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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Main Course / Roast Turkey Breast

    Roast Turkey Breast

    BY: Courtney PUBLISHED: Oct 6, 2022 Leave a Comment UPDATED ON: Dec 9, 2022

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
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    sliced roast turkey breast on a white platter with citrus slices, fresh herbs, and cranberries as garnish with text on image saying roast turkey breast in the middle for pinterest pin and then an unsliced whole turkey breast on a platter below it.
    sliced roast turkey breast on a white platter with citrus slices, fresh herbs, and cranberries as garnish with text on image saying roast turkey breast for pinterest pin.

    This juicy and tender Roast Turkey Breast with crispy skin coated in garlic, herbs, and butter. This turkey recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving or whenever you’re craving a delicious turkey dinner.

    sliced roast turkey breast on a white platter with citrus slices, fresh herbs, and cranberries as garnish.

    We are sharing step by step how to roast a turkey breast so you’ll look like a pro this holiday season! You can also use the same buttery herb mixture on whole turkey and whole chicken.

    roast turkey breast sliced on a plate served with a side of mashed potatoes and green bean almondine and cranberries garnished on the plate.

    Recipe ingredients

    raw turkey breast with bone in on a white plate with little glass bowls around it with dried seasonings in them and a plate with butter.

    Ingredient notes

    • Bone-in Turkey Breast – This is a great way to make sure everyone gets the white meat. You can also use the leftover bones to make turkey stock.
    • Butter – To make this dairy free we use country crock plant butter.
    • Garlic – Fresh garlic is always delicious, but you could also use granulated garlic in a pinch.
    • Fresh Herbs and spices – Our herbs of choice are thyme, sage, rosemary, paprika, salt, and pepper. You can use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for every tablespoon of fresh herbs.

    How to make Roast Turkey Breast

    For the full ingredient amount and full instructions on how to make a roasted turkey with the bone in see the recipe card below.

    Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

    Then in a small bowl combine the butter with the herbs, spices, salt, and pepper.

    garlic butter herb spread for turkey in a glass bowl.
    garlic butter herb spread for turkey in a glass bowl with a spoon.

    Place the turkey breast in a roasting pan with a rack or large baking dish. Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel and then rub the buttery herb mixture onto the turkey breast. You can also rub the butter mixture under the skin of the turkey directly on the breast.

    raw turkey breast in a roasting pan.
    garlic butter and herb spread covered turkey breast with bone in on a roasting pan.

    Next, reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake the turkey breast for 20 minutes per pound of the turkey breast. If your turkey is browning too quickly you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil.

    cooked roasted turkey breast in a roasting pan.

    The turkey breast is done cooking when the thickest part of the breast meat reaches a safe temperature. Fully cooked turkey breast should reach 165 degrees F.

    roasted turkey breast on a white platter with citrus slices, fresh herbs, and cranberries as garnish.

    Before slicing, allow the turkey breast to cool for 10-15 minutes.

    sliced roast turkey breast on a white platter with citrus slices, fresh herbs, and cranberries as garnish with a fork and spoon to the right and cranberry sauce in a bowl to the bottom right.

    Recipe tips and variations

    • Check turkey around at the end of the cooking time. If the temperature is 165 degrees F, it’s ready. You don’t want the turkey breast to dry out.
    • Pan drippings can be used to make a delicious gravy. If you’d like to use the drippings to make a gravy, you’ll want to strain the drippings to remove any solids. Then take the remaining broth and add it to a small saucepan. Then add a little of the broth to a small bowl. Add in 1 tablespoon of flour and mix until there are no lumps. Add back to the sauce and stir with a whisk. Add in 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.
    • Always allow meat and poultry to rest for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing. Slicing while it’s too hot will cause all the juices to pour out and result in dry turkey.
    • We love serving sliced turkey breast on a platter, but you can also serve the whole turkey breast and slice it at the table.
    roast turkey breast sliced on a plate served with a side of mashed potatoes and green bean almondine and cranberries garnished on the plate and sides in bowls around it.

    Storage and reheating tips

    • Refrigerate: Store any turkey breast leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days.
    • Freeze: To freeze leftover turkey you can place it in an airtight freezer safe container and freeze for 3 months.
    • Reheat: To reheat turkey breast we like to place it in a skillet with a bit of broth or water and heat on medium heat until the turkey is warm throughout. You can also warm up in a bit of gravy.

    How to serve

    We love serving our roasted turkey breast with dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, slow cooker stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean almondine, or green bean casserole.

    Frequently asked questions

    How much turkey breast per person?

    We go for 1lb per person when serving turkey breast with the bone-in. We always like leftover turkey too so sometimes we’ll do 2lbs per person.

    Should I cover my turkey with foil while cooking?

    We keep turkey breast uncovered when roasting. This allows the skin to become crispy and gives the turkey breast a beautiful golden brown color.  If the turkey is browning too much you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil.

    How long is turkey breast cooking time per pound?

    You should cook a turkey breast for 20 minutes per pound of the turkey breast. A 5lb turkey breast should cook for about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

    How can you tell when a turkey breast is done cooking?

    You should always check the internal temperature of a turkey breast with a meat thermometer. The turkey breast is done cooking when the thickest part of the breast meat measures 165 degrees F.

    what to serve with roast turkey breast

    red skin mashed potatoes in a white bowl

    Red Skin Mashed Potatoes

    slow cooker stuffing

    Slow Cooker Stuffing

    Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese that you can make by just dumping all the ingredients right in! This is a raw uncooked noodles recipe too! Great comforting fall recipe for entertaining.

    Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

    sliced roast turkey breast on a white platter with citrus slices, fresh herbs, and cranberries as garnish.

    Roast Turkey Breast

    This juicy and tender Roast Turkey Breast with crispy skin coated in garlic, herbs, and butter. This turkey recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving or whenever you're craving a delicious turkey dinner.
    5 from 3 votes

    click the stars to rate this recipe

    Print Pin Recipe
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: roast turkey breast, roasted turkey breast
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 473kcal
    Author: Courtney

    Ingredients

    • 5-6 lb bone-in turkey breast
    • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature (we use 1 tablespoon per lb or turkey breast)
    • 4 cloves garlic minced, or 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
    • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
    • 1 tablespoon fresh sage chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
    • 1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. (Preheat to 350 degrees F if your roasting cannot go to this high of a temperature)
    • In a small bowl combine the butter with the ingredients aside from the turkey to make a butter spread.
    • Place the turkey breast into a roasting pan with a rack or large baking dish. Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel. Rub the butter mixture onto the turkey breast, you can also loosen the skin on the breast and rub some of the butter mixture under the skin.
    • Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake the turkey breast for 20 minutes per pound of the turkey breast. A 5lb turkey breast should cook for about 1 hour and 40 minutes. If the turkey is browning too much you can loosely cover with aluminum foil.
    • The turkey breast is done cooking when the thickest part of the breast meat measures 165 degrees F.
    • Allow the turkey breast to cool at room temperature covered with foil out of the oven for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 473kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 82g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 229mg | Sodium: 973mg | Potassium: 948mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 593IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 2mg

    The nutritional information is automatically calculated and can vary based ingredients and products used. If the nutrition numbers are important for you we recommend calculating them yourself.

    nutrition disclaimer
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    So nice to have you here! Did you try this recipe? ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Be sure to leave a recipe rating! Also, tag us @courtneyssweets #courtneyssweets on Instagram so we can share it!

    More Main Course

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    • Dairy Free Beef Stroganoff
    • Broccoli Cheddar Soup
    • Dairy Free Dinner Recipes

    POSTED IN: Chicken Recipes Main Course Recipes

    About Courtney

    Family, Food, and Photography are Courtney's passions and you'll see all of that on this blog. She is happily married to her husband Chris and together they have two amazing kiddos!

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