16 Turkey Breast Recipes That Make Life Easier (2024)

FAQs

How many people will a 16 pound turkey feed? ›

8 to 10 people = 8- to 15-lb. turkey. 12 to 16 people = 12- to 24-lb. turkey.

How much turkey per person do I need? Our recommendation is to plan for one pound of turkey per person, or ½ pound per person for a boneless turkey breast. If you're buying a bone-in turkey breast, figure on 3/4 pound per person.

In general, you'll want to cook a bone-in turkey breast for about 20 minutes per pound at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C), or until it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

One (3-pound) half-breast will feed two to four people. A whole (six- to seven-pound) turkey breast (two breasts, still joined at the breast bone) will feed six to eight people. This method will work for either amount of meat.

LITTLE BIRD

If you're not cooking for a crowd, make a bone-in turkey breast. A 5- to 7-pound breast feeds about 4.

For a boneless breast, you should plan for 1/2 pound (8 ounces) per person.

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

Is turkey breast better for you than chicken? ›

Both chicken and turkey provide healthy protein. Generally, chicken tends to be higher in vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid, and turkey tends to be lower in calories, fat, and sodium while having more zinc, niacin, and vitamin B12.

Your body can't store protein, so you need to consume it every day. As long as you don't eat too much turkey, it is a healthy way to get the protein you need. It's also a good source of beneficial vitamins and minerals like magnesium and niacin. Turkey is also an excellent source of selenium.

Rubbery texture comes from cooking too long with too low a heat. Most land fowl like chicken, turkey, pigeon, guineafowl, peafowl, etc. are best when cooked hot and fast.

The sheer anatomy of the bird guarantees a challenge: Easy-to-overcook breast meat combined with dark meat that seems to take eons to cook through. So it's hard not to end up with a combination of dry breast meat and fall-off-the-bone thighs and drumsticks, or moist breast meat and undercooked thighs and drumsticks.

Start in a hot heated oven at 450 degrees F, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F just before you put the turkey in the oven. The initial high heat will help brown the skin, then the lower heat will help cook the turkey breast on the inside without drying it out.

The general rule of thumb is 1–1½ pounds turkey per person.

How much turkey should you cook? As a general rule, plan on 1 1/2 Pounds of turkey (uncooked) per person. In other words, to feed 12 people, you'd need an 18-pound turkey (12 × 1.5 = 18). This formula (and this is true for the guidelines that follow as well) will produce generous leftovers.

A 20-pound turkey will feed between 12 and 14 people.

How Much Turkey Per Person. The general rule is to plan for 1 1/2 pounds of turkey per guest. If you're buying boneless meat, assume about 8 ounces per guest. To buy the right size turkey for your party, simply tally up the turkey-eating guests.