I made these once for a holiday dinner party, and they were such a hit that I started making them for Thanksgiving instead of a whole turkey.
I added a little celery and onion sauteed in butter to the packaged dressing and a 1/2 tsp of poulty seasoning for each package of stuffing. After rolling the turkey breasts as described, I did NOT brown them in oil. This toughens the skin, particularly if the breasts are still cold. I put them direcly into a dish with enough melted butter to cover the bottom to about 1/4". I then dipped 3 thin layers of cheescloth into butter and draped them over the turkey breasts, completely covering the breats. I had 6 large breasts in a flat 3 quart casserole dish and they baked to perfection in 50 minutes. These were so tender; not a sign of dryness.
Read More I try to make a recipe the way it's written the first time, and in doing so, this was a bit of a disappointment. By first browning the turkey, the skin turned out tough, and it was difficult to slice. There was no basting liquid to keep it moist. I took it out of the oven at 45 minutes, and it was totally overcooked. I like the combination of flavors, so I'll try this again with modifications. I will not brown it on the stove top, but will rub the turkey breast with some butter. I will add some broth and a little white wine to the pan, cook it at a higher temperature initially to brown, cover it with foil, then lower the temperature, baste it often, and start checking for doneness at 25-30 minutes. This is a good recipe, but IMO, the cooking instructions are not correct. Served this for Thanksgiving, and although it didn't turn out as expected, the presentation is very nice, and it was not a total failure.
Read MoreI added a little celery and onion sauteed in butter to the packaged dressing and a 1/2 tsp of poulty seasoning for each package of stuffing. After rolling the turkey breasts as described, I did NOT brown them in oil. This toughens the skin, particularly if the breasts are still cold. I put them direcly into a dish with enough melted butter to cover the bottom to about 1/4". I then dipped 3 thin layers of cheescloth into butter and draped them over the turkey breasts, completely covering the breats. I had 6 large breasts in a flat 3 quart casserole dish and they baked to perfection in 50 minutes. These were so tender; not a sign of dryness.
This recipe as great! I was worried about the turkey getting to dry so I put a thin layer of butter on the flatten turkey breast, salt and peppered it and then layered stuffing, pecans and cranberries. It doesn't mention to salt and pepper that maybe the reason why some reviews said that it didn't have much taste to the turkey. The next day we made sandwiches with the turkey, added cranberry sauce, mayo, lettuce and it was great.
Very good with chicken too! Very tasty. Keep turkey/chicken rolls warm in oven while browning all of the breasts. If the rolls dry out pour some wine over them and leave in oven for another 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan from the oven for gravey. Make extra stuffing because it's really good and place in pan in oven to warm.
Alternate preparation method: cook box of stuffing as directed, then i took 6 boneless, skinless turkey breasts and 1) laid them between two sheets of wax paper and used a canned vegetable to roll/beat them thin 2) brushed both sides with melted butter with thyme & rosemary in it 3) spread 1-2 tbsp of stuffing on each breast (mash it down thin with fingers, dont leave loose & thick) 4) spread cranberry chutney very thin on top of the stuffing (can use cranberry sauce if thats all you have, just mix in a few craisins or other dried cranberries to the sauce to give it texture) 5) rolled up tightly, secured each one with 2 or 3 toothpicks 6) drizzled 2 tbsp melted butter in bottom of small casserole dish 7) baked 15 mins at 375 covered, then 30 mins uncovered. Served with mashed potatoes and brown gravy and the rest of the stuffing! Very Good!
I try to make a recipe the way it's written the first time, and in doing so, this was a bit of a disappointment. By first browning the turkey, the skin turned out tough, and it was difficult to slice. There was no basting liquid to keep it moist. I took it out of the oven at 45 minutes, and it was totally overcooked. I like the combination of flavors, so I'll try this again with modifications. I will not brown it on the stove top, but will rub the turkey breast with some butter. I will add some broth and a little white wine to the pan, cook it at a higher temperature initially to brown, cover it with foil, then lower the temperature, baste it often, and start checking for doneness at 25-30 minutes. This is a good recipe, but IMO, the cooking instructions are not correct. Served this for Thanksgiving, and although it didn't turn out as expected, the presentation is very nice, and it was not a total failure.
I've made this recipe 2 years in a row and must say that it's not only tasty, but has a very nice presentation. I would suggest making more of the stuffing/pecan/cranberry mixture and serving it with it. I can dry out while cooking, if you're not careful. Covering the ends with aluminum foil near the end of the cooking time may help this. I highly recommend this one!
Not as complicated as it sounds. I did seasoned the breasts with salt, powder garlic and cumin. Not pepper because it burns the meat if it is put way ahead of cooking time. I put the breasts in the refrigerator for a day, prepare the stuffing on the cooking day, before putting the rolled breasts in skillet I seasoned them with a bit more salt and pepper. When it was done I used warm turkey broth and sprinkle over them. It turned out perfect with the cranberries and pecans. I would definetly make it again.
I made this today for thanks giving. The cranberries were soft and tart and delicious. Next time I will put more in there. I didn't have string so I used unflavored unwaxed dental floss. That worked fine. My turkey was definitely cooked all the way through, but it never registered a temperature of 170. I think this is because it was hard to measure just the turkey and not the stuffing. I let it cook for ten extra minutes just to be sure, but an hour would have been perfectly fine. Finally, for decorating, I didn't bother with the lettuce leaves. I used cranberries, pecan halves, and some fresh herbs, and it was beautiful.
Very good, made it for thanksgiving and basted it every 15 minutes with olive oil and white zindafel wine. I also rubbed turkey breast with rosemary and thyme.
These were great! My entire family loved them and it made a ton. It actually ended up making 4 rolls and five of us only ate one. We froze the others and are excited about getting to eat them again. Definitely a great alternative to boring turkey for the holidays.
A fair amount of work but a wonderful recipe! I made it for Easter last year and my husband keeps begging me to make it again this year.
Well, no fault of the recipe - more like my nonexistent "butterflying" skills - but while my stuffed turkey rolls were pretty ugly, they tasted good! I did make a couple changes - made my own stuffing and added some sauteed onions, celery and herbs; poured a little turkey stock in the bottom of the baking dish to help keep moist (ended up making nice drippings for a gravy base) and I put a couple little pats of butter on top of each turkey roll for flavor, color and additional moisture, and sprinkled with some thyme. Not so sure I liked the pecans in this, but it was overall a pretty tasty meal!
MMMM! These were yummy. The only thing that would make them better would be a good gravy or cranberry sauce to add that final touch, and a little more moisture. I'm giving 5 stars though, because I loved them so much! Thanks.
I was concerned that the meat would be too dry, so I left the skin on the breasts and pierced it repeatedly with a carving fork to allow some of the fat to seep into the meat during cooking. Also, I seasoned both sides of the meat quite liberally with poultry seasoning before adding the stuffing mixture. With these modifications, we were VERY PLEASED!!
These were delicious!!! I tested them out tonight as a Thanksgiving possibility. It's a definite GO! Tender, juicy and pretty.
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. We had the rolls with a basil potato-yam mash and green beans with parmasan on the side. Along with a nice 1996 Charonnay it was a memorable Thanksgiving meal and I would make it again!
Awesome! I was lazy and didn't use the mallet or brown the rolls. Just threw it into the oven on a bed of celery and carrots and a bit of stock. Worked perfectly well. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
So good! I used chicken b/c I couldn't find the turkey breasts. Cooking time was less than an hour.
i added cream cheese, OMG!!! everyone was so pleased i`m doing it again this year, and made home bread stuffin, absolutely delicious!!!
This is one of my new favorite recipes! I went to the store for turkey breasts, and they had none! So, I bought some chicken breasts, and then followed the recipe otherwise, but using the chicken. The result was 4 smaller rollups, and not quite such a long baking time. These are so so good. I loved it, my husband loved it. A little time consuming with the tying and all, but worth it. We will make this again and again.
This is an *amazing* recipe. My in-laws are housebound and I have been looking for recipes I can make single serving meals with which they can take from the freezer whenever they want. This recipe was perfect! Most importantly, they raved about it!
I made these years ago, when the recipe was first posted.. they were very good and my family enjoyed them BUT I'm not a turkey fan so I now use the stuffing recipe when I make stuffed pork chops ~A+**** LOVE it! They are so moist and flavorful. Thanks for the recipe.
We made this for thanksgiving instead of a whole roast turkey. We couldn't find whole turkey breast so we used turkey breast tenders and made individual portions. These turned out rally yummy and crispy on the outside and nice and moist on the inside. Will definitely make these again!
Outstanding! The cranberry provide the moisture turkey needs, flavor was awesome. Definitely do again!
This recipe was fun to make and looked cute as could be. I wonder if there's anyway to give the turkey a little more flavor--something to make this recipe really stand out?
i wasn't able to find turkey breast.. but i did find turkey rolls - small, deboned turkeys rolled up in the skin with both dark and white meat- it works great with those too... great recipe and no left over carcass!
This recipe is good because it's adaptable. I think it would also be good with the cranberries and pecans, but I have fussy eaters in my house. I instead mixed a little honey and garlic in with the stuffing. It tasted great. It's easy to customize for your family's taste, but makes a beautiful presentation for dinner parties an other occasions too! Very tasty and nice appearance.
Made this tonight for Christmas dinner and my guests loved it!!! I'm new to the cooking/entertaining scene so this was a big deal for me. I was a bit intimidated with butterflying the turkey so I had the butcher do it for me. Other than than I followed the recipe and just added salt & pepper, turkey gravy and white wine and it turned out Fantastic!! Will definitely make this again but will baste more and serve with gravy.
I made this tonight. It is definitely a keeper! The presentation is very impressive! It's Thanksgiving-worthy.
My husband loved these turkey rolls. Like others, I made some changes. I used Jennie O lemon, garlic turkey breast. I butterflied two breasts instead of two. I had no twine so I secured my rolls with tooth picks. I did not use a skillet to brown the breasts instead, I poured about 2 tsp of melted margarine and about a quarter cup of dry white wine over the breasts in the last 15 minutes of baking. Served over buttered egg noodles.
Very good!!!! I added white wine to the pan and basted the rolles every 15-20 minutes so they would not dry out.
As a newlywed this was such a hit with my hubby! Excellent and impressive ! I will make this again for sure!
Good way to use turkey breasts! I didn't have herb stuffing so I used cornbread stuffing & it worked great. Also, I used turkey gravy poured over each piece.
I had a little trouble cutting these, so I didn't get the "spiral" look I think is intended. They tasted delicious though, so I think that made up for the lack of presentation. I made it for Christmas, and I don't think my family even noticed they didn't look the way I intended. My bro-in-law who is picky and doesn't usually eat nuts, cranberries, or stuffing even ate it!
these are awesome!!! i rolled the turkey as instructed, then laid it in a baking dish and surrounded it with the left over stuffing. it was super! my bf loved it. it was nice to have such a festive meal for no certain occasion. i served this with the sweet potato oranges from this site and it made a great presentation! i had 2 turkey breasts and used them for this recipe. i assembled one for dinner that night and put the other in the freezer.
Loved this recipe...made this on Christmas Eve for the family and EVERYONE loved them! Will make them again soon. They are YUMMY!!
i followed directions exactly and this turned out great for me. however, i recommended the recipe to a friend who had a little less experience butterflying and rolling meat, so she had a more frustrating experience with the rolling.
I made this and it was SO good and easy. My grocery store didn't have turkey breasts so I bought chicken instead. I also added jellied cranberry sauce and mixed some in with the olive oil when browning the sides. It gave it a sweet flavor. Its such a hit I'll probably make this all the time. Anytime you're craving thanksgiving food this is a great and easy dish to make!
Did not like it. The turkey was too dry. I had trouble tying the breast. The turkey was too thin to hold the filling and broke up. It was a mess. It did not look very appitizing and was not very flavorful.
I made the recipe exactly as directed, and it turned out perfectly. We only had a few people over for Thanksgiving, and this was a perfect alternative to a whole turkey.
This recipe is fantastic but it was challenging for me to prep. I had a hard time tieing the kitchen twine around the turkey breasts to bake them. The secret for me was really making the meat as flat as you can so it is easy to roll. I have also used chicken for this recipe. It is really pretty to serve.
I made this for Thanksgiving. I have to say that I didn't follow the recipe exactly, just used the stuffing and omitted the cranberries and nuts (because there was a diabetic eating with us and I didn't want to shock his system...) Nevertheless, butterflying the turkey breast was a challange but ultimately it worked out perfectly. I followed the cooking directions exactly and the turkey wasn't dry. I basted often and added a dry white wine to the oil which was a nice touch. I will surely make it again and the cranberries are worth a try.
My fiance and I made this for Christmas, it was a wonderful day and a great recipe that turned out so delicious! Thank you Esther.
This one is a keeper! I make it every thanksgiving instead of the whole turkey-it turns out beautifully everytime, and I always get rave reviews! very pretty presentation, too! A little bit of work, but not too time consuming.
Made this awhile ago, but thought it too much work. However, worth 5 stars anyway because it tasted so good. I have been putting craisons and pecans into my stuffing ever since. I just made this again using two slices of deli turkey for each roll instead and I had a much easier time.
This was bear to roll up, not having done it before but it was really good. Very moist and flavorful. Will certainly make it again.
I made up my own stuffing recipe but used these instructions for butterflying and cooking the turkey. The breasts were cooked to perfection! I don't think I've ever tasted a more moist turkey breast. Thank you Esther!
My guest were so pleased with this turkey and dried cranberries in the stuffing was so good. I'm making this again.
Holly cow yum! I used raisins since I had them, and made my own stuffing since it is better. But wow! Yum. I'll be doing this for thanksgiving next time! Yum yum yum!
Great starter recipe. I used chicken breast and thus they were individual 'rolls'. I did not pan brown them, just placed in a baking dish and added some slices of butter with a little chicken broth and baked for an hour. Very moist. I made my own stuffing with cubed stale bread, herbs, eggs, sautéed onion and celery and dried cranberries. That cut down on the preservatives in the boxed stuffings. Will definitely make again.
Tried this last night, it was delicious! Will fix this dish again, by the way the neighbors enjoyed,too. Couldn't find turkey breasts so I made it with with turkey cutlets, it was real challenge to roll, but worth it! I used fresh cranberries in With dried berries, next time I'll use more and less dried. I like the tartness of the fresh.
We loved this! Pretty simple and quick to make as well. Definitely will be making again!! Thanks for sharing!
This was delicious. The only exception would be to not cook as long as it will dry out.
This was an amazingly easy recipe. I didn't have pecans and cooked only for 45 mins (because I used only one 1.2kg turkey breast), but otherwise followed to a T. The turkey roll turned out wonderfully moist and flavorful. This was big hit and I will use it again and again - and not just for T-day. What a great recipe to have for a small family. Thanks so much - I can once again serve turkey with stuffing for Tday. The only problem - no leftovers!
If you donot like pecans,I would use walnuts instead. I would not brown before placing in baking dish,and as a viewer stated,baste every so often and I think 50 minutes or less would be enough depending on how flat you make your breasts.
Just made this and after reading the reviews I followed the review by Cherry Bomb. Turned out delicious! Will be making again.
I made this turkey for my new in-laws and they just loved it! My mother-in-law liked it so much she asked for the recipe. The combination of the turkey, stuffing, and cranberries all together was delicious. I would have to say that I had way too much stuffing and cranberries compared to turkey. And it was kind of challenging to get it all wrapped up. It would have been nice to have an extra set of hands to help tie the rolled up breasts.
I made it using chicken breasts and walnuts. Additionally, I coated the chicken in a little flour before browning. Delicious!
I made this on Christmas day and over all it was a hit! The turkey was very moist. I had a hard time getting it to roll so when I sliced it didn't have the stuffing "swirled", but it was delish!
So Good! This was very tasty, and the leftovers are great sliced up for sandwiches. I was worried I wouldn't have enough so I made some extra with large chicken breasts as well and they were good too. The hardest part is stuffing and tying - but then I'm a bit of a klutz :)
I absolutely love this recipe, it is the second year I've made it, and it is perfect for a 2 or 3 person get-together. It's easily customizable, and makes a pretty plate. This year I marinated the meat overnight in a beer/garlic broth, kept a close eye on in in the oven, periodically basting with the marinade and rubbing the surface with a little butter. Perfect, tasty, moist meat, this recipe is a keeper!
I just made this with a gobbler I shot yesterday morning--I used walnuts--absolutely awesome--thanks Esther Nelson for sharing
Followed the recipe exactly as it is and my family just loved it!!! A great gourmet creation on a working man's budget. :-) In the future, I would do w/o the pecans.
It was a nice alternative to making a whole turkey but I had trouble butterflying and wrapping them and the turkey was a little dry w/o a dressing.
I made this recipe for Christmas Dinner and it came out great. I had a lot of stuffing left over, and just baked it off in a casserole dish to serve along side. The recipe says to remove the skin, but I left it on in an effort to keep the meat as moist as possible. Also, I poured about a half a cup of chicken stock in the pan prior to roasting. This allowed me to make a nice gravy to go along with it. The gravy definitely helped with the moisture level. All in all, I'll definitely make again!
This was very good, but was a little dry. Had a hard time finding Turkey breasts, so used turkey cutlets (2 together to roll up). Also did not brown the meat first and added chicken broth to pan as it baked and it came out more moist.
I changed the recipe to use apples in the stuffing instead of cranberries. They turned out okay. Good recipe but not a wow recipe. I would make it again though.
An excellent alternative to share on Thanksgiving when it was only my husband and I. I think I'd have a gravy with it next time as it needed something to cut through the meat and stuffing.
not as good as traditional Thanksgiving turkey, but I was making a small T-Day dinner for 2 so this was wonderful! I cheated and used cranberry flavored stuffing mix and omitted the pecans because hubby doesn't care for nuts in entrees. Did not pre-brown, just baked with butter and served with turkey gravy, and small versions of all the yummy sides! We both enjoyed this as an easy alternative. Do recommend.
Made this with a few suggestions from other reviewers such as skipping the browning step and added some butter for moisture. For the stuffing, I added the onion and celery and tossed the cranberries and pecans into the prepared stuffing mix. This worked well. The most challenging part of this recipe is the butterfly step; however, it tastes very good in the end even if not a perfect roll. Will be making this again next month for a dinner party - great recipe.
I found it prety easy to make with easy ingredients and a relatively short cook time (considering it's turkey). BUt I do not see my extended family being happy with this as the main entree on Thanksgiving day...I will have to make a whole turkey but I think I will also serve this on the side. I did not sear it before hand, just put in a pyrex dish and rubbed some sage, poultry seasoning and pepper on it and poured some chicken broth in the bottom of the pan. Cooked for 1 hour but I could have taken it out earlier. One thing that got on my nerves is that the cranberries and nuts fell out once I started cutting and serving. Seems like something sticky should be added to sort-of glue the nuts and berries together.
Just made this for Thanksgiving for my family and mother. It was delicious. Everyone loved them. Next time though I would make a cranberry sauce to serve on the side.
This was very good and pretty! A little difficult to make but well worth it. I used walnuts instead of pecans.
I made this for thanksgiving last year...it was a HUGE hit. My teens couldn't get enough and were happy to not be served the same boring turkey as usual. Making it again this year.
Great recipe. I dipped the rolls in beaten egg and rolled them in crushed pecans mixed with breadcrumbs and a teaspoon of poultry seasoning. It gave the turkey a little more flavor and they looked beautiful!
I won't rate this too bad as I think the reason for the flop was the type of boneless turkey breast I used - had way too much salt in it - if I try this again, I will use fresh instead of frozen
This was pretty good. I didn't use the lettuce to decorate, and I shouldn't have used the pecans. Husband didn't like them. The roll itself was good other than the nuts. It doesn't need to sit for 15 minutes, it would have turned into a dried up log for sure. And it could have cooked for about 5 minutes less than suggested, maybe even 10. I will try again and make modifications.
Perfect for your office Christmas party at someones home. It travels well until you take the string off and being on longer it keeps the roll together better when sliced.
Made these tonight and family loved them. I do need to get a smaller turkey breast. I cut a 5 pound breast in half and pounded the living daylights out of it. One half would not pound thinner so I just folded it in half with the stuffing mix in it. The other half did better. Will make again.
Nice and easy recipe. Added turkey gravy to the finished meal for more flavor. Will make it again.
A hit! We served this for Christmas dinner 2012. It made for a beautiful presentation on our family china and was yummy! The leftovers were just as yummy the next day.
Fantastic! One of the best turkey recipes I’ve made. I followed the advice of one of the reviewers and cover the turkey in cheesecloth soaked in butter. Excellent!
I based the turkey with butter before laying on the stuffing, cranberries and pecans. Baking time 55 min's. Rating 5 stars.
Thank you Ester and Happy Day-After Thanksgiving 2020 to each one of you, As I'm about to start writing my review, I notice Ester's recipe calls for "boneless" turkey breast. I missed that and bought a turkey breast with bones. My mistake caused a lot more work. Cutting the turkey, rolling the breasts and getting rid of the carcass. Although a friend called last night and said he used his turkey carcass for turkey soup. Oh well, two more lessons learned in my journey to become a good cook. I also looked in four supermarkets until I found the cheesecloth at the Global Market in Kirkwood, Missouri. Onward and upward as we look to our next opportunity....Christmas 2020. Blessings, Jack
Absolutely delicious and definitely a repeat. It was a most suitable alternative to the normal 23 lbs stuffed bird; in my opinion even better. I took off the skin, boiled it and used it as a gravy base. Instead of pecans I used walnuts. I will use a roast meat net the next time I make. I so look forward to eating the leftover today.
I did not brown the breast after securing it with string I placed them in a pan with melted butter and a little poultry seasoning on top. Then I put them in the oven uncovered. I turned them once during the cooking process and they turned out great. We had a thanksgiving bunch at my daughters house and my contribution was the traditional portion of the meal. Best thanksgiving I've had in a long time.
Making a stuffed turkey would have been much easier! It was impossible to "roll" up the turkey without it falling apart. Didn't cook evenly (dry edges). Very cumbersome and difficult recipe.
Delicious! The only thing I wish there was a sauce to go with it as it was a bit on the dryer side. Other than that, very tasty!
I added chopped celery and used chestnuts instead of pecans although I will try pecans another time. We enjoyed this very much. I will definitely make it again.
