Who says you have to roast an entire turkey for Thanksgiving? Sure, a formal bird can be grand, but one of our favorite turkey-day shortcuts is just as grand in flavor.

The recipe comes to us from Tequesta personal chef Lenore Pinello, who roasts this holiday-worthy turkey breast. The white meat is made extra moist because it's slathered with bacon-sage butter.

Her full recipe is below. But first, let’s walk through a quick tutorial:

MAKE a compound butter with fine bacon crumbles and finely chopped sage and rub it onto the skin-on turkey breast.

Make a compound butter of crumbled bacon, finely chopped sage and unsalted butter and slather it on the turkey breast.

Credit: Richard Graulich

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Credit: Richard Graulich

It should look like this...

The bacon-sage butter ensures a moist, flavorful finish.  

Credit: Richard Graulich

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Credit: Richard Graulich

PLACE breast in roasting pan and pour chicken or turkey broth and a little white wine into the bottom of the pan.

Chef Lenore Pinello pours a mix of broth and wine into the roasting pan as she prepares a turkey breast at her cooking space, In The Kitchen, in Tequesta.  

Credit: Richard Graulich

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Credit: Richard Graulich

ROAST at 375F degrees, uncovered, for about 1 hour, until a meat thermometer reads 160F degrees. Let turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Here’s the reveal...

Behold the ideal alternative to the full bird: a boneless turkey breast, roasted with a sage butter rub.  

Credit: Richard Graulich

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Credit: Richard Graulich

RECIPE: TURKEY BREAST WITH SAGE BUTTER 

Ask your butcher to roll and tie a large turkey breast, leaving the skin on.

For the turkey: 

  • One 7-pound boneless turkey breast, with skin on
  • 1 cup of chicken or turkey broth
  • ¼ cup white wine

For the rub: 

  • Bacon, 4 slices, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper

Make rub: 

  • In a bowl, combine bacon, sage, butter, salt and pepper and mix well to make a compound butter. (Make ahead: The sage butter can be made ahead and frozen for later use.)

Roast turkey: 

  1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
  2. Rub sage butter mixture on all sides of the turkey breast.
  3. Place breast in a roasting pan. Pour broth and wine into pan.
  4. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, until thermometer registers 160F degrees.
  5. Remove pan from oven. Remove turkey breast from pan and place in a rimmed sheet or board with a deep trench. (Reserve drippings to make gravy, or for serving.)
  6. Let turkey breast rest for at least 15 minutes.
  7. Remove butcher string and slice breast.

—  Recipe by Chef Lenore Pinello, owner and chief cook at In the Kitchen, Tequesta.

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Banks County 0 mile sign is displayed on Old Federal Road, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Carnesville. The boundary between Banks and Franklin mysteriously moved to the east, allowing the Banks sheriff to claim he lives in the county and keep his job as the top lawman. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)

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