If you are looking for a smoked turkey breast recipe that is easy and will knock your sock off, well this one is it! Even if you don’t have a smoker, you can still make this smoked turkey breast recipe with the use of cedar planks in your oven! And stuffing the turkey breast gives you the ability to add so much flavor- trust me when I tell you that this will make it on your regular recipe rotation!
This recipe is epic for a few reasons:
- Stuffing the turkey gives you the opportunity to stuff the turkey with all your favorite flavors.
- Smoking the turkey on a cedar plank gives it great smoke flavor
- Stuffing and smoking the turkey give you an epic bite of tasty filling and smoked turkey all in one
- Cedar planking makes for a fun presentation to bring to the table and makes for an elevated dinner experience
- When you slice the breast, you get little spirals of turkey and stuffing which just looks cool on the plate
I feel like most people think of turkey around the holidays, or when they want a sandwich, or as a lean alternative when making spaghetti sauce, but did you know turkey is a great alternative to chicken in just about any recipe? In fact, it is an easy substitution for any recipe that calls for chicken.
This smoked turkey breast recipe starts with a delicious filling of blue cheese, craisins, pecans and thyme.
And I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get chicken fatigue! I love experimenting with turkey because it is such a versatile protein for just about any flavor profile, and smoking or grilling turkey really takes it to the next level.
I originally developed this smoked turkey breast recipe in partnership with my friends over at the National Turkey Federation and Shady Brook Farms and as I was working with the boneless skinless turkey breast, it struck me what a versatile protein it is! Much the same way people think of stuffing a pork loin, a boneless turkey breast is perfect for stuffing and it is also the perfect portion for 2 people! In my mind, this is the ultimate date night recipe!
If you haven’t heard of Shady Brook Farms, look for them at your local grocery store. They work with small local farmers to source their turkey, and they’re never fed any antibiotics or junk ingredients. They have a lot of cool turkey products in their line up like skillet kits, boneless turkey breasts like I used in this recipe, pre-marinated turkey loins, and of course whole turkeys. Check them out!
START BY BRINING YOUR TURKEY OVERNIGHT
The key to moist poultry is to start by brining overnight or at least for a few hours. Do your turkey breast a favor and give it a trip to the brine spa before you stuff it. Why brine your turkey? It will help it retain it’s moisture so it doesn’t dry out while it cooks. I have an awesome turkey brine recipe you can use and you can even halve the recipe since this is just for the breast, not a whole turkey.
BASTE IN A GARLIC THYME COMPOUND BUTTER WHILE SMOKING
If you forget to brine or just run out of time, don’t despair, this turkey is getting bathed in a garlic thyme compound butter to keep it moist and juicy while smoking. As if this recipe couldn’t get any more delicious with the fillings, the smoke and now butter! Wowza! I told you this was an awesome recipe! Go ahead and bookmark this recipe because it is super versatile and you can play around with the flavors you like to stuff it with- ie, Italian style, Greek style, etc- get creative!
BUTTERFLY, STUFF AND TIE UP YOUR TURKEY BREAST BEFORE PUTTING ON A CEDAR PLANK
So, the key to this stuffed smoked turkey breast recipe on the grill is to butterfly it first. How to butterfly a turkey breast? Essentially, all you need to do is slice it lengthwise down the middle so it will lay flat. From there, you can make your filling, stuff the breast, roll it up, tie it with twine, and then place it on the cedar plank.
SMOKE ON INDIRECT OR BAKE IN YOUR OVEN
The next part is to create direct and indirect zones on your grill and place the cedar planked turkey breast on the indirect side. Then, you grill this turkey on indirect heat until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees. It is super important to always make sure you reach the proper internal temperature on any poultry, which is why I recommend always using an internal read thermometer such as the Thermapen or the Thermapop (which is only $34!) If you don’t have one of these, get one NOW! It will make you a better cook, trust me! Never guesstimate again and risk over or under cooking anything, but especially poultry!
This smoked turkey breast recipe is so burting with flavor from the filling, the smoke from the cedar planks and the garlic thyme compound butter.
I cooked this turkey breast on my grill for about 50 minutes, but the ultimate deciding factor will be reaching that internal temperature of 165 degrees (note it will continue to cook when you take it off, hence why I am saying 165, not 170 internal degrees).
The flavors of this blue cheese and craisin stuffed smoked turkey breast beg for a wine that can stand up to it, so I recommend a nice Pinot Noir. Add an arugula salad tossed in balsamic glaze and you have the PERFECT DINNER my friends! If you try this recipe don’t forget to leave me a comment or tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Note: this recipe was developed in partnership with my friends at the National Turkey Federation and Shady Brook Farms. Sponsored posts help keep this blog alive! I only work with companies and products I recommend!
Do you want to experiment with turkey on the grill? Check out my other turkey recipes! Turkey is great for grilling and smoking – check out my recipes on how to grill a whole turkey, how to grill a spatchcocked turkey, pickle juice brined spatchcocked turkey, and how to grill turkey on the Big Green Egg.
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Blue Cheese, Craisin & Pecan stuffed Turkey Breast Grilled on a Cedar Plank
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 servings 1x
Description
Boneless turkey breast is the ultimate versatile protein for stuffing, giving the option to get creative with your favorite ingredients. In this recipe, blue cheese, craisins, pecans and thyme make for a rich filling that is stuffed into the breast and then roasted on cedar planks on the grill to obtain smoke flavor. Next, the turkey is then basted in a garlic thyme compound butter to keep it moist and juicy while cooking on the grill. It is then sliced, yielding a turkey pinwheel that makes for the perfect creamy, crunchy, smoky bite, which is an excellent dish for date night or any night you want to take dinner to the next level.
Ingredients
Materials and Ingredients:
- 1 cedar plank
- Cooking twine
- 1 skinless turkey breast, butterflied to lay flat
- ½ cup blue cheese
- ¼ cup craisins
- ¼ cup pecans, chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- Drizzle olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
Compound Butter
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 7 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Presoak your cedar plank in water 30 minutes before putting it on the grill. Remove butter from the refrigerator so it can soften.
- Next, butterfly the turkey breast by cutting it lengthwise in the middle so that it can lay flat. Rub the turkey with salt and pepper.
- Combine the blue cheese, craisins, chopped pecans, fresh thyme and 1 tbsp. butter in a bowl. Add the olive oil and mix together, ensuring the blue cheese is crumbled.
- Spread the filling out on the turkey breast. Roll the breast together in a tight bundle and tie together with the cooking twine, tying in three places along the breast, and optionally a final one across both the ends to keep the stuffing from falling out (see picture).
- Combine sea salt, remaining thyme, garlic and butter with a stick blender. Microwave the butter for 30 seconds to melt it to be used for basting on the grill.
- Place the rolled breast on the cedar plank.
- Heat your grill to 400 degrees, creating a direct and indirect zone (for info on how to do this check out Grill School how to create direct and indirect zones on the grill).
- Place the cedar plank on the indirect side and let it cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees as tested with an internal read meat thermometer, this should take about 50 minutes, give or take a few minutes.
- After you put the turkey on the grill, baste with butter and continue to baste every time you check the temperature, finishing with remaining butter before taking the turkey off the grill.
- Let the meat rest under foil a few minutes and then slice into pinwheels. This dish pairs wonderfully with a simple arugula salad tossed with balsamic glaze and a glass of Pinot Noir.
Notes
This recipe was developed in partnership with The National Turkey Federation and Shady Brook Farms.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Smoked Turkey, Grilled Turkey, Roasted Turkey
- Method: Grilled, Smoked, Cedar Planked
- Cuisine: American, BBQ
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2-3
