A crown is the simplest way to roast turkey well: all breast, on the bone for flavour, and done in a fraction of the time a whole bird needs. This is how we cook ours at the farm, and the numbers that actually matter.
Roast at 180°C (fan 160°C), allowing 20 minutes per kilo plus 70 minutes. Cook covered loosely in foil, uncovering for the final 30 to 40 minutes to colour the skin.
| Crown weight | Approx. time | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| 2kg | 1 hr 50 min | 3 to 4 |
| 3kg | 2 hr 10 min | 5 to 6 |
| 4kg | 2 hr 30 min | 6 to 8 |
| 5kg | 2 hr 50 min | 8 to 10 |
| 6kg | 3 hr 10 min | 10 to 12 |
| 7kg | 3 hr 30 min | 12 to 14 |
Times are a guide, not a guarantee, because ovens vary. The only test that matters is temperature: 74°C in the thickest part of the breast, with the juices running clear.
Seven steps, and only two of them need you to be paying attention.
Bring the crown out an hour before it goes in the oven. A fridge cold joint cooks unevenly, and the outside overcooks while the middle catches up.
Work softened butter under the skin as well as over the top, then season generously. The butter under the skin is what bastes the breast from the inside as it roasts.
Sit the crown on halved onions and carrots. It lifts the meat off the hot tin, and the vegetables caramelise into the base of your gravy.
Roast at 180°C, fan 160°C, covered loosely with foil, allowing 20 minutes per kilo plus 70 minutes. Baste once or twice if you are passing.
Remove the foil for the final 30 to 40 minutes so the skin browns and crisps.
Probe the thickest part of the breast, away from the bone. You are looking for 74°C. If it is not there, give it ten more minutes and check again.
Rest for at least 20 minutes, and up to 45, under loose foil. Resting is not optional: it is the difference between moist and dry, and the crown will still be hot.
Run a sharp knife down one side of the breastbone and ease the whole breast off in one piece. Lay it on the board and slice across it into even rounds, then repeat on the other side. Every slice gets a piece of skin, and nothing is left clinging to the bone.
Keep the bones. A crown carcass makes stock every bit as good as a whole bird, and it is the base of the best soup of the year. Our stock and broth recipe takes ten minutes of actual work.
Lift the crown onto a board to rest and pour off most of the fat, leaving the dark juices and the softened onion and carrot behind. Set the tin over a low heat, stir in a spoon of flour, then add stock a splash at a time, scraping everything off the base as you go. Simmer until it coats the back of a spoon and season at the end.
Every oven lies a little. The timing table gets you close; the thermometer tells you the truth. This is the mistake that dries out more Christmas dinners than any other.
Carving straight from the oven pushes the juices out onto the board. Twenty minutes of patience keeps them in the meat.
Every time the door opens the oven loses heat and the cooking time stretches. Twice is plenty.
Take each breast off the bone whole, then slice across it. Slicing downwards on the bone gives you ragged, uneven pieces.
Roughly 1 hour 50 minutes at 180°C, fan 160°C: 20 minutes per kilo plus 70 minutes. Always confirm with a thermometer reading 74°C in the thickest part.
Yes. Roast covered loosely with foil for most of the time, removing it for the final 30 to 40 minutes to brown the skin.
Cook to temperature rather than to the clock, get butter under the skin as well as over it, and rest it for at least 20 minutes before carving. Most dry turkey is overcooked turkey, not underseasoned turkey.
74°C in the thickest part of the breast, measured away from the bone. A digital probe thermometer is the single best thing you can buy for Christmas dinner.
No. It must be fully defrosted first, which takes roughly 10 to 12 hours per kilo in the fridge. Our crowns are sold fresh and never frozen, so this only applies to a supermarket bird.
Cook the stuffing separately. Stuffing packed into the cavity slows the heat reaching the centre, so the breast overcooks by the time the stuffing is safe.
It is at its best straight from the oven after resting. If you must cook ahead, carve, cover with a little stock and reheat covered at 160°C for 20 minutes.
