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Try this easy turkey crown, then check out our roast turkey, turkey gravy, roast turkey breast and more Christmas turkey recipes. Accompany your turkey crown with our easy homemade cranberry sauce and bread sauce plus all the Christmas trimmings, from pigs in blankets to roast carrots and parsnips and Christmas red cabbage.

Looking for ideas with leftover turkey? Try our comforting turkey curry or leftover roast turkey pie and discover more leftover turkey recipes.

A turkey crown is the breast meat of the turkey, left on the bone. The legs and wings have been removed so it cooks much more quickly and is a great choice if your family are all white-meat lovers.

Ingredients

  • 2-3kg turkey breast crown
  • 2 small echalion shallots, roughly chopped
  • 100g butter, softened
  • a handful of leaves sage
  • 1 large onion, cut into thick slices
  • 2 carrots, halved lengthways
  • 2 sticks celery, halved
  • 500ml red wine
  • 4 tbsp port
  • 300ml strong chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp mashed with 1 tbsp of softened butter plain flour
  • 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly

Method

  • STEP 1

    Take the turkey crown out of the fridge an hour before you want to start cooking. Weigh the crown and calculate the cooking time at 20 minutes per kg, plus 1 hour (so a 2kg crown will take 1 hour 40 minutes; a 3kg crown will take 2 hours). Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.

  • STEP 2

    To make the herb butter, whizz the shallots, butter, sage and some seasoning in a small food processor. Starting from the fattest end of each breast, start to wiggle your fingers in between the skin and the flesh until you have a large pocket on either side. Push and spread the butter into the pockets then smooth down the skin.

  • STEP 3

    Scatter the vegetables on the bottom of a roasting tin and drizzle with a little oil. Season and toss. Sit the crown on top, then roast for your calculated time until the skin is golden and the meat is cooked through (to check, pierce the thickest part of the breast with a skewer – the juices should run clear). Take the crown out of the tin onto a large platter and leave to rest, covered with foil, for at least 30 minutes before carving.

  • STEP 4

    Tip all the vegetables and juices from the roasting tin into a large pan with the red wine, port and stock. Boil until the liquid reduces by 2/3, skimming off any fat that rises to the surface.

  • STEP 5

    Strain the liquid into a jug then pour back in the pan. Bring back to a simmer then add the flour and butter mixture a little at a time and whisk into the liquid. Simmer for another 3-4 minutes until thickened a little, then stir in the redcurrant jelly and simmer, stirring for a couple of minutes until the jelly melts. Serve with the turkey.

Try these four twists on a classic turkey crown:

Turkey crown with bacon recipe

We've packed this turkey crown with our homemade herby sausage, sage and parmesan stuffing, perfect for a standout Christmas centrepiece. Plus, it's covered in crispy bacon for extra salty goodness!

Porchetta-Style Roast Turkey Recipe

Turkey crown recipe with cider gravy

Cider, apples onion and thyme make the best gravy to go along with our easy turkey crown with bacon, just add roasties and you've got the perfect centrepiece!

Turkey Crown Recipe with Cider Gravy

Prosciutto-wrapped turkey crown

Looking for the perfect Christmas centrepiece? Try our crispy wrapped turkey with our homemade herb rub! We've made cooking turkey crown easy with our step-by step guide.

Stuffed Turkey Recipe | How to Make Prosciutto-Wrapped Turkey

Brined turkey crown with green herb butter

Make the most of left-over vegetables and herbs over the Christmas period in this flavoursome dry-brined turkey recipe. Put a few orange or lemon halves in the tray while the turkey roasts – they’ll get caramelised and charred, and will be great squeezed over the meat and veg

A cooked turkey crown on a plate with a slice taken out of it

Authors

Janine Ratcliffe Portrait
Janine RatcliffeFood director
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