A tender, juicy turkey breast massaged with a thyme, rosemary yogurt.

Ah! The turkey, the master piece, the “piece de resistance”, the centerpiece! What would Thanksgiving be without turkey? What would we put on sandwiches the next day? What would we put gravy on? What would make the house smell like Thanksgiving? What would the movie “A Christmas Story” be without the magnificent turkey? Nothing, I tell you.

It use to be we only had turkey at Thanksgiving. It was like turkey only existed in November. I think I thought it was a seasonal food only available around Thanksgiving. Then my hubby got a smoker and turkey breasts became a regular on our table. We always have some smoked turkey in the freezer for sandwiches or a quick weeknight dinner. So when I thought about doing something a little different and healthy for our Thanksgiving turkey, I thought about a turkey breast. For this recipe I got a whole turkey breast, meaning it has both breasts still attached to the bone and a little bit of the wing. This is a great option for a small crowd or families that only like the white meat.

We use to massage a lot of butter and herbs into our turkeys. They were beautifully moist and flavorful and, well, fattening. So I decided to use Greek yogurt instead. Hey, it works for tandoori chicken. It kind of reminded me of using buttermilk in fried chicken, same concept. The hardest part of this recipe is being careful not to rip the skin when you are trying to loosen it from the meat. It is so worth it though. Don’t skip that step and DON’T take the skin off. If you don’t want to eat the crispy skin, remove it after the turkey is cooked. The skin really helps to keep the flavor and moisture in. A little skin on Thanksgiving never hurt anyone, anyway. Live a little.

The aroma of this turkey is intoxicating. The yogurt is spiced with orange zest, lemon zest, lime zest, thyme, rosemary and garlic. It is quite “zesty”. {Pun intended} Your house will smell better than a Yankee Candle. Your taste buds will salivate in anticipating of the first bite. When will it be? Do you grab a nibble while the turkey is being carved or do you wait until it is on your plate? Me, I grab a nibble as soon as possible. That little nibble always tastes the best! Make sure you save some turkey for a great leftover recipe I will share soon. What will you do with your leftover turkey?

Slice a succulent, zesty turkey breast for your Thanksgiving

Thyme, Rosemary and Yogurt Roasted Turkey Breast (Approximately 16 four-ounce servings, skin removed)

8 lb whole turkey breast, on the bone with ribs and wings
3/4 cup 0% fat Fage Greek Yogurt
Zest of lemon, orange and lime
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
1 tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. whole wheat flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. In a small bowl, mix yogurt, lemon zest, orange zest, lime zest, spices and garlic.
3. Rinse turkey breast and pat dry.
4. Place the turkey on a cutting board and gently push one finger between the skin and the breast meat gently wiggling your finger to separate the skin from the meat.  Gently push your finger further down the breast.  Be careful not to puncture the skin. Go as far as you can then turn the turkey and do the same from the other end.  You want to be able to fully get under all the skin to separate it from the breast.  Trim off any loose pieces of skin hanging off.
5. Take a spoonful of the yogurt mixture and place it under the skin.  Massage it around the breast with your hand.  You can place your hand on top of the breast and push the yogurt around.  Continue to push and massage the yogurt all around both  breasts.  Use most of the yogurt under the skin than massage the remaining yogurt around the cavity and the outside of the skin.
6. Place the turkey with the bone down in a large oven proof skillet or cast iron skillet.
7. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 165°, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
8. Carefully take the skillet out of the oven and place it on the stove.
9. Take out the turkey and place on a cutting  board.  Tent with foil to keep warm.
10. Pour all the turkey drippings into a fat separator.
11. Pour only the juice and 1 tsp. fat back into the skillet and place over medium high heat.
12. Scrape the bottom of the pa to release any browned bit.
13. Add flour and cook while stirring for 1 minute.
14. Whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes.  The gravy will thicken slightly.

Nutritional value for 4 ounces of turkey:

Calories 163    Fat 8 grams    Carbs 8 grams    Protein 33 gram

You can also see this recipe at many link parties listed on my Link Party Page.   As well as http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/honey-herb-glazed-turkey-recipe/