Rolled Turkey Breast
Christmas is the time to enjoy a perfect roasted boned and rolled turkey breast.
Supermarkets often have a whole section in their freezers dedicated to turkey in various forms toward the end of the year. The whole turkeys are usually much too big unless you have a really large family or you don’t want any other meat!
A rolled turkey, on the other hand, makes your Christmas table complete, without a week’s worth of leftovers. Choosing a shop-bought turkey roulade is not that easy on a keto diet. With my easy Keto Rolled Turkey recipe, you can have an amazing homemade version.
Why You Will Love this Recipe
Low carb – There is no carb-heavy stuffing needed to make a tasty rolled turkey.
Everyday ingredients – Made with everyday ingredients found in most keto pantries.
Quick and easy – There is very little hands-on preparation, and even that is really simple.
Thermomix and Air Fryer instructions! – If you choose to follow the Thermal method, the turkey is steamed in the Thermomix, which keeps the meat tender and juicy. It is then basted and can be baked in either an oven or an air fryer. Simple!
The Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom of this post for the amount of each ingredient needed to make this easy keto rolled turkey.
Turkey breast fillets – For this boned and rolled turkey recipe, you need boneless breast fillets that weigh about 2kgs (4.5 lbs), with the skin left on.
Fresh herbs – Fresh herbs have a more delicate flavour than dried, and it is really best to use fresh herbs when roasting.
Minced garlic – freshly minced garlic will give you the best flavour.
Lemon zest – if you don’t have a zester, you can use a fine grater instead. Make sure you don’t get any of the white pith, as that part can be very bitter! The lemon zest adds a touch of freshness as well as flavour, so don’t be tempted to omit it.
Avocado oil – using avocado or extra-virgin olive oil makes this herb oil dairy-free.
Turkey or Chicken Broth – adding broth to the pan juices gives you a rich and flavourful gravy.
Glucomannan powder or xanthan gum – these thickening agents will usually be part of your keto pantry staples.
How to Make A Keto Rolled Turkey
Scroll to the bottom of this post for the full, detailed instructions to make this easy keto rolled turkey.
To Make The Turkey Roll
Step 1. Prepare a herb oil by blending the garlic, herbs, lemon zest and some of the oil.
Remove the skin from the breast and set it aside. Use a sharp knife to slice into the thick part of the breast, and open it outwards to make a large flat surface. Cover with a sheet of clingfilm and pound out into a large rectangle.
Place the turkey skin and the pounded turkey breast on some cling film. Spread the herb oil over it and season liberally.
Step 2. Roll the turkey tightly into a long cylinder and roll tightly enclosing in the plastic. Twist each end of the clingfilm and roll the turkey on the bench to shape into a tight cylinder. Place into the fridge and chill for a minimum of 3 hours or preferably overnight.
Step 3. After the chilling time, remove the plastic wrap and using kitchen twine, tie the breast at 1.5-inch intervals. Tuck two of the sprigs of thyme under the twine in the centre. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
Step 4. Place the turkey onto the baking tray. Baste with some of the remaining oil and bake for 60 minutes, basting 2-3 times after the first 30 minutes.
Bake until an internal temperature of 65.5°C/150°F is reached. Transfer the turkey to a plate and leave to rest covered for 10 minutes before slicing.
An alternate method for air fryer turkey breast. Place the trussed and rolled turkey into a pan or foil cradle that fits your air fryer. Place into the air fryer basket. Bake skin-side down at 170°C for 20 minutes. Turn over and baste with the juices. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until an internal temperature of 65.5°C/150°F is reached.
To Make The Gravy
Pour any pan juices into a small saucepan. Add the broth and glucomannan powder. Bring to a simmer and whisk until it thickens to a perfect keto gravy.
Great Keto Sides
A low carb rolled turkey can be enjoyed for Christmas, Thanksgiving and any time of the year with this easy recipe! Here are just a few of my favourite keto sides to serve with your stuffed turkey breast.
FAQs and Hot Tips
Steaming the turkey cooks it gently and keeps all the juices in, making it more tender and less likely to be dry. You still get the browned skin from baking or air frying it after steaming, so it’s the best of both!
Making a keto air fryer turkey roll is definitely possible. Use a baking tin or pan in the basket for the basting and pan juices to collect in and bake it the same as you would for the oven. The important part is making sure the internal temperature reaches the safe temp of 150°F / 65.5°C.
Many meat thermometers are specially designed to be oven-safe, so they can be left in the meat while it is roasting. These would be safe to leave in the steaming attachment of the Thermomix as well.
Make a super-simple boneless rolled roast chicken breast if you prefer.
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Rolled Turkey Roulade
Ingredients
Rolled Turkey
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme two small sprigs, plus 2 extra sprigs for baking
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon finely minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 kg turkey breast boneless, skin on (4.5lb)
- Salt flakes and black pepper
Turkey Gravy
- 1 cup turkey or chicken broth
- ½ – 1 teaspoon glucomannan powder or xanthan gum
Instructions
CONVENTIONAL METHOD
- Place parsley, garlic, thyme, lemon zest, and two tablespoons of oil into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Set aside.
- Remove skin in one piece. Set aside. Butterfly the breast careful not to slice all the way through. Cover with clingfilm and pound into a large rectangle about 2.5cm (1 inch) thick.
- Overlap several long sheets of clingfilm slightly. Place turkey skin, skin-side down into centre and stretch out evenly. Lift breast on top and spread with herbs. Season to taste.
- Roll tightly into a long log. Stretch skin evenly along log and tuck ends under. Twist each end of clingfilm enclosing turkey. Roll back and forth to tighten the log. Chill for 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 170°C fan/190°C static (375°F). Line a baking tray.
- Remove clingfilm; tie with kitchen string every 5cm (2inch). Transfer skin-side up to wire rack over a lined baking tray. Insert a probe if you have one. Baste with oil. Bake 60 minutes, basting 2-3 times after the first 30 minutes. Roast to internal temp of 74°C (165°F). Rest for 10-15 minutes loosely covered before slicing.
- Pour any pan juices into a small saucepan. Add broth and glucomannan. Bring to a simmer and whisk until it thickens. Season to taste.
THERMAL METHOD
- Place parsley, garlic, thyme, lemon zest, and two tablespoons of oil into the mixer; chop 10 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides of bowl and repeat. Set aside. Follow steps 2-4 above.
- Remove clingfilm; tie with kitchen string every 5cm (2inch). Transfer skin-side up to steaming dish. Baste with oil.
- Add 1 litre water to mixer; lock steamer into position; steam 45 min/120°C/speed 2.
- Preheat oven to 180°C fan/200°C static (400°F). Line a baking tray. Transfer turkey to baking tray. Bake 20-30 minutes until browned and an internal temp of 74°C (165°F). Rest 10-15 minutes loosely covered before slicing.
- Discard water from mixer. Add pan juices, broth and glucomannan; cook 4 min/80°C/speed 2. Extend time if needed. Season to taste.
AIR FRYER METHOD
- After steaming the rolled turkey in the Thermomix, remove the cling film and using kitchen twine, tie breast at 1.5-inch intervals. Tuck two of the sprigs of thyme under the twine in the centre.
- Place the trussed and rolled turkey into a pan or foil cradle that fits your air fryer. Place into the air fryer basket. Bake skin-side down at 170°C for 20 minutes. Turn over and baste with the juices. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until an internal temperature of 65.5°C/150°F is reached.
- Follow the conventional or Thermal method for preparing the gravy.
Notes
Your Own Notes
Nutrition
Megan Ellam is an Australian keto recipes blogger and author of amazing keto cookbooks such as Slow Cook Keto, Keto Loco, The Healthy Family Keto Cookbook and Every Day Keto.
Megan has been following a ketogenic diet since being diagnosed with insulin resistance in early 2017.
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