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This Roast Turkey Breast recipe is made with dreamy garlic herb butter for the most flavorful, juicy meat and crispy skin. It roasts in about 90 minutes and is ready to eat in less than 2 hours.
Want more Thanksgiving recipes? Try my Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Stuffing, and the best from-scratch Green Bean Casserole. Don’t forget the Pumpkin Pie Bars for dessert!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Smaller – A roasted turkey breast is perfect for a small family Thanksgiving when you don’t want to cook a whole turkey, or as a secondary entree for a larger holiday gathering.
- Juicy Meat, Crispy Skin – To flavor the meat and keep it juicy and moist, I made a compound butter with flavorful herbs and seasonings and stuffed it underneath the turkey breast skin. This does two things – adds incredible flavor to the meat and helps to crisp up the skin.
- Easy Method – Even a first timer can cook a turkey breast with this simple method. I’ve adapted my super popular Thanksgiving Turkey for a smaller size roasted turkey breast, making it easier than ever!
recipe walkthrough
Ingredients
- Bone-In Turkey Breast – 4-5 pounds
- Butter – Softened at room temperature
- Herbs and Spices – Dried Thyme, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Dried Sage, Paprika, Ground Mustard, Salt, and Pepper
How to Roast a Turkey Breast
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Some people are intimidated by cooking a turkey (I was one of them!) but once you learn how to roast a turkey breast you’ll never fear it again!
Step 1: Mix softened butter with all of the herbs and seasonings in a small bowl.
Step 2: Place the turkey breast in the pan skin side up. Gently lift up the skin of the turkey breast, making sure to keep it connected to the meat. I recommend using your fingers for this, but you could also use the back of a spoon. Just remember to be gentle. Rub the butter all over the meat under the skin.
Step 3: Smooth the skin down so the butter doesn’t drip out.
Step 4: Roast in the 325℉ oven, uncovered, for about 20 minutes per pound. A 5-pound breast would roast for about an hour and 40 minutes.
Step 5: Brush the finished turkey breast with more of the seasoned butter. Make sure to use a clean brush to avoid cross-contamination.
Serve: Slice the turkey breast and arrange on a platter or serve straight from your cutting board. Garnish with fresh herbs and pair with your favorite sides.
How Many Minutes Per Pound Should You Cook a Turkey Breast?
Coo a turkey breast at 325℉ for 15-18 minutes per pound. For example, my turkey breast was about 5 pounds, so I cooked it for about an hour and 20 minutes. A boneless turkey breast will take about 5-10 minutes less per pound.
The most important thing is to cook the meat to a safe temperature of 165℉. Use a digital meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat. I recommend pulling it out of the oven at 160℉, then covering with foil and letting it rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Roast a turkey at 325℉ following the time chart below. Keep in mind these numbers are approximate and could vary by oven.
- 3 pounds – 45-54 minutes
- 4 pounds – 60-72 minutes
- 5 pounds – 75-90 minutes
- 6 pounds – 90-108 minutes
Thermopro Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer
I highly recommend investing in a meat thermometer for your kitchen. It’s very affordable and often on sale! This is the one I’ve used for years and it has a hundred thousand positive reviews.
How To Carve A Turkey Breast
Let your bird rest for at least 10-15 minutes for the juices to redistribute. This rings true with any kind of meat. The larger it is, the longer it will need. Tent with foil to keep warm.
Place the roast turkey breast on a cutting board. I recommend sharpening your knife first, then use it to remove the turkey breast from the bone by sliding the knife along the bone to separate. Once removed, lay the breast, skin side up, on your cutting board. Slice against the grain using a sharp knife.
If using a boneless turkey breast, still let it rest and use a sharp knife. Simply place the breast skin side up on a cutting board and slice against the grain.
How to Serve
Slice and arrange on a platter garnished with things like lemon slices, fresh rosemary or cranberries. Be sure to save the pan drippings to make some homemade turkey gravy.
When there are lots of sides, people tend to eat less of the meat, so if you want to stretch it a little further make sure you have plenty of Dinner Rolls, Cranberry Orange Sauce, and Sweet Potato Casserole to serve with it.
Save the leftovers for making Turkey Vegetable Soup, BLT Turkey Wraps or turkey sandwiches.
Storage Tips
Make Ahead and Storage
Make Ahead: You can cook your turkey breast 24 hours in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Then simply heat it in the oven for serving. I recommend reheating at 325℉ in a foil-covered pan. Pro Tip: Add a pan of water next to the turkey on the oven to create steam.
Leftovers: Leftover turkey is great for creamy Turkey Salad or BLT Turkey Wraps. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw before reheating.
Recipe Tips
- How much turkey do you need? For this method, I recommend a bone-in and skin-on turkey breast. The size is dependent on how many people you need to feed. A good gauge is roughly 1 pound of turkey per person (remember this accounts for the bone as well).
- Defrost – Make sure to fully defrost your turkey breast for at least 24 hours in the fridge before roasting. It can stay in the fridge for 2-3 days before you have to cook it.
- Roast skin side up – Always roast skin side up if you want a nice, crispy skin.
- Roast uncovered – There is no need to cover with foil as it’s cooking. Leaving it exposed will encourage that crispy skin that you want.
- Read the label – If the turkey you purchase was brined before being frozen (check the label) you may want to cut the amount of added salt in half so you don’t end up with something too salty. You can always add more salt, but you can’t take it away.
- Seasonings – Feel free to customize the seasonings to your tastes. Spice it up with a cajun seasoning blend, or add some lemon pepper or lemon zest and fresh parsley.
Thanksgiving Side Dishes To Make
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Scalloped Corn Casserole
- Cranberry Brie Bites
- Garlic Green Beans
101+ Thanksgiving
Side Dishes
Find all the sides you could possibly want for the perfect Thanksgiving menu!
Roast Turkey Breast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon Onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Dried sage
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Ground mustard
- 8 tablespoons Butter 1 stick, room temperature
- 1 Bone-in turkey breast 4-5 pounds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Remove the top rack so only the bottom rack is left in the oven.
- Set turkey breast, skin side up, in a roasting pan or baking dish and pat dry.
- In a small bowl, mash butter and seasonings together. Spoon a couple of tablespoons into another small dish and set aside for later.
- Gently lift up the skin of the turkey breast using a spoon or your fingers, keeping the sides intact. Rub the remaining herb butter all over the breast under the skin. Smooth the skin down over the butter, careful not to tear the skin or the butter will just drip out.
- Roast uncovered for about 65-75 minutes or until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F.
- Top with the remaining herb butter and tent with foil. Rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
Notes
- Serving size will vary and nutritional information is approximate. A 4-5 pound turkey breast will feed 6-8 people.
- Be sure to read the accompanying post where I share lots of tips for roasting your turkey breast.
- Do not cover the turkey breast. Leave the skin exposed so it gets nice and crispy.
- Make Ahead up to 24 hours in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the oven at 325℉ in a foil-covered pan. Pro Tip: Add a pan of water next to the turkey on the oven to create steam to help keep the meat moist.
- Cool leftovers completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw before reheating.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
I made TWO of these. One I did exactly as the recipe said (for my big whole 13lb turkey) and the other (my 6lb turkey breast) I used Italian seasonings instead of the ground mustard/paprika. Following all of the directions, I had two successful turkey options. Thank you so much for this step by step lay out, the time by the pound, foil vs covered lid, you made my first time hosting Thanksgiving for my family and in-laws EASY. I will never stray away 🙂 Love from Texas
That’s awesome Lauren! Fantastic feedback! Thanks for stopping by.
This will be the third year using this turkey breast recipe. I love it. It’s so easy and flavorful and foolproof. Only thing differently I do is I put the butter on top of the skin before putting it in the oven. Comes out beautifully golden brown no basting necessary.
Awesome feedback Tiffany! Thanks for stopping by.
Best turkey breast ever! I ordered a 5 lb turkey breast from my butcher, but didn’t unwrap it until Christmas Day. To my shock it was a only half of a bone-in turkey breast. I was really concerned that it might not cook as well as a whole breast. I followed your recipe to the letter and I’m here to say it was the most succulent turkey breast I have ever made and ever eaten. I will never cook it any other way. Thank you!
You are so welcome Lisa! Fantastic feedback, thanks for stopping by.
This is the second year I’ve used this recipe for Thanksgiving. I love the flavor! Not overpowering and the meat was very juicy. Your recipes are always spot on!
Thank you Lynda! Love the feedback, thanks for stopping by.
Can I stuff a bone in turkey breast?
This is my first breast. 8 lbs.
Hi Barbara, No, you can’t stuff a bone-in turkey breast the same way. I’m sure you could probably cut a slit in it and stuff it that way, but I don’t recommend stuffing because the filling would take longer than the breast to cook.
Our go to recipe. Moist and flavorful
Nice! Thank you for your feedback Ted.