Roasted turkey breast was very tough

[Anonymous]

I roasted a turkey breast last night for dinner and sandwiches for the week, and it turned out with the most awful, chewy, tough consistency.

I've never roasted one before, so operator error is highly likely. I followed a recipe I found online that said just place it on a rack in the roasting pan in an oven set to 450, and as soon as you put it in the oven, reduce the temp to 350 and roast for an hour or until internal temp reaches 160. I carefully monitored it with a cooking thermometer so I know I didn't cook it for too long. The recipe said don't bother basting it since it's only in the oven for an hour or so. What did I do wrong?

[Anonymous]

You can try brining it beforehand, that helps keep it moist and tender. Also, slice across the grain into thin slices for serving.

Was it a free-range organic type turkey? As much as we all hate the idea of Butterball, they do tend to be more tender.

[Anonymous]

Cover it with foil next time, right after you reduce temp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can try brining it beforehand, that helps keep it moist and tender. Also, slice across the grain into thin slices for serving.

Was it a free-range organic type turkey? As much as we all hate the idea of Butterball, they do tend to be more tender.

Brining and slicing can make a world of difference.

Bone in and skin on is usually is juicier rather than no bone/skin.

[Anonymous]

I've never roasted one before, so operator error is highly likely. I followed a recipe I found online that said just place it on a rack in the roasting pan in an oven set to 450, and as soon as you put it in the oven, reduce the temp to 350 and roast for an hour or until internal temp reaches 160. I carefully monitored it with a cooking thermometer so I know I didn't cook it for too long. The recipe said don't bother basting it since it's only in the oven for an hour or so. What did I do wrong?

That sounds like the roasting method for a whole bird. Starting that high and going for an hour sounds like it would be guaranteed to dry out just a breast, especially if it's not on the bone.

Doing just the breast by itself is going to be hard. I'd look for a different recipe, and I agree with PPs that brining it will be the way to go.

Or try a non-roasting method, like braising or slow cooking.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all! It was a bone-in breast. I'll try some of those other methods next time. I love turkey sandwiches for lunch but hate processed deli turkey, so this is my goal!

[Anonymous]

Sounds to me like you purchased a breast from an old turkey, there is nothing a person can do that prevents it from being tough & chewy which I suspect was the case because you indicated you had monitored the temp (so over cooking is ruled out) and it was moist. I purchased my turkey from a new farm this year & I have the same issue & I’ve made plenty of turkeys, sadly some people sell grandma & grandpa turkeys. Try again but purchase a different brand turkey breast or from a different farm

[Anonymous]

I too, had the same issue this year! I purchased a 6lb, bone-in, organic turkey breast (fresh) from Whole Foods. YUCK!! Normally, I’m renowned for my turkeys at Thanksgiving. This was prepared and roasted exactly the same way I do every year. Only this one you could barely chew. I was SO disappointed!! I’m glad to know it wasn't’ just me.

[Anonymous]

This is an incredibly long time to cook a breast. I dry brine it and the breast takes 25 minutes for me using convection.

[Anonymous]

I used this recipe from Ina Garten and mine came out great. I think the wine in the bottom of the roasting pan helped keep it moist. I used a smaller baking dish instead of my huge roasting pan, and set the breast up on a bed of celery and onions because I didn’t have a small rack.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-roasted-turkey-breast-recipe-1943552

[Anonymous]

We used this recipe for our turkey breast and it was delicious!
https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/roasted-turkey-breast/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can try brining it beforehand, that helps keep it moist and tender. Also, slice across the grain into thin slices for serving.

Was it a free-range organic type turkey? As much as we all hate the idea of Butterball, they do tend to be more tender.

Brining and slicing can make a world of difference.

Bone in and skin on is usually is juicier rather than no bone/skin.

No brining is a waste of time. The temperature was way too high.

[Anonymous]

I was given a turkey by a local church I washed it out laid bacon all over it to keep it moist covered it with foil and cooked it at 350 as per recipe I found online, the bacon was something my dad always did. As with the original post even though it had a pop up thingy sticking out of the breast I carefully monitored it with an instant read meat thermometer the pop up worked before I got the temperature reading I was aiming at. Anyway the breast is as tough as shoe leather on the wrapper it says it is a young turkey. What in the world did I do wrong??

[Anonymous]

Butterball is pretty foolproof. Not calling you a fool, op, I just mean that butterball tends to turn out well.

[Anonymous]

Turkey breast? Blech. Turkey breast is basically dry wood.