Let’s talk Roasted Turkey Breast!
Hands down one of the MOST frequent questions I got last week on our Thanksgiving Q+A on IG was how to do a turkey or turkey breast. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I know that roasting an entire turkey can be a little bit intimidating (especially if this is your first time!) and maybe not even entirely necessary this year! So with everyone celebrating the holidays with smaller groups and mostly immediate family this year, a turkey breast is an easy alternative to the entire bird.
How long does it take to roast a turkey breast? It’s way faster than a whole bird!! A turkey breast takes about 90 minutes to 2 hours and takes up less space in your oven!
How much Turkey Breast do I need per person? I go with about 1 lb per person. There are so many sides, let’s be honest, those are where the real servings come into play!
What sides go with a roasted turkey breast? the usual Thanksgiving side dishes are perfect! Here are my favorites
Should I still brine a turkey breast? yes – absolutely!! Wet or dry brine is great and if you opt for a wet brine, you won’t need as big of a vessel to store the turkey in so it’s an overall win! You can reduce the water in the wet brine by 1/2.
Can you make gravy with a Roasted Turkey Breast? sure can! Just follow my recipe here!
Roasted Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 whole bone-in turkey breast, 6 1/2 to 7 pounds
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup dry white wine (sauv blanc)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice to make a paste. Loosen the skin from the meat gently with your fingers and smear half of the paste directly on the meat. Spread the remaining paste evenly on the skin. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Roast the turkey for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the breast. If the skin is over-browning, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil. When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the pan juices spooned over the turkey.
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Prop Styling by Stephanie Hanes // Recipe adapted from the queen – Ina Garten!
Gaby, I’m a huge fan of yours but this is literally Ina Garten’s recipe! Yes you took out the dry mustard and maybe changed how much garlic to add, but it’s almost identical (directions included). And Ina’s has been around for a long time and very popular. I think you should have at least credited her.
Hey Alex!! You are correct and I did – same place I credit my photographer, food stylist and prop stylist!
Gabby,
I want to spatchcock a 7lb turkey breast for Thanksgiving. Would the temperature and cook time remain the same?
Hi!
Our grocery store only offers Jennie-O “oven ready” frozen boneless turkey breast. It includes instructions on how to cook in bag in about two hours. I would love to try one of your brines, but not sure if what I purchased will work? Am I able to thaw this and then follow your instructions? Thank you for the help!
yes just take it out of the bag and follow my directions!!
Hi Gaby! If I make this turkey breast recipe, do I still need to brine it first?
Thank you!
I do!
Gaby, how do I adjust this recipe (ingredients and cook time) for a 2-3lb turkey breast? Thanks so much!
cut everything in half. but cook time – you still need to make sure it’s cooked to 165 degrees so I’d say you need a meat thermometer for that part
For just a turkey breast, you mention cutting the water in half for the wet brine. Do you half all the brine ingredients or just the water?
just the water!! the rest is fine
Hi Gaby, our family have been loving your recipes lately, so I thought I’d look here for a Turkey breast recipe for Thanksgiving! I ordered a 6 lb boneless breast; do I need to make any changes to to process or temperature? Thank you!
just use an internal thermometer to make sure it’s done!! boneless cooks faster than bone-in
Hi Gaby! Can’t wait to make this on Thursday. I noticed your full roast turkey uses butter in the paste. Why don’t you use butter for a turkey breast? Can I add butter to my paste for this recipe for extra crispiness? I don’t want to miss out on any of the delicious-ness with my small bird!
you sure can add butter!! more is more
Ok this might be a really dumb question. When you say chopped up thyme leaves, do you have to pull the tiny little leaves off the stem or do you just chop up the whole little thyme stem/twig?
always remove the stem on thyme!!
For the brine – can you use iodized table salt? Realizing now I don’t have kosher salt D:
reduce the amount of salt by half if you use that
I just want to say thank you. This is by far the best turkey breast I ever made. Thank you so much for the recipe Gabby – for this and all others. Everyone loved it so much that there is hardly any left over for tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving
Hello Gaby,
I really love your recipes. I was thinking about making this for Christmas dinner, but I am hitting a bit of a roadblock. I don’t know why, but in Germany (or maybe just in my area) it is quite problematic to buy a turkey breast with the skin on. So my question is, do you think that I could make the recipe without the skin and is there anything that I should take into consideration when doing so? Thanks in advance!
I would drape it with a butter soaked cheese cloth so the outside doesn’t dry out while roasting! And baste it regularly!
I just wanted to say thank you this way, it worked out perfectly. It was the easiest way I ever made a turkey breast and it turned out so tender and tasty.
Hi Gaby, I am going to use this recipe to roast two 6 lb bone-in turkey breasts. Is there anything I need to do differently? My roasting pan is large enough to fit them side-by-side. Thanks in advance for your help.
you can totally do them side by side!! just double the seasonings
Any tips on adjusting for a convection oven?