What is a Turkey Crown?
First of all, as there seems to be some common misconceptions about what turkey crowns are, we need to get into some butchery specifics. A turkey crown is an on-the-bone (meaning it has the bone left in) turkey breast. To put it simply, it is a whole turkey with the legs and wings removed.
If you have a turkey breast joint, which has been de-boned (i.e. it is boneless), what you actually have is a turkey butterfly. For some strange reason it has become popular to refer to such joints as a boneless turkey crowns, but they're actually turkey butterflies.
If you have a turkey butterfly, or boneless turkey crown, please see How To Cook Turkey Butterfly for cooking information.
How to Cook a Turkey Crown
As outlined above, a turkey crown is basically a whole turkey with the legs and wings removed, leaving you with a nice joint of white breast meat on the bone. They are much quicker to cook, and easier to carve, than a whole turkey, which makes them great for small families, small ovens, or those not wanting too many leftovers.
| Weight | Cooking | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 4KG | Oven Roast | Gas mark 5 / 190C / 170C fan / 375F | 20 minutes per KG + 70 minutes. |
| 4KG and over | Oven Roast | Gas mark 5 / 190C / 170C fan / 375F | 20 minutes per KG + 90 minutes. |
Test your turkey is cooked by pushing a skewer into the thickest part of the meat, if the juices run clear, it's cooked, otherwise return it to the oven for another 15 minutes and then test again. The minimum internal temperature for cooking poultry is 75C.
Tips
You might want to cook your turkey on a bed of stuffing, push butter under the skin, or cover in strips of bacon (we usually make a lattice of Dry Cured Streaky Bacon to place on top). Whatever you do please make sure to rest your turkey for at least 15 minutes before carving (it will make is so much easier to carve).
Happy roasting!
