How to Roast Turkey Breast in a Convection Oven

The average turkey breast weighs between 4 and 8 pounds, so a single roast turkey breast can leave you with lots of turkey leftovers you can incorporate into different meals. Making your roast turkey breast in a convection oven ensures it cooks evenly and the outside browns to crispy, savory perfection.

For that reason and many more, roast turkey breast is a great meal-prep option. You can slice your roast turkey and use it to top salads, add to soups and even serve it with pasta or rice and a generous helping of veggies.

Cooking turkey in a convection oven may be preferable to cooking it in a regular oven. A regular oven has heating elements on the top and bottom of the oven, while a convection oven has these as well as a fan to circulate the heat.

Cooking turkey breast in a convection oven cooks the meat evenly and helps to form a crispy outer skin that keeps it tender and juicy. This is important because turkey breast is a low-fat meat that's prone to drying out during cooking.

In a convection oven, roast turkey breast should be cooked at a minimum temperature of 325 F, in accordance with USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service recommendations. This temperature is recommended for food safety reasons and is very important, given the average size of turkey breasts.

Left out for too long, it can become unsafe to eat roast turkey breast as it can become contaminated with food-borne bacteria and cause illness.

When it comes to turkey breasts, size definitely matters. This is because your exact cooking time depends on the size of the turkey breast.

It typically takes between 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours for a turkey breast to roast at 325 F in a convection oven. Your convection oven turkey breast is safe to eat when the meat has reached an internal temperature of 165 F.

If you've decided to stuff your breast, your cook time will take a bit longer. Stuffed convection roast turkey breasts need 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours of cooking time.

Given the amount of variability in time and the importance of cooking your turkey all the way through, it's always safest to use a cooking thermometer when cooking large pieces of meat, especially convection oven turkey breast.

Before you put your turkey breast into the oven, there are a few things you need to do to prepare it. It's important to take these steps beforehand to minimize the amount of time your turkey sits uncooked at room temperature.

• Have a spice mix ready. Spices like garlic, pepper, mustard, cumin, coriander and paprika can all enhance the flavor of this meat. It's best to mix these spices in advance because you'll want them to be evenly distributed on your roast turkey breast.
• If your turkey breast still has skin on, you'll also need fat to help the turkey skin crisp up in the oven. You can use any type of fat, from a plant-based oil like avocado oil or butter. Mix part of your spice mix with this fat so that you can evenly coat the exterior of the turkey breast.
• Don't cover a turkey breast for roasting. Covering turkey breast with foil before cooking will prevent the "convection sear" you want on the outside of the meat.
• Some people also choose to stuff turkey breast before roasting it. These recipes for paleo stuffing and whole-grain stuffing will take you an additional 15 to 30 minutes of preparation time. They'll also increase your total cooking time.

Add sliced roast turkey to salads — it pairs well with dried cranberries, chopped walnuts and feta cheese. You can also top rice and pasta dishes with roast turkey breast for extra protein.

Try serving sliced roast turkey breast alongside:

• Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
• Sauteed Spinach
• Fresh Sweet Corn
• Seeds and Greens Bulgur Salad