Stuffed Turkey Breast with Sausage & Herbs
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Looking for a smaller, more flavorful turkey option for the holidays? This stuffed turkey breast is juicy, packed with flavor, and cooks in just over an hour. It’s also make-ahead friendly and easy to carve—perfect for a stress-free holiday meal!
Whether you’re cooking for a smaller crowd for the holidays or looking for an alternative to traditional turkey, this stuffed turkey breast is the answer. Adapted from Patrick and Gina Neely, it is much more flavorful and juicy than your typical roast turkey and cooks in just 1¼ hours. What’s more, it can be made entirely ahead of time and is a cinch to carve. The hardest part of the recipe is pounding the turkey breast thin, so I suggest asking your butcher to do it for you. This recipe has become part of my family’s Thanksgiving tradition—everyone prefers it to traditional roast turkey, even the dark-meat lovers. Sometimes I even make it in addition to roasting a large bird to guarantee we have plenty of leftovers.
“I have been making turkey for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas for over 50 years…I have NEVER gotten rave reviews like I did this time.”
What You’ll Need To Make Stuffed Turkey Breast
- Butter: Adds richness and helps soften the vegetables for the stuffing base.
- Onion, Celery, and Garlic: Create a savory, aromatic foundation for the stuffing, adding layers of flavor and a slight crunch.
- Mild Italian Pork Sausage: Infuses the stuffing with savory, slightly spiced richness; chicken or turkey sausage can be used for a lighter option.
- White Wine: Deglazes the pan, adding acidity and depth to the stuffing.
- Fresh Rosemary and Thyme: Add earthy, aromatic flavors that complement the turkey and stuffing.
- Egg: Acts as a binder to hold the stuffing together.
- Stuffing Cubes: Serve as the foundation for the stuffing, absorbing the flavors from the sausage and vegetables. Store-bought is perfectly fine.
- Chicken Broth: Moistens the stuffing, ensuring it stays flavorful and tender during roasting.
- Parsley: Adds freshness and color to balance the richness of the stuffing.
- Turkey Breast: The recipe calls for a 5 to 6-pound whole bone-in turkey breast. Ask your butcher to bone and butterfly it for you, or, even better, see if they’ll pound it to 1/2-inch thickness to save you a step. If you prefer using a boneless breast, aim for one around 4 pounds to account for the missing bone weight.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Used to coat the turkey breast, helping it achieve a crispy, golden exterior.
- Homemade Gravy: The perfect finishing touch for serving, turkey gravy adds moisture and flavor to the dish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, make the stuffing. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until soft.
Add the garlic and sausage.
Continue to cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, rosemary and thyme. Cook for two minutes more, using your wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, stuffing cubes, chicken broth, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and sausage mixture. Stir until all the bread is moistened.
Place the butterflied turkey breast skin-side down on a countertop or work surface.
Pound to an even 1/2-inch thickness.
Spoon about half of the stuffing in an even 1/2-inch layer over the breast, leaving a 1-inch border all around. (You’ll cook the remaining stuffing separately.)
Starting at the long end, roll the turkey into a long cylinder.
Tie the roll with kitchen string with about 2 inches between each knot, and then trim the strings.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place an oven-proof rack over top. Place the turkey seam-side down on the rack, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roll reads 155°F.
Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest, loosely tented with foil for 15 minutes. The turkey will rise in temperature as it rests to 165°F. Snip the kitchen twine. Transfer the roll to a cutting board and slice into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange on a platter and serve with gravy.
You May Also Like
Stuffed Turkey Breast with Sausage & Herbs
Looking for a smaller, more flavorful turkey option for the holidays? This stuffed turkey breast is juicy, packed with flavor, and cooks in just over an hour. It’s also make-ahead friendly and easy to carve—perfect for a stress-free holiday meal!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 large stalks celery, finely diced
- 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 8 ounces mild Italian pork sausage, casings removed (or substitute chicken or turkey sausage)
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 9 cups store-bought seasoned or unseasoned stuffing cubes
- 1¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 whole (2 halves) (5 to 6 pound) skin-on turkey breast, boned and butterflied (see note)
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Homemade gravy, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sausage and continue to cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, rosemary and thyme and cook for 2 minutes more, using your wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, stuffing cubes, chicken broth, parsley, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and sausage mixture. Stir until all the bread is moistened.
- Place the butterflied turkey breast skin-side down on a countertop or work surface and cover with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the turkey breast to an even ½-inch thickness — this takes some time and muscle so be patient. Rub the meat with 1 tablespoon of the oil, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Spoon about half of the stuffing in an even ½-inch layer over the breast, leaving a 1-inch border all around. (Place the extra stuffing in a buttered 8-inch baking dish, and bake during the last 40 minutes of the turkey's cooking time.)
- Starting at the long end, roll the turkey into a long cylinder (start at the end with less skin; this way the skin will end up mostly on the outside of the roll). Don't worry if the stuffing peeks out in some spots. Tie the roll with kitchen string with about 2 inches between each knot, and then trim the strings.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place an oven-proof rack over top. Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray. Place the turkey seam-side down on the rack. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon oil and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roll reads 155°F. Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest, loosely tented with foil for 15 minutes. The turkey will rise in temperature as it rests to 165°F. Snip and discard the kitchen twine. Transfer the roll to a cutting board and slice into ½-inch thick slices and arrange on a platter. Serve with gravy.
- Note: Ask your butcher to bone and butterfly the turkey breast for you (you can also ask if they will pound it to a ½-inch thickness to save you a step later). If you're buying a boneless turkey breast, look for one that is about 4 pounds.
- Make Ahead: The recipe can be prepared and cooked 1 to 2 days ahead of time, covered, and stored in the refrigerator. Slice the turkey roll cold and reheat, covered, in a 300°F oven until warm, 40 to 45 minutes.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 1063
- Fat: 56 g
- Saturated fat: 15 g
- Carbohydrates: 53 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 82 g
- Sodium: 2100 mg
- Cholesterol: 253 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Hi Jen can I use regular stuffing( more like crumbs) rather than cubed ? Thank you
Sure, Maude, that’s fine. Hope you enjoy!
I am so sorry I misspelled your name. Thank you for the taking the time to answer my seemingly banal question. I had made your chicken salad with the dill but didn’t use my real name(used MKMD),but I wanted let you know that it was epic. Have made twice since then. XO Maude
XO
Hi!
I am about to do this receipe, but with a wild turkey breast. Is there something I should do differently or just follow the recipe? I thought that maybe the meat might be dry or less juicy.
Thanks in advance for your tips.
Louise
Hi Louise, I’ve never made this with a wild turkey, so I can’t say for sure if you’d need to make any changes, but I think it’s probably just fine to stick with the recipe. I’d love to hear how it comes out!
Hi Jenn,
I didn’t read the note and got 6lb boneless turkey breast. Should I multiply all the ingredients by 1.5 and cook at 350 degrees and how long would you reckon? So sorry I’m in a rush and don’t want to ruin it for a large gathering. Thank you so much! 🙏
Hi Oleda, Yes, I’d multiply the ingredients by 1.5. I’d keep the oven temp the same an,d as long as you pound it to a 1/2-inch thickness, the cook time will be about the same — maybe add an extra 10 min or so. Enjoy!
Great, thank you so much getting back to me so quickly! ♥️
It was really a “Jenn Segal” Thanksgiving at our house! I made 2 of the rolled turkey breasts, (everyone loves that sausage stuffing), your do ahead homemade gravy, do ahead mashed potatoes (the best!), cranberry chutney, and your light yeast Dinner rolls. Thanks for making our dinner so delicious!
💕
Hi, the only turkey breast I could find is skinless. Would you recommend any changes when using a skinless turkey breast? Thanks so much – happy holidays
Hi Catrina, It will still work fine with a skinless breast; just keep an eye on it and if it starts to look dry on top, you can lightly cover it with foil. You could also wrap it in bacon for extra flavor.
This is the best recipe ever. So moist, flavorful, and easy to carve. Thank you!
I cannot find stuffing cubes in my local grocery store. How do I make my own and what kind of bread should I use?
Hi Ella, You can make your own by cutting a fresh loaf of bread (I’d use French or Italian) into small cubes and letting it dry out overnight on the countertop (alternatively, you can dry the cubes in a 300°F/150°C oven for 20 to 25 minutes). Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn- This recipe looks fantastic! I’d like to attempt it with a smaller (3lb) turkey breast. Do you have any suggestions for adjusting the cooking time? Thanks so much!
Hi Mindy, I’d guesstimate it will take about 35 to 40 minutes, but to take out any guess work, use an instant read thermometer. You’re looking for the temperature to reach 155°F when it’s inserted into the thickest part of the roll. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Hi,
Can you make this in an oven bag while roasting? Also, could you wrap on top with bacon? Both to keep roast moist?
Thanks,
Hi Delia, I wouldn’t recommend making this in an oven bag as it won’t allow the skin to crisp up. It sounds like you’re concerned that the would be dry – aside from the skin crisping on the outside, the inside is nice and moist. That said, if you’d like to wrap the top with bacon, that would be fine; just remove the turkey skin first. Hope that helps!
Instead of cooking ahead of time, can you prepare this up until cooking and store for a day or two?
Thank you!
Yes – my preference would be to store it in the fridge for not much more than a day.
Hi Jenn,
If I needed turkey for 12, can I bake 2 of these in the oven at the same time? How much longer do you think I would need to bake them? Can I put them both in the same roasting pan?
Thank you!
Hi Lynn, You can definitely bake two at the same time in the same roasting pan if they’ll fit. I’m guessing it should take 10 to 15 minutes longer, but it’s hard to say – definitely use a remote meat thermometer to monitor the temperature.
Made several of your recipes and they’re always a hit with family and friends. Planning on this for Thanksgiving. Is there a substitute you’d recommend for egg? We found out recently my son is allergic.
Hi Mary, I would use an egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill or Ener-G – should work well here!
Thank you for the suggestion! Does the recipe really need 9 cups of stuffing cubes, or did you mean 9 oz?
The 9 cups is correct. 🙂
The rolled turkey came out so well! I skipped the egg in the stuffing, and did not use the substitute either. My kids loved it and it was gone so quick. Thank you again.