Oven Roasted Turkey Breast is an easy and enjoyable entree to serve for the holidays. We love making a roasted turkey breast recipe for our small family or doing a couple of them for a crowd. Not only are they fast and easy, but the cleanup is also quick, as a turkey breast is nothing to cook compared to a whole bird.
If you do love turkey and want more recipes, then try our Cheesecloth Herb Butter Turkey Recipe or a Stuffed Roasted Turkey Breast.
Why is this Turkey Breast Recipe so Good?
- Easy to make
- A good recipe for starter cooks
- Feeds a small family or buy more to feed a crowd
- Cheaper than a whole bird
- Delicious with garlic herb butter slathered all over
This turkey dinner is sure to wow your family and guests this holiday season for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Preparing a turkey like this makes the perfect centerpiece for your festivities.
Helpful Items For This Recipe
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4.4 QT Baking Dish, 9×13 Large Casserole Dish for Oven
Turkey Carving Knife Set – Carving Fork & Carving Knife for Meat
Recipe Ingredients
Planning ahead will get you the best results and have you cooking like a pro. Making a list, and yes, checking it twice, will make your dinner go smoothly.
Ingredients
Bone-in turkey breast – Turkey breast can be bought fresh or frozen and can be around 7-10 pounds. If preparing a frozen turkey, it will need to be placed in the refrigerator to thaw 4-5 days before baking.
Butter softened – Salted or unsalted butter can be used for this recipe. To quickly soften refrigerated butter, microwave in 8-10 second burst until soft. For the butter mixture to stick to the turkey skin, the skin must be very dry. Pat the skin dry with paper towels to remove any moisture from the surface. To help dry the surface, place the turkey on a rimmed baking sheet and store in the refrigerator, uncovered, for several hours to dry the skin.
Garlic cloves, minced – A few cloves of garlic add a nice aromatic flavor to the turkey. 1-2 teaspoons of garlic powder or flakes can be used in place of fresh if needed.
Fresh rosemary, Fresh thyme, and Fresh sage – The grocery stores have rosemary, thyme, and sage all packed together, so you don’t have to buy three individual herbs, which saves you money. Rosemary, thyme, and sage make a classic herb blend that seasons the turkey nicely. Customize the herb blend with a couple of teaspoons of the herbs you prefer, or add a couple teaspoons of lemon juice to the butter mixture for a lemony kick.
Salt and Black pepper – Salt and pepper added directly to the meat and in the mixture help to season the meat and bring out the flavors.
You can figure on about 1 lb. turkey breast per person for a bone-in breast or about 3/4 lb for boneless.
How to Make Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Have you never attempted a turkey before? This very easy recipe with step-by-step instructions will help you create a show-stopping dish and a very memorable meal. Call your butcher to have the exact turkey breast ready for you for pickup. This also makes for a stress-free prep.
One hour before baking, remove the thawed turkey breast from its packaging, rinse it, and set it on a rimmed baking sheet. Slightly separate the skin from the breast meat. Season the turkey with one teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper under the skin, using your fingers to spread over as much of the breast as possible. Allow turkey to sit at room temperature for one hour.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and position the oven rack in the middle position.
In a small bowl, add the softened butter, minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper; stir with a rubber spatula until thoroughly combined.
Thoroughly dry the surface of the turkey breast with a paper towel; the butter mixture will not stick to the skin of the breast if the skin is wet.
Place 2-3 tablespoons of the butter herb mixture under the surface of the skin, then press the skin slightly to spread the mixture out under the skin. Smear the remaining mixture over the surface of the breast.
Place turkey breast in a roasting pan or 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours, rotating pan after the first 45 minutes. Continue to bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, first checking for doneness after 90 minutes.
The turkey can be basted with the scrumptious butter sauce, but be careful not to remove all those wonderful herbs in the process.
I just left it as the butter bastes it while it cooks. In the last few minutes, I gave it one baste.
Remove the breast from the oven, and allow the breast to rest at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Carve and slice breast meat, and serve warm.
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
How to Make Turkey Gravy
To prepare a gravy from the drippings, pour the drippings from the pan through a strainer into a measuring cup. If the liquid does not measure 1 cup, add enough water to make 1 cup of liquid.
Place liquid in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. In a separate bowl, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1-2 tablespoons of cold water, stirring well until dissolved. Whisk slurry into drippings and bring to a boil, whisking regularly. When the gravy has thickened, pour it into a gravy bowl or cup for pouring, making 1 cup of gravy.
A roast turkey breast like this is perfect for a buffet-style dinner as it is a formal sit-down. This is also very portable if you need to bring turkey to someone’s home. They take up less room in an oven or can be made ahead of time and served cold, at room temperature, or reheated.
Recipe Pro Tips!
- Leftover turkey can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 6 days.
- To carve a turkey breast, run a carving knife down both sides of the breastbone, keeping as close as possible to the bone and following the shape of the rib bones to remove the breast meat. Run the knife along the base of the breast from the wing portion to the tail to help remove the entire breast section. Place breast on a cutting board and cut into ½-inch slices or desired thickness.
- Tip: When cutting into slices, a serrated knife works best to cut through the skin.
- If you do not wish to serve the turkey with the skin on, place as much of the butter filling as possible under the skin. Bake as directed; the skin will help add flavor and protect the meat from becoming too dry. Simply remove the skin when craving.
- I can’t emphasize enough, though, that you can’t cook turkey at a desired time, but it has to reach 165F as the desired temperature. The best investment you will make is a good quality thermometer.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH ROAST TURKEY BREAST
The sides are as important as the main event, so let me help you complete your holiday meals!!
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe
Ingredients
- 7-9 lbs bone-in turkey breast
- 8 tablespoons butter softened
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage minced
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- One hour before baking, remove thawed turkey breast from its packaging, rinse, and set on a rimmed baking sheet. Slightly separate the skin from the breast meat. Season the turkey with one teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper under the skin, using your fingers to spread over as much of the breast as possible. Allow turkey to sit at room temperature for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees, position oven rack in the middle position.
- In a small bowl, add the softened butter, minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a ¼ teaspoon of pepper; stir with a rubber spatula until thoroughly combined.
- Thoroughly dry the surface of the turkey breast with paper towel; the butter mixture will not stick to the skin of the breast if the skin is wet.
- Place 2-3 tablespoons of the butter herb mixture under the surface of the skin, then press the skin slightly to spread the mixture out under the skin. Smear the remaining mixture over the surface of the breast.
- Place turkey breast in a roasting pan or 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours, rotating pan after the first 45 minutes. Continue to bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, first checking for doneness after 90 minutes.
- Remove the breast from the oven; allow the breast to rest at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Carve and slice breast meat, serve warm.
Comments & Reviews
Cathy says
Thank you !!
Cathy says
So just to double check cook it uncovered ??? Then tent once you remove ?
Tara Noland says
Yes exactly! You want it to roast in the oven uncovered to get that lovely browned color. Then when you remove it to hold in the juices you tent with foil for 10 min.
Kathy Cameron says
Making this for easter dinner! Looks fabulous.
Tara Noland says
Enjoy!! Happy Easter!!
Annemarie LeBlanc says
The turkey breast turned out great! I love the idea of rubbing herbed butter under the skin. That saved me some time instead of brining the meat. Thanks for sharing this recipe and cooking tips. I am adding this to our menu plan for next week.
reesa says
Oh that sounds delicious! I would love to try this for a lovely Sunday dinner!
Jennifer says
This looks so juicy and delicious! I would love to have this for dinner tonight
Catalina says
I love turkey and I make it often, not only this time of the year! I also love the flavors that you used and I should try them too!
Scott says
We’ve also gotten away from doing a whole turkey. We now just cook a large breast and it is still more than enough.
Amy says
Wow, this looks so delicious! I love herbed butter and have only made it once. I think I need to try this next time I make a breast!
Kathy says
Wow, this looks amazing. I do love turkey too. I may have to give this a try for the holidays.
Brianne says
I love roasted turkey! This recipe is AMAZING! I love the herbed butter. No dry turkey ever again!
Liz Mays says
Now this is an awesome way to do turkey. I’m definitely into those flavors and the presentation is really nice too.
Stacie says
That looks incredible. This would be so perfect for sandwiches! Good sandwiches, though. I’m talking toasted sourdough bread with some lettuce and tomato. Om nom nom.