6. 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. 

  7. Avatar photo
    Sara with an H

    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!!

  8. 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

  9. 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.

  10. Avatar photo
    Leslie Susan Clingan

    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.