The advantage of a Turkey Crown over a whole turkey is that it is quicker to cook, and easier to carve. People who are tired of the yearly routine of dealing with turkey leftovers also like that a crown has less meat than a whole turkey.
The downside to Turkey Crowns is that they can be far more expensive than buying a whole bird, sometimes double the price.
There is no standard definition of what a Turkey Crown actually is, though. Most often, and strictly speaking, it is and should be the top part of a turkey, with the legs, wings and undercarriage cut away. The bones are left in the top part in order to retain the natural look of a roasted turkey when it is cooked. Some come stuffed. That being said, some butchers define a Turkey Crown as a turkey with just the legs and wings removed. And a few butchers will sell a Saddle of Turkey (which is boneless breasts still joined at the top) as being a “Turkey Crown.”
Turkey Crowns have been very popular in Britain for some time, but are becoming popular in America.
Cooking Tips
A Turkey Crown between 6 ½ and 8 ½ pounds (3 and 4 kg) will serve 8 people.
You may wish to wrap the Turkey Crown in tin foil for the first half of the cooking time to help keep the meat moist. Wrap it so that the join is at the top of the bird, so that you can easily open it up for the second half of the cooking for browning. (And remember, it’s a myth that it matters what side of aluminum foil faces in or out.)
Cook at 350 F (175 C). If covered, allow 18 minutes per pound / 450g. If uncovered, allow 15 minutes per pound / 450g.
When done, the temperature should be 170 F (77 C) in the deepest part of the meat. This is where your simple instant-read meat thermometer will save you the stress of guess-work and drying out the meat through needless overcooking. (See entry on Meat Thermometers.)
Allow to rest 30 minutes, covered, outside the oven when done before serving. This allows the juices to be drawn back into the meat.