If you don’t want the hassle of cooking a whole turkey, opt for a smaller portion by prepping a Roast Turkey Breast instead. For folks who don’t love thighs and turkey legs, this is the perfect turkey option!
Roast Turkey Breast cooks up juicy and golden brown in far less time than a whole turkey, and you can even cook two at once due to their smaller size. Serve it alongside Mashed Potato Casserole and Baked Stuffing for the perfect holiday meal.
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It used to be that every year I would buy a whole frozen turkey, let it take up valuable refrigerator space for the week before Thanksgiving while it thawed, and then frustrate myself to no end about getting that bird dressed and cooked in a reasonable amount of time.
Then after the meal there was the issue of stripping the meat from the bones, making the stock, and dealing with leftover meat, usually only dark meat, which my family doesn’t really care for, not matter how I hide it in casseroles.
If it were turkey breast leftovers, no problem, but not the thighs and legs.
After several years of threatening to make tri-tip instead of turkey, I found a wonderful, beautiful, tasty compromise: The Roast Turkey Breast. It’s delicious served with simple Slow Cooker Potatoes or dial up the deliciousness with Scalloped Potatoes.
Why Do This
You can buy turkey breast all year long. While whole turkeys are hard to come by in the off-season, you can find turkey breast or turkey breast halves all year long, so you don’t have to wait for November to enjoy Roast turkey. This is a great alternative to ham for your Easter Dinner.
It cooks more quickly. Roast turkey breast cooks in half the time (or less!) of a whole turkey saving you pressure minutes when you’re making it for a holiday meal and freeing you up to roast turkey breast on a random weeknight, too.
It takes up less space. Turkey breast is a lot smaller in the fridge as well as in the oven, allowing you room for more tasty side dishes and desserts.
White meat lovers waste less food. If you love dark meat, then this Roast Turkey Breast isn’t for you, but I found it to be a worthy solution to forcing my kids to eat food they didn’t like or letting it go to waste.
Over all, prepping a Roast Turkey Breast is a great way to have your turkey without feeling overwhelmed or throwing out your back. Been there, done that.
Ingredients
turkey breast or breast half – You can find turkey breast and turkey breast halves both fresh and frozen. If you buy frozen, be sure to thaw it on a tray several days before you want to roast the turkey breast.
butter – I use real butter in cooking, but you can use margarine or a plant-butter if you prefer. You need some vehicle for getting the dried herb mixture under the skin.
dried herbs (thyme, tarragon, and rubbed sage) – You can use these dried herbs or swap in other favorites such as oregano or basil. If you want to use fresh herbs under the skin, use three times as much and chop it fine.
salt and pepper – Salt and pepper are easy grocery staples to keep on hand. You can also use a favorite spice blend if you prefer.
onion – I add an onion to the pan to add flavor to the drippings. You can add more aromatics if you like, such as carrots, celery, squash, or sliced apples.
fresh herbs such as sage, tarragon, thyme, and rosemary – Fresh herbs add another punch of flavor and go well in making turkey stock afterward. You can omit these if you like.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make an easy Roast Turkey Breast:
- Preheat the oven to 425°. Spray a roasting pan or Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Place the turkey breast or breast half in the prepared pan.
- In a small dish, combine the thyme, tarragon, and sage. Lay the pats of butter on a plate and season them generously with the herbs.
- Loosen the skin of the breast and place the butter pats under the skin. Sprinkle the skin generously with salt and pepper. Place the herb sprigs and onion in the pan around the turkey breast. Bake for 30 minutes at 425°. Reduce the heat to 325° and continue baking for 45 to 60 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°. (See FAQ below)
- Allow the turkey breast to rest before slicing.
Pro tip: read through the USDA guidelines for food safety at Thanksgiving.
FAQs
You can roast turkey breast right side up or upside down. Typically this is an issue when you roast a whole turkey as the legs and thighs take longer to cook, risking the breast meat to dry out. Since the turkey breast is all breast meat, it isn’t as much an issue but with a large whole turkey breast, it can be hard to get the meat closest to the bone done without drying out the top of the breast. Roast it breast side down and then flip it after an hour and cook just until it reaches a safe cooking temperature. The skin will get golden and crispy and the meat will be super juicy.
While 165 degrees is a safe internal cooking temperature, if you allow the turkey to get to that temp while in the oven, it risks getting overcooked as it will continue to cook resting on the counter. J.Kenji Lopez-Alt in The Food Lab recommends cooking chicken and turkey breast to 145/150 degrees for 15 minutes for tender yet safe meat.
You can roast turkey breast in a roasting pan, Dutch oven, or even a 9×13-inch baking dish, provided the breast is small enough to fit inside.
You don’t need to cover the turkey when roasting, but it is good to tent it with aluminum foil while it’s resting prior to carving.
What to Do With Leftovers
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Easy Roast Turkey Breast Recipe
Equipment
- dutch oven
- cutting board
- boning knife
- carving fork
Ingredients
- 3-6 lb turkey breast or breast half
- ¼ cup butter cut into pats
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
- ½ teaspoon dried rubbed sage
- salt
- black pepper
- sprigs fresh poultry herbs optional
- 1 onion sliced, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Place the turkey breast or breast half in a baking dish or Dutch oven. (See notes about breast up or breast down.)
- In a small dish, combine the thyme, tarragon, and sage. Lay the pats of butter on a plate and season them generously with the herbs.
- Loosen the skin of the breast and place the butter pats under the skin. Sprinkle the skin generously with salt and pepper.
- Place the herb sprigs and onion in the pan around the turkey breast.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 425°. Reduce the heat to 325° and continue baking for 45 to 60 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°. Allow the turkey breast to rest before slicing.
- Slice the turkey breast and serve.
Notes
- Nutritional values are approximate and are based on ⅙ of a six-pound turkey breast.
- Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 4 days.
- The size of turkey breast you need will depend on how many people you are serving. You will want 1 to ¼ pounds of turkey breast per person if it’s your sole protein or if you want leftovers.
- If yours is a large whole turkey breast, you may want to roast it breast side down for the first hour and then turn it over to brown the skin and continue cooking until done. Do this carefully as the turkey breast can be quite heavy.
- Use the drippings, bones, and aromatics left in the pan to make turkey stock.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on November 7, 2013. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Linda Practical Parsimony
I rarely buy a turkey. I won’t eat anything but the breast and Tommy prefers it. But, he will eat dark meat. There are two breasts here and two tiny turkeys, less than 9 pounds, something I can handle with injuries. I put mine in a cooking bag.
Holly
Several years ago we had one of those turkey rolls, some horrible processed thing. The next few years we went back to the whole, but smaller, turkey, experiencing the same issues of leftovers no one wanted. Then we tried buying parts, but those are sometimes hard to find and not cheap.. Last year I found the whole breast, and we were in heaven! With one more child back home this year, I asked if we wanted to go back to a whole turkey. A resounding NO! I will be using this recipe, especially the trick of putting the herbs on the pats of butter! Thanks!
againstthegrain
I roast a bone-in half turkey great about every other week for my teenage son’s packed lunch sandwiches. For just a few minutes of hands-on effort and a little time, one half breast makes a week’s worth of sliced turkey for sandwiches and snacks at approximately half the per price of processed turkey lunchmeat and without any of the gross additives and “not required to be labeled” transglutaminase, aka “meat glue”, which is priceless in my opinion.
After I slide a sharp carving knife between the the slightly cooked down roasted meat and the rib bones (trying to keep the meat in one piece), the I break the bones up and store them in a zip bag in the freezer to await the next batch of turkey or mixed poultry broth (also made weekly or every other week in an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker). Another food budget bonus and cleaner eating, less packaging.
Jessica Fisher
Sounds like a great habit to be in!
Sandi
We’re dark meat fans here, so it is usually the white meat getting added to casseroles and pots of chili. We do eventually and relatively painlessly eat it all, so I do buy and cook the whole bird when they are on sale for those seemingly unreasonably low per pound prices. However, I would like to make a suggestion for the next breast you roast: try adding some sliced citrus along with the onion. Either lemon or orange work great and really infuse the meat with a subtle but delicious flavor.
Jrseygirl in VA
We have been doing this for years. Ever since I made my first whole turkey and ended up with most of it, except the breast,headed for the trash, I resolved to never waste that much food again. Luckily one of our surprise guests took the carcass and remaining dark meat with him. It’s so much easier but thanks for the recipe as I am always trying to re-figure the amounts from whole turkey recipes. I usually get a whole breast and with our family of 5 usually have a full breast left over.
Jennifer
I always make my turkey in the crockpot. I get a 10-12 lb. whole turkey and sometimes have to cut the legs off and re-arrange it to make it fit. It’s the best turkey I’ve ever eaten.
Laura C
Good idea. We are white meat eaters here but do have other family that like dark meat. And I will eat dark meat in casseroles and turkey salad. So I will probably still cook a whole one since its so cheap!
Jessica Fisher
I may buy a few cheap birds because of the bargain factor. I’ll either invite friends who like dark meat or use the dark meat in tamales. I might be able to hide it that way. 🙂 But, I’ll make them AFTER thanksgiving not for the holiday. Too stressful for me.