Simple and Juicy Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
on Nov 03, 2019, Updated Mar 15, 2024
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This recipe for roast turkey breast is the perfect simple roasted turkey for a holiday entree that you can easily prep no matter how much cooking or hosting experience you have! It comes out juicy and buttery with a crispy skin every time.
Whether you’ve hosted 20 Thanksgivings or this is your first holiday at your home, you’ll love this simple roasted turkey breast recipe that has insanely good flavor and juicy, tender texture.
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe
Honestly, one of the toughest parts about hosting a holiday at your home has to be the stress of roasting the meat just right. Turkey is the Thanksgiving staple across America, and it’s a good one for Christmas Eve or Day dinner, too! But the thought of dry, overcooked, or flavorless turkey can be enough to leave you calling your local market to pick up an already-roasted bird. That’s why I am so, so thrilled to share this recipe for simple roasted turkey breast today!
This recipe totally streamlines the roasting process, and you’re dealing with a considerably smaller cut of meat (as opposed to an entire turkey), which makes prep all the easier even though it still yields a really solid amount of servings (enough for 10 to 12 people). The delicious flavors of lemon juice, apple slices, garlic, herbs, and butter make the end result truly a dream that anyone can create with success and ease (yep, even if you’ve never roasted turkey!). Happy cooking and happy Turkey Day to you and yours!
How long does it take to cook a turkey breast?
An 8-pound turkey breast should roast for about 2.5 to 3 hours in a 400 degree F. oven. For the first 2 hours, cover the baking dish with foil, and remove the foil for the last 30 minutes to an hour of baking time.
How do I know when my turkey breast is done?
At about the 2.5-hour mark when the turkey is roasting, begin checking the internal temperature every 10 minutes or so. The thermometer will read 165 degrees F. when the turkey is done. Remove the turkey from the oven, and let it rest under some foil for 10 to 15 minutes before carving and serving.
How do you store turkey breast?
Carve the turkey for easy storage, and let it cool completely before putting it in an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days, and use leftovers in soups, gumbo, sandwiches, salads, and beyond. Freeze leftover for much longer, up to 3 months.
How to make roasted turkey breast:
- Rinse, pat dry with paper towels, and set turkey in a rimmed baking dish.
- Spread half of the butter mixture all over the turkey breast meat, under the skin, the second half of the butter mixture top of the skin.
- Place 1 cup of stock in the bottom of the dish.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Cover tightly with foil, and bake at 400 degrees F. for 2 hours.
- Remove the foil, and bake about another hour.
- Check every 10 minutes for doneness during last 30 minutes. An instant read thermometer will read 165 degrees F.
- Remove from the oven. Cover with the foil, and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Carve it and serve it on a platter with additional apples or herbs for garnish on the edges.
Ohhhh see how few steps are there to make a turkey! You can do it!
I generally plan on 1/2 pound of bone-in weight per person when it’s going to be a big meal (meaning I’m serving a lot of sides like a traditional turkey dinner). This 8 pound turkey breast served 15+ easily (7 adults and 13 kids) and I had just enough leftover to make a turkey pot pie. If I’m only doing a few sides (more of a traditional meal and less a holiday meal) I’ll plan on a turkey breast this size serving closer to 12-15 people (mix of adults and kids). I hope that helps a little. And you can see from a photo above how much carved meat there was on a 9×13 inch platter if you need a little more frame of reference.
Roast Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- Bone-in turkey breast, (about 8 pounds)
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 large tablespoon minced garlic, (about 4 cloves)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup good chicken stock
- 1 large apple
- 1/2 a lemon
- 3 to 4 springs fresh thyme
- 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley
- Pepper
Instructions
- Remove the turkey from it’s packaging, rinse, pat dry with paper towels, and set in a rimmed baking dish (like a 9×13-inch pan — you don’t need a roasting pan for this).
- In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic, and salt. Mix to combine well.
- Using your hands, carefully separate the turkey skin from the meat when the breast meat is facing up in the pan. Getting started is a little hard, but just be careful to not rip through the skin. Work around the skin and meat to loosen the skin that is connected to the breast meat.
- When the skin is separated (but not removed — it’ll still be attached on the edges), use your hands to spread half of the butter mixture and the garlic all over the turkey breast meat, under the skin.
- Spread the second half of the butter mixture all over the outside of the turkey breast, on top of the skin.
- Place 1 cup of stock in the bottom of the dish.
- Quarter the apple and place however much will fit under the breast in the neck cavity. Place pieces that did no fit in the bottom of the dish.
- Cut the lemon in half, and squeeze half over the turkey breast (using your fingers to strain the seeds). Place the spent lemon half in the bottom of the dish.
- Strip the leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme and sprinkle over the turkey, and place the remaining sprigs and a “stalk” or two (large sprig pieces) of parsley in the bottom of the dish.
- Sprinkle the turkey with a bit of ground black pepper.
- Cover tightly with foil, and bake at 400 degrees F. for 2 hours.
- Remove the foil, and bake until the turkey is cooked though, about another hour. Save the foil.
- During the last hour, check every 10 minutes or so (after about 30 minutes) for doneness. If your turkey has a pop thermometer/gauge, I have found them to be pretty accurate. If yours does not, insert an instant read thermometer into the breast until it reads 165 degrees F.
- When the turkey is done, remove from the oven. Cover with the foil that you saved and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- When the rest time is over, you can serve the turkey or carve it and serve it on a platter with additional apples or herbs for garnish on the edges.
Nutrition
Side dish recipes for your turkey dinner:
- Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower
- Whipped Sweet Potato Casserole
- Deviled Eggs
- Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Apples
- Simple Maple Roasted Butternut Squash
- Easy Homemade Turkey Gravy
- Katie’s Corn Casserole
- Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole
- Classic Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Roasted turkey breast is the perfect, juicy, tender, and flavorful holiday entree, and it’s a completely approachable recipe for all kinds of home cooks to share with loved ones this holiday season.
Are you able to use a pre-frozen turkey breast (thawed before prep) or do you recommend fresh? love your recipes 🧡
You for sure can use a pre-frozen and then thawed turkey, it’s so hard to find fresh!
I can’t believe how amazing this Turkey breast turned out. I hosted a small Friendsgiving this year due to COVID. This was my first ever turkey and it was a hit! It’s so flavorful and it was so easy to make. I was so nervous but everyone complimented how good it was. Thank you bless this mess!
Congratulations on your baking your first turkey! That’s a big accomplishment!