Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
So flavorful and juicy, Herb Roasted Turkey Breast is great for a holiday or a weeknight meal. With minimal prep time and just a couple hours in the oven, homemade turkey has never been easier!
This year Bob and I hosted a Christmas celebration in Chicago for his parents the weekend before Christmas. This was my first holiday dinner, and really my first big dinner where I was responsible for the entire meal. I was so excited but very nervous.
I knew I wanted to make a turkey breast, since there were just 4 of us, but I had never made one before. My ‘practice’ turkey breast was a flop because we accidentally bought a turkey breast “roast,” and I’m convinced it was injected with saline or something because it was overly salty. (NOTE: I have made this again using a boneless turkey breast, and it turned out perfectly. Make sure to check the packaging on your turkey breast as to how it’s treated with salt or saline before purchasing.)
In searching for a fool-proof recipe for the turkey breast, I found this one of Ina Garten’s that had 5 stars on Food Network. There were SO many overwhelmingly positive reviews, I couldn’t pass it up.
Recipe Notes
This turkey was so incredible – it was juicy (thanks to my remote control digital meat thermometer!) and so flavorful. I think rubbing the herb paste underneath the skin is key – it allows the flavors to penetrate the meat. I made a gravy to go with this (ok by “made” I mean opened a can and added some bourbon!) but I ate mine plain – it was that juicy and good.
One of my reasons for serving it with gravy, instead of pan juices like the recipe suggests, was two-fold:
1) Bob’s favorite food is gravy (sadly not kidding) and he would be devastated without it
2) reviewers on Food Network noted that they had to keep adding wine or water to the pan and it would keep evaporating so they weren’t left with much pan juice in the end. I had a similar issue – the pan juices browned and stuck to the pan as the ‘juice’ dissipated.
If you’d like to use the pan juices for the turkey (which I’m sure would be delicious given the herbs, lemon juice, and wine), I recommend adding much more wine, water, or a combination, then checking occasionally and adding more as needed. I have added this note to the recipe card below.
What is a Leave In Meat Thermometer?
There are different kinds of meat thermometers that serve different purposes. I have two kinds.
Instant Read Thermometer
The first kind is an “instant read” digital thermometer. I have a Thermapen and a ThermaPop, which are quite pricey, but I have found an instant read thermometer on Amazon that has excellent reviews and at a fraction of the cost.
Leave In Meat Thermometer
The second type of meat thermometer I have is a “leave in” meat thermometer. Mine is old and no longer sold, so I’m linking one that looks similar and has great reviews.
This type has a probe that is inserted into a piece of meat and, as the name suggests, left in while the meat is in the oven (or in a smoker). This allows you to continuously monitor the temperature of the meat. Most have an alarm that alerts you when the temperature is approaching the target temperature for whatever meat you are cooking.
This type of meat probe is the best kind to use for making a turkey or a turkey breast. You place it in the turkey, put it in the oven, and then wait for it to reach temperature. This type of thermometer takes all of the guess work out of cooking meat. I truly believe that my ability to cook to meat properly is absolutely dependent on using a meat thermometer.
Having to guess or cut into the meat to look at the color does not give me the confidence that the meat is properly cooked. You risk ending up with a turkey that has not reached a safe temperature or that is dry because you overshot the temperature in an effort to preserve food safety. Using a leave in meat thermometer ensures that the meat will be safe and juicy!
Yes, the holidays are over, but a turkey breast can be great any time of year, especially if you use the leftovers to make Homemade Turkey Soup, one of my favs!
Gluten Free Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
This recipe is naturally gluten free, but be sure to pay attention to your turkey if you are very sensitive to gluten. Some turkeys are fed a gluten-containing diet that can cause problems for individuals who cannot tolerate even tiny amounts of gluten.
Looking for More Holiday Dinner Recipes?
Check out my favorite recipes that are perfect for a Holiday Meal:
Bread & butter:
Honey Butter
Compound Herb Butter
Soft Garlic Knots
Pumpkin Yeast Bread
Garlic Bread
Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Side Dishes:
Mashed Potatoes and Root Vegetables
Thanksgiving Dressing
New England Sausage and Dried Cranberry Stuffing
Crash Hot Potatoes
Mashed Potato Layered Casserole
Smashed Sweet Potatoes
Spinach Souffle
Garlic Roasted Cauliflower
Haricots Verts with Shallots {French Green Beans}
Main Dish:
Chicken Marbella
Baked Ricotta Cavatelli in a Mascarpone Cream Sauce
Turkey Lasagna
Chicken with Dijon Masarpone Marsala Sauce
Desserts:
Pumpkin Chocolate Tart
Chocolate Pear Tart
Warm, Sticky Figgy Pudding
Brioche Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce
Apple Crumble Pizza Pie
Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Bundt Cake
Mini Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecakes
Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake
Cheesecake Factory Copycat Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake
Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 whole bone-in turkey breast (6 1/2 – 7 pounds, see note)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt (use less if your turkey is prebrined)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons good olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup dry white wine
- water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Wash turkey breast and pat dry with paper towels if desired. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic, mustard, 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. At this point you may want to add extra wine or water to the pan because the liquid evaporates rather quickly.
- Roast the turkey for 1 3/4 – 2 hours (or longer if it's bigger), until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers at least 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the breast (test several places to be sure). If the skin is over-browning during the cooking process, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil.
- When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest to room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the pan juices spooned over the turkey, or with gravy.
Ina always has such great recipes – have you tried her herb marinated pork tenderloin? It's unbelievably good.
I have been wanting to make a turkey breast for quite some time now, and this looks like a good recipe to try.
Love it! That's one of my favorite things, plus nothing beats a sandwich made from a real roast turkey.
I love a good turkey breast and this sounds perfect with the herbs.
This looks so fabulous – I just saved the recipe! I've never cooked a turkey breast before but it's such a nice size when you're only having a few people over. I will definitely be trying this 🙂
oooh… i almost made this one. now i know it's good! thanks meghan!
I love cooking up a big turkey or chicken at the beginning of the week and then shredding it up for multiple uses–yours looks like it should belong in a food magazine. Yum!