Savory Turkey Tenderloin

by kristen · August 18, 2023

There is nothing better than when you nail down a good turkey recipe. I love being able to add another poultry option into my diet, but turkey can be a hard nut to crack. It is incredibly easy to overcook, resulting in dry meat. It is also quite an undertaking to cook a whole turkey, particularly if you are not cooking for a crowd. This recipe for turkey tenderloin addresses all of that! With tenderloin being just a cut of the turkey, it cooks quickly and can be scaled up or down in terms of amount cooked to suit your family.

I simply LOVE this recipe! What really makes this savory turkey tenderloin recipe special is the marinade. Turkey, by nature, can be lacking in full flavor. The addition of a savory but slightly sweet marinade does the trick. So, let’s get to it!

For the marinade

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable or grapeseed oil
1/2 – 2 tsp cayenne pepper (go with your taste here)
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar (or runny honey, if you prefer)
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 stalk of fresh rosemary, sprigs removed from stalk

Mix all marinade ingredients in small bowl. Transfer to a selable bag when ready to marinate.

For the turkey tenderloin

1.5 pounds of turkey tenderloin. This will typically be 2 tenderloin pieces, sold in one package. Aim to go with 2 loins that are roughly the same size for even cooking
1 Tbsp vegetable or grapeseed oil for browning

Instruction

Insert the turkey tenderloin into the marinade bag. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 2-24 hours

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (use convection mode, if you have it)

Remove tenderloin from marinade and shake off any excess

Heat a cast iron, or heavy, oven safe skillet on med-high heat. Add oil and when shimmering and brown the top and bottom of the tenderloin

Place pan in oven and allow to roast until internal temp at thickest part of tenderloin is 160 degree F. This should be roughly 20-30 mins. Remove from oven and move to a cutting board to rest

Once rested, slice and enjoy!!

Serving the turkey tenderloin

Turkey goes with just about any vegetable. You can take a Thanksgiving day approach with mashed, cranberry sauce and stuffing, or something more simple. This week I served it with my oven roasted corn on the cob and some lemon parmesan roasted broccoli. Yum!