Stuffed Turkey Breast with Sausage & Herbs
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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.
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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
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- 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.
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Other reviews address de-boning, etc.
It makes a lovely presentation. For a smaller group or if the leftovers aren’t wanted, one option could be to devide the boned breast in two and freeze one half. It is a great deal of meat!
I added a cover of cheesecloth that I had brushed with olive oil, and removed about 30 minutes before it was estimated to be done. Do this if you are concerned about too much browning in your oven.
Check the temperature of the roast carefully and do not overcook. It gets dry quickly. With stuffing you need to be careful where your temperature probe is.
Tip: If your turkey breast is skinless, drape with overlapping strips of bacon and then proceed to tie off as noted.
Off topic …. but his method also works really well for pork tenderloins or any other roasted meat to keep them moist.
This is a fairly time consuming recipe but worth the effort. I had never deboned a turkey breast but used the same technique as when deboning a chicken breast. It was challenging to try to pound out the turkey breast to an even depth. Next time I would cut the breast into two pieces and roll them separately. I used challah bread for the stuffing. My husband loved it and I will definitely try it again. Makes a beautiful display on plate for company!
Phew! This recipe was a lot of work for me. I de-boned a turkey breast for the first time myself (thanks to the helpful video), butterflied it and was really worried that it was going to be too thick even after tenderizing it. Everything turned out really great and I got rave reviews from my family. The stuffing was absolutely delicious– I think I need to add more moisture to mine next time.
If I were to make this again, I would buy a de-boned/butterflied breast from the butcher just because it really was time consuming!
I made this for the two of us for Thanksgiving. We had lots of left overs and amazingly when reheated as you directed, the breast stays moist. I was a little concerned as this was the first year in many years that I did not brine. I live in New England and a friend in L A invited herself for next year when she saw the photo.
I am new to your site and everything I have tried has been superb!
Your rolled turkey breast sausage stuffing it says 9 cups of stuffing – how much is that – I have a 12oz bag
Please let me know
Thank you
Anne
Hi Anne, I believe a 12-oz bag is about 7-1/2 cups. You don’t need to go out and buy another bag; just use a bit less broth. Enjoy!
I asked Whoe Foods to butterfly my turkey. Most stores do not do it. I followed the recipe exactly as written except I used pork sausage. The turkey and stuffing was excellent. The turkey was so easy to serve.
Many compliments. A great recipe.
Jenn, can I roll and stuff the day before baking. If not can I debone breast, pound and then roll the day of baking? Would be nice if I could do it the day before.
Sure, Terry — either will be fine. You can even bake it a day ahead if you’d like (see reheating instructions at end of recipe). Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Jen,
Can I stuff and roll the turkey breast the night before, refrigerate, and then cook the next day? Thank you.
Hi Denise, Yes, but I would actually cook it a day ahead as well – it reheats beautifully.
I made two of these last year and will be making again for thxgiving this year. What am I thankful for this year? Your wonderful website and recipes. I love you Jenn!
Aww – so sweet! 😊
Getting brave this year and trying this. As much as the stuffing sounds great, I think I will use my family “french” hamburg, pork and mashed potato stuffing w/herbs. My question is, I am having a 20 lb turkey deboned for this, with white meat and thighs. How long should it be cooked? Should I buy a gravy supplement? And, in reading your comments about making a day ahead, doesn’t it dry it out at all/and or why is it better? With such a large bird should I cut it to do to separate rolls? Thanks in advance..I know this has to be a busy time for you and thank you for your prompt responses. Love your recipes and website!
Hi Linda, It’s hard to say without knowing exactly how much the breast weighs. Do you have any idea? If it’s larger than 5 pounds (w/o the bone), I would do two separate rolls. You can use this gravy recipe – there won’t be a ton of drippings but add what you can. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much Jenn..I haven’t weighed it yet, but it was a 20 lb bird before deboning, so it must be at least 16lbs? I will therefore do 2 rolls. Hopefully its not too big for this! Wish me luck!