Roast Turkey Breast (Herbed Garlic Butter)
This easy roasted turkey breast is just what you need for an intimate holiday dinner. It comes out of the oven perfectly moist and tender, with flawlessly crispy skin! Watch the video below to see how I make this in my kitchen.
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- Staub Baking Dish One of my favorite baking dishes, and it's the one I'm using in the video above.
- Instant Read Thermometer The thermometer I use most often for cooking meats like this.
- Zwilling Chef's Knife My favorite chef's knife!
Ingredients
- 1 (6 ½ pound) whole bone-in turkey breast
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the herb butter. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). In a small bowl, stir together the softened butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Coat the turkey breast. With your fingers, gently loosen the skin from both halves of the turkey breast. Spread half of the butter mixture under the skin, all over the turkey breast, then smooth the skin and spread the remaining mixture evenly on top of the skin. Place the turkey breast in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Roast. Roast the turkey breast uncovered for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer reaches 160°F (71°C) when inserted into the thickest part of the breast. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest, covered with foil, for 15 minutes (the temperature will rise to 165°F (74°C).
- Slice. Slice the turkey away from the breast bone, then slice it crosswise on a cutting board.
- Serve. Serve the turkey breast with your favorite sides. See a bunch of delicious ideas in the post above!
Video
Notes
- Serving size: About 6 ounces (170g) turkey meat.
- If buying frozen turkey breast, remember to allow plenty of time for thawing — about 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey.
- There's no need to brine the turkey beforehand or baste the turkey while roasting (though of course you can if you'd like), as the herb butter mixture keeps the turkey breast moist as it cooks in the oven.
- Make-ahead tip: You can pre-season your turkey breast the night before and bake it the next day to save some time.
Nutrition
Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 18mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.03g | Vitamin A: 506IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.2mg