This moist, flavorful Turkey Roulade is a showstopping alternative to a whole roasted turkey for Thanksgiving! Here, I’ll be showing you how to make a turkey roulade.
This is a comprehensive guide to prep and assemble a full, on the bone turkey breast, and make it into a boneless, ready for roasting turkey roulade.
This year, like in years past, we won’t be prepping a whole turkey for our Thanksgiving spread. That’s a lot of food for just the two of us, too much clearly, and I’m not very fond of eating leftovers for a whole week. So the answer is to cook a smaller turkey dish, like a slow cooked turkey breast or oven roasted turkey breast or turkey legs even.
This year I’m making a Turkey Roulade with turkey breast! And here I’ll be showing you how to prep the turkey roulade.
A turkey roulade is an elegant and delicious alternative to roasting a whole turkey for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It makes for a beautiful presentation, and can be filled with your favorite stuffing or flavored however you like. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making a moist, flavorful turkey roulade for your next holiday meal.
Ingredients Needed
- 2 boneless, skinless turkey breasts
- Turkey skin from the breasts
- Stuffing of choice (bread stuffing, cornbread stuffing, wild rice stuffing, etc.)
- Fresh herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary
- Salt, pepper, olive oil
- Kitchen twine
Step 1: Remove the Turkey Skin
Carefully remove the skin from the two boneless turkey breasts, keeping it as intact as possible. Try not to tear it You’ll use this turkey skin to wrap the roulade later
Step 2: Butterfly the Turkey Breasts
Butterflying the turkey breasts helps flatten and even out the thickness. To butterfly, place the breast smooth side down and slice it horizontally across the middle, stopping about 1⁄2 inch from the edge. Open it up like a book. Cover with plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet to flatten and even out the thickness.
Step 3: Season the Turkey Breasts
Season the butterflied turkey breasts all over with salt, pepper and any other seasonings you want. You can also rub a herb paste or spice mix into the meat for extra flavor.
Step 4: Add the Stuffing
Spread your favorite stuffing evenly over the turkey breasts, leaving a 1 inch border.
Step 5: Roll Up the Roulade
Start rolling up the turkey breast lengthwise, using the stuffing to help roll it up nice and tight. Place the rolled up turkey seam side down on top of the turkey skin.
Step 6: Wrap in Turkey Skin
Wrap the turkey skin tightly around the roulade Make sure the seam is facing up Tuck the ends under,
Step 7: Tie with Twine
Tie the roulade very tightly together by looping twine around it at 1 inch intervals. Start at the ends and work your way to the middle. This helps maintain the shape.
Step 8: Refrigerate
Cover the tied roulade tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. This helps the flavors permeate and helps set the shape.
Step 9: Roast the Roulade
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the roulade seam side down in a roasting pan. Roast for 60-90 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Baste occasionally with pan juices.
Step 10: Rest and Slice
Allow the cooked roulade to rest for 10-15 minutes before removing the twine and slicing into rounds. Serve warm!
Turkey Roulade Tips
- Ask your butcher to debone turkey breasts for you, or buy boneless breasts.
- You can make the roulade 1-2 days in advance. Refrigerate until ready to roast.
- Get creative with fillings! Try spinach and feta, sausage and apple, or cranberry and pecan.
- Leaner turkey breast means the roulade doesn’t have to cook as long as a whole bird.
- Letting it rest after roasting allows the juices to redistribute evenly.
- Carve into thick slices and serve with gravy for a beautiful presentation.
A turkey roulade makes an elegant, delicious centerpiece for your holiday table. The moist turkey is packed with flavorful stuffing, and the presentation is sure to impress your guests. Follow the simple steps above for a beautiful and crowd-pleasing turkey roulade.
Step three – Remove the turkey tenderloin
Remember the tendon that you snipped off earlier? That tendon is connected to the tenderloin. So locate the tenderloin that’s sitting just under the turkey breast, connected to the breast meat via connective tissue.
Gently peel off the tenderloin. This tenderloin will NOT be used in the turkey roulade, so you can use the two pieces of tenderloin to make a quick stir fry for dinner, or use it for sandwiches.
How to prep a turkey roulade
This is an easy step, but you have to do it carefully, so as not to tear or make holes in the skin. And DO NOT throw away the skin – you’ll be cleaning it and using it later to encase the turkey breast.
How to Make a Whole Roasted Turkey Roulade
FAQ
What is turkey roulade made of?
A roulade is a dish that’s filled and rolled. It can be sweet, like pumpkin Swiss cake roll, or savory, like chicken roll-ups or this turkey roulade. This roulade recipe features juicy white turkey breast meat spiraled around a savory mixture of fresh herbs, cornbread crumbles, apples, and crispy browned pork sausage.
How long do you cook a turkey roulade in the oven?
Place the stuffed turkey breast seam side down on the rack on the sheet pan. Brush with the melted butter, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and roast for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer registers 150 degrees F in the center. (I test in a few places.)
Can you make turkey roulade ahead of time with stuffing?
Unlike the time-consuming process of stuffing and roasting a whole turkey, this dish is a quick, impressive dinner. Versatile and perfect for making ahead.
How to make Turkey roulade?
Here are the most important tips to follow for a juicy turkey roulade. Make sure to evenly spread the herb paste throughout the meat before rolling it up. Having a fat in the spread will ensure a moist, tender turkey breast. Roll up the meat and keep it tightly wrapped so that it will form an even, cylindrical shape.
What is a whole turkey breast roulade?
Whole turkey breast – This is two turkey breast pieces that are still connected with the bone and the skin on. You can also ask your butcher to make a boneless turkey breast (with a whole turkey breast) roulade (deboned turkey roll) for you as well.
How do you cook a Turkey Tenderloin in a roulade?
Step 1 – Carefully remove the turkey skin. Step 2 – Fillet both turkey breasts from the bone. Step 3 – Remove the turkey tenderloin. Step 4 – Butterfly the turkey breast meat to make it evenly thick. Step 5 – Clean the skin by removing excess fat. Step 6 – Prep the meat and skin for the roulade, including flavoring of the meat.
Can you roll up a turkey breast in a roulade?
Do NOT roll up the turkey breast in the skin, yet. Once you have rolled up the turkey breast, while keeping it as tight as possible, place it on the stretched out turkey skin with the seam side of the turkey roulade facing up, and then wrap the skin around the roulade.
How do you butterfly a turkey breast for a roulade?
To butterfly a turkey breast for a turkey roulade, start with a boneless, skinless turkey breast. Turn the breast over so the smooth side is facing down. Holding your knife parallel to the cutting board, slice into the thickest portion of the breast, keeping the knife about 1/2 inch above the cutting board.
How do you make Turkey roulade with stuffing?
Spread the Stuffing on Turkey: Return to the prepared turkey breast, and spread the stuffing onto the breast in an even layer. Roll, Add Butter Rub, and Tie: Roll the turkey breast up around the stuffing, the skin of the breast should be on the outside of the turkey roulade.