Asian Marinated Turkey Breast with Baby Red Potatoes
A Simple Recipe That Feels Special
Asian Marinated Turkey Breast with Baby Red Potatoes is a little something different for the holidays, or any cozy weekend when you’re not cooking for a crowd but still want a meal that will impress your family and friends. This turkey breast gets marinated in a savory-sweet mix of soy, honey, maple, garlic, and five spice before its roasted until golden, and nestled with onions and baby red potatoes that soak up every drop of those incredible drippings.
Every winter I buy a few turkey breasts after the holidays and freeze them so they can be roasted throughout the year for deli meat or a nice turkey dinner. This Asian Marinated Turkey Breast is one of my favorites as it is great for sandwiches or as a meal with these crispy baby red potatoes and onions.
Be sure this holiday season to look for frozen turkey breasts and put a couple in your freezer. You will be so happy later when you have a nice meal!
Presentation Is Everything
The beauty of this recipe is that this Asian Marinated Turkey Breast with Baby Red Potatoes looks as beautiful as it tastes! The marinade gives it a stunning color that just enhances the flavor.
The potatoes and onions get a tasty crisp to them as they roast in the drippings from the turkey!
Small Scale Holiday
Sometimes the holidays don’t need a 20-pound turkey. Sometimes they just need something tender, flavorful, and a little unexpected like this Asian marinated turkey breast. This is the perfect recipe if you are having a smaller holiday this year, or need a second meal to celebrate the holidays early with someone.
I like to make a turkey breast before the holidays so that I can make my Make Ahead Turkey Gravy. You can certainly adjust my turkey gravy recipe and use the drippings from this recipe to make your Thanksgiving Gravy early.
Simple Pantry Ingredients Make This Special
Chinese Five Spice is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns that adds warmth, flavor depth, and the smells make your home smell all holiday like! Lots of brands sell Chinese Five Spice in the stores.
I like this one from McCormick but you can also mix up your own.
The bone-in breast is what adds to the juiciness of the meat that comes out. Anything bone-in is going to hold a lot more moisture when making any kind of roast, whether it is poultry, pork, or beef.
The soy sauce (my favorite brand is Wan Jan Shan), honey, and maple syrup help balance the salt and sweet in this recipe. It also gives that “umami” flavor that so many of us love about Asian food!
Trust The Process
There are just a few steps in this recipe, but each are equally important. You must marinate this recipe, breast side down, for 24 to 36 hours.
I do take the time to turn the turkey breast as it is marinating. It is key to have the breast side down for the majority of the marinating time.
The potatoes and onions in this recipe that surround the turkey breast soak up all the delicious juices coming from the bird. They also caramelize and get perfect crispy edges as they roast.
If you like even crisper vegetables, you can remove the breast to rest and let the potatoes and onions continue to roast.
You will start this recipe cooking at 450° so that the skin sears to get a good color and holds in the juices as the turkey roasts. The rest of the cook time is lower and slower.
These turkey breasts are not HUGE, so you do not need the same cook time as a regular turkey. I would highly recommend using a meat thermometer for this recipe.
Reminder that the breast continues to cook a little as it rests, sometimes as much as ten degrees. This is why I pull the turkey out before it is at the exact done temperature.
Be sure to flip this turkey at the end. You are roasting it breast side down for optimal juiciness so you will want to flip it to the other side to crisp up the top at the end.
This is also why I use my speckled roaster. This roaster helps the breast get a golden brown, even with the lid on.
Asian Marinated Turkey Breast with Baby Red Potatoes Recipe
A little something different for the holidays, or any cozy weekend when you’re not cooking for a crowd. This turkey breast gets marinated in a savory-sweet mix of soy, honey, maple, garlic, and five spice, roasted until golden, and nestled with onions and baby red potatoes that soak up every drop of those incredible drippings. A recipe that will impress your family and friends.
Ingredients
- 1 (3–5 lb) bone-in turkey breast, thawed
- 2–3 cups soy sauce (use your favorite brand mine is linked in the post before the recipe card)
- 2 tsp Chinese five spice (this is explained in the post before the recipe card)
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
- 1–2 Tbsp cooking oil (any neutral oil works)
- 2 medium yellow or sweet onions, chopped
- 1–2 lb bag mini baby red potatoes, halved lengthwise
- ½ tsp white pepper
- Optional: salt, pepper, or onion powder (about 1 tsp each) for seasoning potatoes
Instructions
- Prep the Turkey. Once thawed, remove the turkey breast from packaging, rinse, and pat dry.
- Be sure to sanitize your sink and counters after handling raw poultry.
- Make the Marinade. In a very large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, maple syrup, rice vinegar, garlic, Chinese five spice, and white pepper.
- Marinate the Turkey. Place the turkey breast-side down in the bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.
- For extra flavor, rotate the turkey during marinating: after 12 hours, tilt it to one side for 2 hours, then the other side for 2 hours, returning it breast-side down. If you prefer simplicity, just leave it breast-side down for the full marinating time.
- Prep the Vegetables by washing and drying the potatoes and cutting them in half lengthwise. Peel and cut your onions.
- Remove the turkey breast from the marinade and discard the liquid.
- Again, sanitize your sink and workspace afterward.
- In a separate bowl, toss the halved potatoes and chopped onions with a drizzle of oil. Add salt, pepper, and/or onion powder if desired.
- Assemble & Roast. Preheat your oven to 450°F. Place the turkey breast-side down in a roasting pan or speckled roaster. Rub the remaining oil all over the breast. Surround the turkey with the seasoned potatoes and onions. Top the potatoes with the butter, cut into small pieces, and place all over the tops of the potatoes.
- Cover and roast for 20 minutes at 450°F, then reduce heat to 325°F and continue roasting 15–20 minutes per pound.
- Finish & Crisp. During the last 15 minutes, remove the lid, carefully turn the turkey on its side, raise the oven temperature to 375°F, and let it crisp and brown. Use a meat thermometer. Try to remove the turkey when it reaches 145°F.
- Rest & Serve. Let the turkey rest 15 minutes, loosely covered with foil, before slicing.
- While it rests, give those potatoes and onions a toss in the turkey drippings for the ultimate side dish.