Roast Turkey Crown is a simple recipe that makes Christmas. The oiling of the skin, then the butter and finally the dry seasoning makes this a moist Turkey crown with crispy skin every time. A Roast Turkey Crown is ideal for those with fewer people to feed and where white meat is preferred. The dark meat tends to be on the legs and wings.
Using onions, celery to place in the cavity supplies a surprising amount of flavour and as they cook. Also, they help to keep the Turkey meat lovely and moist. However, this meat only tends to be cooked at Christmas and Thanksgiving sadly. Serve with Low Fat Roast Potatoes, Honey and Orange Carrots, Sage and Onion Stuffing and Mum’s Yorkshire Puddings.
Once the turkey crown has been carefully prepared and seasoned, the real magic happens in the oven. As it roasts, the butter melts beneath the skin while the seasoning develops into a wonderfully savoury crust. Meanwhile, the onion and celery tucked inside the crown release their flavour, helping create delicious juices that can later become the foundation of a rich gravy.
One of the great advantages of a turkey crown is how manageable it feels compared with roasting a whole turkey. There is less preparation, less carving and, importantly, less worry about ending up with dry meat. The crown provides plenty of tender white meat, making it particularly appealing when your family or guests prefer breast meat.
However, patience still makes a difference. Once the crown comes out of the oven, giving it plenty of time to rest allows the juices to settle back into the meat. Covering it loosely with foil helps retain the warmth without trapping too much steam against the crisp skin. This is also a useful opportunity to finish the gravy and get those final side dishes onto the table.
When it is time to carve, use a sharp knife and cut across the breast into neat slices. Serve each portion with plenty of gravy and traditional accompaniments such as roast potatoes, stuffing, carrots and Yorkshire puddings. Cranberry sauce also brings a lovely sharp contrast to the rich turkey.
Best of all, any leftovers can be enjoyed long after the main meal. Cold turkey makes excellent sandwiches, while chopped leftovers can find their way into salads, pies, pasta dishes and comforting soups. That makes a turkey crown not only a wonderful centrepiece but also a practical choice for a memorable festive meal. (The Recipe)
Roast Turkey Crown
Ingredients
Turkey Crown
- 1 fresh turkey crown 2.4 – 2.6kg
- 1 medium onion quartered
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 60 g unsalted butter soft
- olive oil
- salt to taste
Dry Seasoning
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp lemon pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp sage
Instructions
- Place the turkey crown in a roasting tin and rub oil or olive oil over the skin. This will help to crisp it up.1 fresh turkey crown, olive oil
- Preheat oven to 160 C / Gas 3.
- Place the chopped onion and celery in the cavity of the turkey.1 medium onion, 2 stalks celery
- Use a dessert spoon to carefully separate the skin from the meat and push some of the butter between the skin and meat. Also rub any remaining butter over the skin for extra crispiness.60 g unsalted butter
- Mix lemon pepper, sage, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika in a bowl to create the dry seasoning. When thoroughly mixed sprinkle over the turkey.1 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp lemon pepper, 1 tsp sage, 1 tsp paprika
- Season with salt.salt
- Roast in the already preheated oven. I tend to baste the crown every 25 – 30 minutes with its own juices.
- If you pierce the thickest part of the crown with a skewer and the juices run clear i.e. no red or pink, it means the crown is cooked. Or you can use a special temperature gauge. It should be about 2 1/2 hours.
- Transfer the turkey crown to a warmed platter and keep warm using kitchen foil and a towel. The turkey will retain its heat far longer than you think.
- Carefully skim off most of the fat that has risen to the top of the juice and retain to flavour the gravy. Check out our simple gravy recipe.
39 comments
This is the only recipe for a turkey crown I use. Bar far the best.
We had eight people for dinner and the crown gave us more than enough meat. The leftovers were excellent in sandwiches the following day.
Such an easy way to cook turkey for a smaller gathering. There was plenty of meat for everyone, and we had enough left for sandwiches the next day.
I usually find turkey rather dry, but this stayed beautifully juicy. The crispy skin was probably my favourite part.
Really impressed with how moist the turkey was. Basting it regularly kept the surface from drying out and gave us plenty of tasty juices.
I appreciated not having to deal with a whole turkey. The crown fitted easily into my roasting tin and left plenty of room for everything else.
Very good overall. I used a little less butter because I was making a smaller crown, but there was still plenty of flavour and the skin crisped nicely.
I used a mixture of fresh herbs instead of all the dried seasoning. It was slightly different from the original but still produced a delicious roast.
This is a fantastic option for a family Christmas. We do not need a whole turkey, so the crown gives us exactly the meat everyone enjoys.
A proper crowd-pleaser. Everyone commented on how tender the turkey was, and the leftovers disappeared almost as quickly as the main meal.
This has become my preferred way to cook turkey. There is far less waste than with a whole bird, and the breast meat is exactly what my family wants.
The skin came out beautifully crisp and golden. Underneath, the breast meat was tender enough to cut easily with a fork.
The onion and celery inside the crown added a subtle savoury flavour. I also used the cooking juices for gravy, which turned out delicious.
This was my first time cooking a turkey crown and it went surprisingly well. The instructions were straightforward and the result looked and tasted great.
Very tasty and easy to prepare. I personally prefer a little more seasoning, so next time I will increase the garlic and paprika.
A very reliable Christmas recipe. The turkey was tender, flavourful and looked impressive when sliced and served with gravy.
I enjoyed this very much, although I added a little extra sage because we really like its flavour. The turkey remained moist and the skin was lovely.
I normally avoid cooking turkey because I worry about drying it out. This recipe has changed my mind because the crown stayed surprisingly moist.
The crispy skin was fantastic. I made sure to rub the oil over the crown properly before adding the butter and seasoning.
I made this with roast potatoes, stuffing and carrots, and it made a brilliant Sunday-style roast. I would happily cook it outside the festive season too.
Moist, savoury and wonderfully festive. The combination of butter, paprika, sage and lemon pepper gives the turkey a much-needed flavour boost.
The butter under the skin is a great idea. It seemed to keep the meat wonderfully moist while helping the skin become golden.
The turkey was excellent and much easier to carve than a whole bird. I especially liked the flavour from the onion and celery.
I cooked mine for slightly less time because my crown was smaller. Using a thermometer helped me make sure it was properly cooked without drying it out.
The resting stage made a noticeable difference. The meat stayed warm and juicy, and carving was much easier after giving it time to rest.
This made our Christmas dinner much less stressful. A turkey crown is definitely easier to manage than a whole bird, especially when you are cooking several other dishes.
I served this with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, carrots and stuffing. It made a superb traditional dinner and there was enough leftover turkey for another meal.
I followed the recipe closely and was rewarded with tender meat and plenty of flavour. Everyone went back for more.
I liked the recipe, although I covered the crown loosely with foil for part of the cooking time. I removed it towards the end so the skin could crisp properly.
This turkey crown was wonderfully moist and full of flavour. The butter under the skin made a huge difference, while the lemon pepper and sage gave it a lovely festive taste.
The combination of garlic, onion, paprika and sage worked really well. It gave the turkey much more flavour than the plain roast turkey I normally make.
The lemon pepper gave this a welcome little kick. It stopped the turkey from tasting bland and made the whole dish feel more interesting.
The preparation was simple, but the finished turkey tasted like something much more complicated. Definitely one I will make again.
I loved putting the butter underneath the skin. The meat was tender, and the skin turned wonderfully golden and crisp.
I made the gravy from the roasting juices and it was outstanding. The onion and celery seemed to add extra depth to the juices.
The seasoning mixture gives the turkey a lovely savoury crust. I particularly noticed the sage and lemon pepper, which worked beautifully together.
The seasoning was excellent. The lemon pepper adds a little brightness without overpowering the turkey.
Deliciously juicy turkey with lovely crisp skin. The gravy made from the roasting juices was the perfect finishing touch.
This is exactly what I want from a roast turkey crown: crisp skin, juicy white meat and plenty of flavour without making the cooking process complicated. It has earned a permanent place on our festive menu.