Love Roast Turkey but don’t want the hassle of cooking a whole bird? A crown is the perfect solution! My Easy Brined Roast Turkey Crown is very simple to make and cooks much faster than a whole turkey. 
What is a turkey Crown?
A crown is quite simply a turkey with the legs and wings removed, leaving you with the whole joint of breast meat on the bone. They are quicker to cook, easy to carve and cheaper than a whole turkey.
why brine a Turkey crown?
If you’ve never brined a turkey before and are wondering if it’s all worth it, I would say absolutely YES.
Using a wet brine (basically a salt and water solution with extra flavourings) helps to break down tough fibers and proteins in the meat and adds moisture and flavour.
Turkey is a lean bird with not much fat, so it’s very, very easy to dry out in the oven, no matter how much butter or streaky bacon you coat it with. Brining is a sure fire way to end up with a super juicy, succulent turkey.
If it wasn’t worth it, trust me – I wouldn’t bother doing it!
how to brine a turkey crown
- The first thing I would recommend doing, ideally a few days before, is making sure you have a container or pan large enough to fit the turkey crown and approximately 3 litres of water.
- There is nothing much worse than frantically scrambling though your cupboards at 7pm on Christmas Eve, trying and failing to find a pan big enough to brine your turkey. And yes, I am speaking from experience, in case you were wondering!
- Fill the pan with 3 Litres of cold water. Add the salt, sugar, mixed peppercorns, the juice of the oranges, bay leaves, bouquet garni, cinnamon sticks and allspice berries and stir well.
- Place the turkey in the brine, topping up with more water to cover the whole turkey if necessary. Place a lid on the pan and Place in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
how to roast a turkey crown
- You’ll need to remove the turkey from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels at least one hour before you intend to cook it.
- The turkey must be at room temperature when you put it in the oven or it will take much longer to cook though.
- To make the orange and sage butter, combine the soft butter with the chopped sage, orange Zest and some salt and pepper.
Rub the flavoured butter all over the turkey crown.
- Cook the turkey at 200C/180F/400F for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, basting the bird halfway through cooking time. If the turkey skin is getting too dark, loosely cover with a sheet of foil.
- Alllow the turkey to rest for up to an hour before slicing and carving. Loosely cover the crown with a piece of tin foil. This gives you plenty of time and oven space to get on with your side dishes.
What to serve with a roast turkey crown
Honey Mustard Honey Mustard Parsnips and Carrots
Sausagemeat and Cranberry Stuffing Balls
Looking for an even easier Roast Turkey recipe? Try this Rolled Turkey Breast with Cranberry and Apricot Stuffing!
Got leftover turkey meat? Make these delicious Turkey and Cranberry Filo Tarts or this Creamy Turkey and ham pie.
Did you make this easy Brined Roast Turkey Crown? Let me know how you got on with recipe – leave a comment below and rate the recipe out of 5 by clicking on the stars in the recipe card. Thank you!
Easy Brined Roast Turkey Crown
Love Roast Turkey but don't want the hassle of cooking a whole one? A crown is the perfect solution! My easy brined roast turkey crown is simple to make and cooks much quicker than a whole turkey.
Ingredients
- 1 2.5KG Turkey Crown
- FOR THE BRINE:
- 3-3.5 Litres Cold Water
- 120G Salt
- 75G White Sugar
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 Tablespoon Mixed Peppercorns
- Juice of 2 Clementines
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 Bouquet Garni
- 1 Tablespoon Allspice Berries
- FOR ROASTING THE TURKEY CROWN:
- 100g Soft Butter
- Zest of two clementines
- 1 Tablespoon Freshly chopped sage leaves, or 1 Teaspoon Dried
- Pinch of Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- First of all you'll need to find a pan or container large enough to fit the turkey crown and 3 litres of water. You'll also need to have room in your fridge to store it overnight.
- Pour 3 Litres of water into the pan or container. Add the salt, sugar, onion, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, clementine juice, bay leaves, Bouguet Garni and allspice berries. Throw in the squeezed out clementine halves. Give the brine a good stir, then add the turkey crown to the liquid.
- Cover the pan with a lid and transfer to the fridge and leave for at least 6 hours or ideally overnight.
- Remove the turkey from the fridge one or two hours before you intend to cook it. The turkey will obviously be very cold, so it's very important to take the chill off it before roasting otherwise it will take much longer to cook. Just like all meat, It ideally needs to be at room temperature before roasting.
- Lift the turkey from the brine and place on a roasting tin. Pat it dry well with paper towels.
- Mix the butter with the clementine zest, sage leaves and a good pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180Fan/Gas Mark 6. Rub the flavoured butter all over the turkey. Cook the turkey for 1 1/2 -2 hours, basting the turkey with the juices halfway through the cooking time. If the turkey skin is becoming too brown, cover with foil.
- To check if the turkey is ready, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the meat. The juices should run clear. The internal temperature should read 70C.
- Remove the turkey from the oven, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to one hour before carving.
Notes
Remember to remove the turkey from the brine and let it come to room temperature before roasting.
To test if the turkey is fully cooked, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the bird. The juices will run clear. If you use a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the turkey should read 70C.
Any leftover turkey should be cooled as quickly as possible (ideally no longer than 1/2 hours) and placed in the fridge. Any leftovers should be eaten within 2-3 days.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 8Amount Per Serving Calories 791Total Fat 35gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 383mgSodium 6293mgCarbohydrates 21gNet Carbohydrates 0gFiber 2gSugar 17gSugar Alcohols 0gProtein 94g