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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I have so much exposed meat at either end of the roll. Could I pull off the skin and drape it over the outside and tie it up rather than have the exposed skin? Thanks! Real time here!
Sure, Gigi – that should work!
Thanks for answering my poorly-worded question on Thanksgiving eve. After I had pounded her out and rolled her up, the skin covered less than 1/2 the roll top. So I unrolled, removed the skin, re-rolled the turkey and draped the skin over the roll. The entire roll still wasn’t covered, but it was much better. I tied her up and it was great! The guests gasped when they saw it and it flew off the serving plate.
Thank you so much; I wish you continued success!
Sounds like it was a bit of a bumpy ride to get there, but so glad it turned out nicely – hope you had a great holiday! 🙂
When rolling, is any of the skin rolled under? In the pictures, it looks like all of the skin is outside and the ends folded over on top and tied. Thank you.
Hi Kathleen, A little bit does get rolled under but I have never noticed it in the finished roll. Hope that helps!
Wondering why you developed a sausage and herb stuffing recipe for the rolled turkey breast that is different from your recipe for Easy Sausage and Herb Stuffing. Is there anything about the Easy Sausage Stuffing that doesn’t work quite as well with the rolled turkey breast? I lean more towards the Easy Sausage and Herb Stuffing recipe since it gets such a huge amount of rave reviews. But I would like to hear any reasons/recommendations you have as to why the stuffing recipe included with the rolled turkey breast recipe might be a better option…
Hi Diane, This recipe is adapted from another source; I loved everything about the recipe so mostly keep things the same. Feel free to use the other stuffing here though, if you’d like.
I’m a meatcutter and I prepared one today for some clients of mine. I’ll find out how it turned out for them and let you know. I’m also contemplating cooking one myself. thanks
Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Hi! I have a very large crowd this year and would like to do a traditional turkey and this stuffed breast to make sure there’s plenty and add some variety. How should I proceed? Cook this before the big turkey and reheat? Or put it in the oven towards the end of the turkey roasting time?
Hi Elizabeth, this can definitely be made ahead (even up to 2 days) and reheated. See the bottom of the recipe for Make-Ahead instructions. Hope everyone enjoys and happy Thanksgiving!
Last Thanksgiving I made your Challah, Wild Mushroom, and Herb stuffing. Everyone loved it. Could this stuffing recipe be used in your stuffed turkey breast recipe? Any alterations to your original recipe?
Thank you!
Hi Rita, Glad you liked the stuffing! Technically it would work in this recipe, but keep in mind that the sausage in this recipe’s stuffing adds some fat and a lot of flavor. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it with that stuffing. 🙂
Have not made this yet so can not rate it. I have a question though.
The initial text says to place the breast skin side up and then beat it. The recipe says skin side down and then beat it. Which is it?
Thanks for pointing that out Sandra (and sorry for any confusion)! It should be skin side down. I just updated the recipe to reflect that. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
I was wondering about the two ends of the roll…any tucking and then tying them?
Also, what ‘Brand’ sausages would you recommend for best coordinating flavor? We usually don’t buy sausages so am unfamiliar.—would chorizo sausages work?
Do you drizzle gravy on top of rolls for serving?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Joojoo, because the ties are spaced about 1.5 inches apart, you tie close to the end of the roll but it’s not necessary to tuck the ends in. And any brand of Italian sausage will work. If you are unfamiliar with sausage, just ask the butcher in your grocery store. (I wouldn’t recommend chorizo though.) And I’d let all your guests drizzle the gravy on top of their slices. Hope everyone enjoys!
Hi, when reheating, do you spread out the slices or keep them together/stacked? Thanks!
Hi Denise, I’d lay them diagonally so they are overlapping a bit. (So not completely together, but not completely flat.) Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy!
The recipe was great! My friends loved it for our Friendsgiving. Easy to make. I had the butcher debone it and I Pounded it and stuffed and rolled it It’s definitely a keeper!