Want to make a mouth-watering turkey breast? My Oven Roasted Turkey Breast is made with butter and herbs and is gluten free. Crispy skin and juicy white turkey meat will be the star of your next feast.
Flavorful, juicy, succulent, tender, moist, fork-tender are all words I’ve heard my friends and family use when describing my Oven Roasted Turkey Breast recipe. I cooked my first turkey breast over a decade ago and have learned so much over the years. I know many people who fear cooking a turkey. I remind them all–it’s very similar to all the other meats you might cook. The biggest fear I often hear is that the turkey will be dry, and lack flavor.
After years of experimenting and testing I have found that in order to not have a dry or flavorless turkey breast you must brine your turkey. That is the key to having a juicy roasted turkey breast.
Ingredients
- Turkey Breast – I always buy between a 6-8 pound turkey breast. No one in my family eats dark meat, so it only makes sense to make turkey breast.
- Butter – Butter is used both under the skin and on top of the skin (and mixed with all the herbs I list below, too)!
- Herbs – I love to use a blend of ground sage, garlic, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit with the oven rack placed all the way to the bottom of the oven.
- Mix all of the spices together in with the softened butter. Mix well to form an herb butter. Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels.
- Spray the roaster with rack with non-stick cooking spray (the metal rack portion). Place turkey breast on the roasting rack. Place half the butter underneath the skin. Slather the remaining butter on the outside of the turkey breast.
- Pour the water in the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the turkey breast in the oven and cook for 2 hours (uncovered) or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes; slice and serve.
Bonus: How to make homemade gravy!
- Heat butter on high in a sauce pan. Once the butter is golden in color pour the pan drippings into the sauce pan. Let it cook for 1 minute on high. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- In a measuring cup mix together the turkey broth and cornstarch. Whisk in the broth to the sauce pan. Whisking until thick and golden.
FAQs
For a bone-in turkey breast, I calculate 20 minutes per pound. This of course will vary depending on if your turkey breast is stuffed or unstuffed with stuffing or dressing. Make sure the thickest part of the bird and/or the internal temperature of the stuffing (if stuffed in the cavity) reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
I have a convection oven that automatically places my oven down by 25 degrees Fahrenheit. I set my oven to 350 degrees (which it then cooks at 325 degrees Fahrenheit).
I always roast my turkey breast uncovered. If I notice the turkey breast is getting too dark too soon I will tent the turkey with foil to prevent burning of the skin.
Some will argue that if you put water in the bottom of a roasting pan it defeats the purpose of roasting. However, I always put water in my roasting pan when baking a turkey. This allows me to not have to baste the turkey and provides me with delicious drippings that yields the very best homemade turkey gravy.
To ensure your turkey is moist I always brine my turkey breast. By letting the turkey sit in a brine the turkey breast will retain moisture.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks I’ve found helpful on how to roast a turkey breast.
- Turkey breast cooking time – Low and slow is the trick. You can roast your turkey breast between 325 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whatever size turkey breast you select just know it should take about 20 minutes per pound to cook.
- Brine – For a moist and flavorful turkey breast you’ll want to plan ahead and make a brine for your turkey.
- Basting – I actually don’t baste my turkey! Maybe once if that. If you brine your turkey you shouldn’t need to baste your turkey! Instead, I add water to the bottom of the roasting pan that keeps the turkey moist.
- Carving – I use an electric carving knife to carve my turkey. I bought it solely for turkey breast, prime rib, and roast beef!
- Homemade Gravy – By adding water to the bottom of the roasting pan you will yield more pan drippings. I use this paired with butter and additional turkey stock to make an additional pan gravy. But if you don’t want all the hassle, most of the times your turkey breast will come with a pouch or two of gravy concentrate.
Side Dish Recipes
Now that you have the turkey breast you need some side dishes! Here are a few of my favorite side dishes!
If you make this roasted turkey breast recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
For The Turkey Rub:
- 1 teaspoon Ground sage
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted butter softened, divided
- 6.5 lb Turkey breast
- 2 cups Water
For the gravy
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- Pan drippings
- 1-½ cups Turkey broth
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit with the oven rack placed all the way to the bottom of the oven.
- Mix all of the spices together in with the softened butter. Mix well to form an herb butter. Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels.1 teaspoon Ground sage, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon Garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon Onion powder, 4 tablespoons Unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- Spray the roaster with rack with non-stick cooking spray (the metal rack portion). Place turkey breast on the roasting rack. Place half the butter underneath the skin. Slather the remaining butter on the outside of the turkey breast.6.5 lb Turkey breast
- Pour the water in the bottom of the roasting pan.2 cups Water
- Place the turkey breast in the oven and cook for 2 hours (uncovered) or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes; slice and serve.
For the Gravy
- Heat the butter on high in a sauce pan. Once the butter is golden in color pour the pan drippings into the sauce pan. Let it cook for 1 minute on high. Reduce the heat to medium-low.4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Pan drippings, 1-½ cups Turkey broth, 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- In a measuring cup mix together the turkey broth and cornstarch. Whisk in the broth to the sauce pan. Whisking until thick and golden.
Notes
- Turkey breast cooking time – Low and slow is the trick. You can roast your turkey breast between 325 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whatever size turkey breast you select just know it should take about 20 minutes per pound to cook.
- Brine – For a moist and flavorful turkey breast you’ll want to plan ahead and make a brine for your turkey.
- Basting – I actually don’t baste my turkey! Maybe once if that. If you brine your turkey you shouldn’t need to baste your turkey! Instead, I add water to the bottom of the roasting pan that keeps the turkey moist.
- Carving – I use an electric carving knife to carve my turkey. I bought it solely for turkey breast, prime rib, and roast beef!
- Homemade Gravy – By adding water to the bottom of the roasting pan you will yield more pan drippings. I use this paired with butter and additional turkey stock to make an additional pan gravy. But if you don’t want all the hassle, most of the times your turkey breast will come with a pouch or two of gravy concentrate.
Karen
Thank you for your recipe! The turkey breast turned out very moist and delicious! It’s just the two of us and we love turkey throughout the year. I loved the flavor of the blended slices!
Katie
Hi Karen, thank you so much for taking the time to review this recipe. I’m so happy you enjoyed this. Since you love turkey you should check out my grilled turkey recipe! It is even more flavorful and delicious then this one!