Herb-Orange Rubbed Turkey Breast
(makes 24 to 26 4-ounce servings)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients
4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 (3 to 4 pound) bone-in skin-on* turkey breasts
8 medium garlic cloves, quartered
Zest from 2 oranges
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
20 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth or water
5 medium ripe pears, halved and pitted
2 medium yellow onions, quartered
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
Heat oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
Rinse turkeys and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle half of kosher salt all over two turkey breasts.
Place garlic, orange zest, half of the thyme, half of the sage, and a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper on a cutting board and sprinkle remaining kosher salt on top. Chop until mixture is a rough paste (it should resemble cornmeal). Drizzle turkey breasts all over with half of the oil, rub with the paste, and let sit at room temperature while the oven heats up, about 30 minutes.
Arrange turkey breasts skin side up in a roasting pan fitted with a rack and pour broth into the bottom of the roasting pan. Toss onions and pears with remaining oil, season with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper, and arrange in the bottom of the roasting pan. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and roast until internal temperature of turkey reaches 140°F, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place honey and orange juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat as soon as it boils and set aside.
Remove foil, raise oven to 400°F and brush turkey liberally with the honey glaze. Roast until glaze is golden and turkey is 160°F to 165°F, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh thyme and sage, a pinch of kosher salt, and let turkey rest at least 10 minutes before carving.
*Bone-in turkey breasts are less common (you may have to special order them) than boneless, but they are worth seeking out because they have a nicer presentation and the bone lends more flavor to the final dish and helps protect against overcooking the meat. They are usually sold with the skin on, so use a paper towel to pull off the skin and discard before roasting. If you can't find bone-in turkey breasts, you can use boneless, skinless, but look for ones that don't have added brine or water solution as they'll be loaded with salt.
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories: 200
Fat calories: 25
Total fat: 3 grams
Saturated fat: 0 grams
Cholesterol: 60 milligrams
Sodium: 300 milligrams
Total carbohydrates: 10 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Sugars: 7 grams
Protein: 38 grams
Vitamin A IUs: 0%
Vitamin C: 6%
Calcium: 0%
Iron: 10%
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