Romano Basil Turkey Breast

Name: Romano Basil Turkey Breast
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 8 servings.
Cuisine: Italian Dinners, Italian Recipes
Ingredients: 1 cup Romano cheese, shredded; 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped; 4 lemon slices; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 bone-in turkey breast (4 to 5 pounds); 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Guests will be impressed when you slice this golden, grilled turkey breast, dressed up with a flavorful layer of basil and cheese under the skin. —Darlene Markham, Rochester, New York

Ingredients

1 cup Romano cheese, shredded
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 lemon slices
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bone-in turkey breast (4 to 5 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Combine the cheese, basil, lemon slices and garlic. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey breast; place mixture under the skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks. Rub skin with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Prepare grill for indirect heat, using a drip pan. Place turkey over drip pan. Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat until a thermometer reads 170°, 1-1/2 to 2 hours . Remove toothpicks. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Facts

6 ounces cooked turkey: 402 calories, 20g fat (7g saturated fat), 136mg cholesterol, 493mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 0 fiber), 53g protein.

Originally published as Unique Turkey Breast in Taste of Home June/July 2009

Reviews

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Average Rating:

justmbeth

Jun 8, 2019

We enjoyed this grilled turkey breast. Romano and basil gave it a notable flavor. We did not have any issues with the topping separating.
katlaydee3

Feb 27, 2017

This was the best turkey breast I've ever eaten. The one I bought was about 6 1/2 lbs so I grilled it for about 2 hours, 45 mins. I used 2 long metal skewers to secure the turkey skin, which worked great and made it easy to maneuver. I also cut off the lemon rind when slicing so it basically broke into small pieces which worked out well when mixed with the other ingredients. Also, I made sure to rest it for the full 10 mins and removed half of the breast in one piece and sliced crosswise so I wouldn't lose the delicious crusty skin. Definitely a keeper!
tigercat2

Aug 9, 2012

I haven't made this yet. Wondering how this would do in a roster oven.
pattyl1513

Feb 16, 2010

This recipe sounds good, but in reality the flavors of the basil and romano don't penetrate the meat, the the flavor is all just in the crust, and when I sliced my roast the basil & romano mixture fell off, didn't present like the picture.