Roasted Turkey Breast
Yields the most tender, juicy meat with the crispiest skin! 15-20 min prep time. That’s it! So simple yet SO GOOD.
If you are keeping Thanksgiving small or you’re simply just not in the mood to cook an entire Thanksgiving turkey, this recipe is here to save. your. day. Or T-day I should say.
It’s quick, it’s simple, and it’s legit just amazing.
The turkey meat comes out so incredibly tender and juicy, yielding the crispiest skin with that herb butter slathered both underneath and on top of the skin.
It’s perfection.
Roasted Turkey Breast
Yields the most tender, juicy meat with the crispiest skin! 15-20 min prep time. That's it! So simple yet SO GOOD.
Ingredients
- 1 5-pound bone-in, skin-on turkey breast
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Let turkey stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray. Spread lemon slices into the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, thyme, sage and rosemary.
- Dry turkey thoroughly with paper towels. Using your fingers, carefully loosen the skin from the breast meat, spreading half of the butter mixture under the skin. Secure skin over the butter with wooden picks.
- Place turkey, breast side up, on top of the lemon slices. Spread remaining half of the butter mixture over the turkey; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place into oven and bake until the turkey is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Let stand 20 minutes before carving; serve warm with gravy, if desired.
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We had a holiday emergency at Thanksgiving this past year. At the last minute our turkey source was closed. We were leaving town to celebrate at a rental with family, and wanted to avoid roasting a large turkey using an unknown oven. This recipe saved us, and was some of the best turkey we’ve ever had! So quick and easy too! We bought two 5lb turkey breasts, and cooked side by side following this recipe exactly as written. Delicious! Crispy skin, moist and tender meat. I would use this recipe anytime. Thank you for the holiday rescue, Damn Delicious!
If I have two 5lbs turkey breasts, can I cook it at the same time side by side?
Thank you!
Fantastic recipe that turned out perfectly!
There were plenty of pan drippings for gravy too.
This turkey was probably the best we’ve ever had – so tender and moist! Well worth the extra time roasting in the oven. One note: I used a smaller 2.75-lb boneless skin-on turkey breast (found at Whole Foods) and it still took a solid 1.5 hours to reach 165, maybe due to the thickness.
This was absolutely perfect. Thanks so much for the recipe. Turkey was flavorful and moist, and it was so easy to make. Yet another hit from Damn Delicious!
If you choose to use the lemons, avoid the temptation to use the drippings because cooked lemons impart an unappetizing astringent taste to everything they touch.
Fast and easy to make. Love the compound butter. I roasted the turkey at 450 for the first 15 mins. to get the crispy skin, then turned down the heat. The drippings were tasty for the gravy. Instead of lemon, I placed turkey breast on onions, carrots and celery, then used those vegetables and the turkey bones as the base for jook.
This was excellent! The turkey turned out so tender.
This was the best turkey breast I’ve ever eaten. I don’t know if it was the butter or the lemons or both. So moist and tender. I will definitely do it this way from now on. Thank you
Was delicious and moist. Did not use the lemons because I like to use the juices in gravy. Easy and perfect.
Can you roast in an oven bag using the same temp and time?
Just made today. The best and juiciest turkey breast ever! Stop scrolling for a better recipe! This is the best!!!
Can I make this in the morning of my party? If I don’t serve until the evening, what are the instructions so it doesn’t dry out? I’ll have gravy! it OK to season it the night before?
I have a 9 pound turkey breast. Do I need to increase cook time for this?
You most definitely have to increase the cooking time with a larger turkey. A 9 lb turkey you need to cook 2 hr 45 min to 3 hrs.
Does this generate enough drippings to make your turkey gravy? If not, how do I make gravy?
Absolutely 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was EZ PZ and tastes like I slaved over it. Will definitely be doing this again.
I made this turkey breast this weekend and my husband said it was the best turkey breast he has every had. He couldn’t stop raving about it. My son who is not a fan of turkey also said it was “pretty good” and that’s a compliment from him.
We also love your corn spoon bread recipe.
Thank you!
Cannot believe how tasty this recipe was. Unlike so many others, the added herbs and spices actually infused into the meat (which was moist as hell!). It was so good that my wife, who will not eat turkey leftovers, had two later meals with this turkey breast. Thanks so much!
Question: Do you cover the Turkey with foil or cooking bag or anything while baking?
No, not unless u want soggy skin.
If u rub a good amt of seasoned/flavored butter under the skin (after you’ve loosened it w/o tearing it), u will not ever feel the need to use a ridiculous oven bag again. They’re not necessary.
I also rec *not* trying to stuff it, whether a whole turkey or breast. All u need is a few aromatics in the cavity & it had all it needs to be juicy & flavorful.
If u want a perfectly cooked turkey (esp a breast) use the above & following recommendations: cook at 325 w/a proper leave-in, digital meat probe. Do not cover it until the skin is browned to your liking. Once it is, just lay a piece of foil over it & *loosely* “wrap” it to cover (u don’t want it to be so tight that it steams & makes the skin soggy).
Cook ONLY until it reaches about 158°F in the breast (u can wait til as little as 155° or to 160° but I’d use the guidelines depending on the wt of the bird. If it’s small, I might pull at 156°-158°. If it’s 15lbs or larger, I might pull it at 160° but definitely no higher than that. Remove from oven and let that bird sit, **loosely** covered for *at least* 30 mins or up to an hr depending on how long your sides take to bake or reheat.
I’m no chef, but if u cook it to the rec temp, based upon who’s providing the info,it will be overcooked & dry. Meat continues to cook after it’s removed from the cooking source. If u want to double ck, u can always use a digital, instant read thermometer to ck the temp after it’s rested for at least 30 mins.
Once u follow these steps (& season appropriately) u will never worry about an overcooked, dry Turkey (or any other meat) ever again. Ur welcome!
Could we use dried herbs instead of fresh?
Can we use dried herbs? if so how much?
Delicious and so easy! I would definitely make this again.
I used dried herbs, about 1/3 of the fresh quantities and it was very tasty.
I made this for my first go at hosting Thanksgiving for my family and I am SO PROUD of how it turned out. Possibly the most delicious Thanksgiving turkey I’ve ever had (my husband also said it was the best he’d ever had, too!). Make this. Immediately. So good.
Perfect!
Damn delicious is right! My 94 year old MIL raved endlessly about the flavor and how tender the meat was. I agree, the flavor was amazing. This is going to be my main stay recipe for eternity.
The turkey breast came out good. Next time I would leave out the lemon slices or replace them with onions and celery. The lemon slices imparted a sour/bitter tasted to the pan drippings which made for weird tasting gravy. They didn’t add anything to the taste of the turkey so why risk ruining your gravy?
This was just so easy and good. My husband and I don’t cook much but we wanted my aging parents to have the holiday off. It came out perfect.
I made this using a boneless 2 pound turkey breast. It came out tender and great. I could taste the lemon a little bit. I used poultry seasoning no salt or pepper. Thank you for helping me prepare this turkey!
How long did you cook the boneless breast for?
I made this for guests and family for Sunday dinner and the bone-in turkey breast came out flavorful and juicy. I seasoned it Saturday and left in the fridge overnight and baked as directed. My turkey breast was almost 7 lbs so it took longer to cook but was great. I took the juices and added to my giblet gravy -equally fantastic! Will definitely use this recipe again.
How long did you cook it for since it was almost 7lbs
Rule of thumb is add 20 minutes per pound. So, if it’s 2 pounds over, add 40 minutes to the cooking time. But ovens vary, so of course use a meat thermometer and check as the end of the time approaches so it doesn’t over or under cook. 🙂
Hands down, the best turkey breast recipe! I made it exactly as directed, and it was moist and tasted fabulous!
So far, EVERYTHING I have tried with Damn Delicious recipes have been so great!
I just got the boneless turkey breast. Following your Sheet pan herb roasted Turkey. This recipe looks better. wil the boneless turkey will work as well? Thank you
Same, I always get boneless. I’m guessing cooking time is decreased but by how much, I don’t know.
In the photo, it appears that your turkey breast does not contain the backbone, like it is spatchcocked. Around here, ours come with the backbone attached. Does it cook more quickly without the backbone? If so, I can remove it. Thank you.
I have the same question. Have never seen a whole breast without the backbone. Last time I cooked one I removed it but it was a job.
I was thinking that the breast had been carved and plated for the photo. Hope I’m right b/c I’m putting the thing it the way it comes!