Looking for a fun way to serve the classic holiday bird? Try this perfectly seasoned turkey breast filled with a delicious stuffing made from cinnamon-raisin bread and Italian sausage. Then wrap the stuffed turkey breast in pancetta for a beautiful holiday table centerpiece.
Ingredients
- CINNAMON-RAISIN STUFFING
- 2 cups cubed gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread, ½-inch cubes, 4-5 slices
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion, small dice
- 2 stalks celery, small dice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¹⁄3 pound hot Italian chicken sausage, casings removed
- ¹⁄3 cup low-sodium, gluten-free chicken broth
- 3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- TURKEY
- 1 boneless turkey breast, 1½-2½ pounds
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1¼ teaspoons salt, divided
- 1¼ teaspoons black pepper, divided
- 3 pieces of kitchen twine, each 15 inches long
- 1 piece of kitchen twine, 22 inches long
- 15-20 thin slices pancetta
Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Place bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until toasted, stirring once halfway through.
Preheat oven to 400° F. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the sausage and use a spatula to break it up into small pieces. Cook until slightly brown and cooked through, stirring often, about 12-15 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, green onions, salt and pepper. Turn off the heat. Add the toasted bread cubes and stir until combined. Set aside.
Trim turkey of any tough tendons. Lay turkey breast skin side down on a cutting board. Cover with plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or meat mallet until ¼-inch thick. Remove plastic wrap and rub olive oil evenly over the turkey breast (this will keep it moist). Season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper.
Spread enough of the Cinnamon-Raisin Stuffing so that it covers the turkey in an even ½-inch thick layer, leaving a ½-inch border on all sides (place any remaining stuffing in the fridge). Roll turkey breast tightly around the stuffing, just like a burrito. Tuck in edges as you roll. With the seam side down, take each piece of kitchen twine and carefully slide it under the turkey roll so that you have 3 pieces ready to tie width wise and the longest piece ready to tie length wise.
Season the top of the turkey roll with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Lay the pancetta slices on top so that the turkey roll is covered on the ends and from side to side. It’s OK for slices to overlap slightly. Secure tightly with twine. Place on a rimmed baking sheet, seam side down.
Bake until a meat thermometer reads 165° F, 60-70 minutes for 1½-2 pounds and 70-80 minutes for 2-2½ pounds. The meat cooks fast in the final minutes, so check it on the early side of the bake time. After removing from the oven, cover with parchment paper and then foil. Let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting into ¾-inch slices. If you have any remaining Cinnamon-Raisin Stuffing, warm on low heat and serve alongside the turkey slices.
Make-ahead tip
* Prepare the Stuffed Turkey Breast a couple of hours before party time and keep on a baking sheet in the fridge covered with plastic wrap. Let it come to room temperature, about 30-45 minutes, before baking.
Nutrition Analysis: 400 cal, 27 g fat, 95 mg chol, 1090 mg sodium, 10 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 27 g protein.
Lauren Marie, who writes the popular gluten-free food blog LaurenMarieGlutenFree.com, never lets her gluten allergy hold her back from enjoying the delicious things in life.
