Lemon Herb Roasted Turkey Crown (Printable Version)
Juicy turkey crown with zesty lemon and aromatic herbs, slow-roasted for flavorful results.
# What You Need:
→ Turkey
01 - 5.5 lb turkey crown, skin on
02 - 2 tbsp olive oil
03 - 2 tsp sea salt
04 - 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
→ Herb & Lemon Butter
05 - 7 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
06 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
07 - 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
08 - 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
09 - Zest of 2 lemons
10 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
→ For Roasting
11 - 1 lemon, halved
12 - 1 onion, quartered
13 - 2 carrots, roughly chopped
14 - 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
15 - 1 cup chicken stock
# How-To:
01 - Heat the oven to 350°F on fan/gas mark 4.
02 - In a mixing bowl, combine softened butter with chopped parsley, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, and minced garlic to create the herb butter.
03 - Pat the turkey crown dry with paper towels, carefully loosen the skin and spread half the herb butter underneath. Rub remaining butter evenly over the skin.
04 - Coat the turkey crown thoroughly with olive oil, then sprinkle sea salt and black pepper evenly all over.
05 - Arrange lemon halves, quartered onion, chopped carrots, and celery at the base of a roasting tray. Place the turkey crown breast side up on top.
06 - Pour chicken stock into the bottom of the roasting tray around the vegetables.
07 - Cook in the oven for 1 hour 45 minutes, basting every 30 minutes with pan juices. Cover loosely with foil if browning accelerates.
08 - Verify internal temperature at the thickest breast part reaches 165°F to ensure doneness.
09 - Remove from oven and let the turkey crown rest covered loosely with foil for 20 minutes before carving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The herb butter seeps under the skin and keeps everything impossibly tender while the outside gets gloriously golden.
- It feeds six people without taking over your entire kitchen or your entire day.
- Leftovers transform into the kind of sandwiches you find yourself thinking about three days later.
02 -
- Basting isn't optional—those 30-minute intervals are when the turkey drinks in all the flavors pooling below and stays incredibly moist.
- A meat thermometer is your best friend here; skipping it means either underdone turkey or dry meat, and neither is worth the guesswork.
03 -
- If your oven runs hot, lower the temperature to 170°C (340°F) and add 10-15 minutes to the cooking time; better to go slow than to rush and dry things out.
- Let the herb butter sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before applying—it spreads more easily and distributes more evenly under the skin.