This Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe is perfect for those small holiday menus. If you’re hosting a small Christmas or Thanksgiving Dinner, this butter and herb turkey breast will be perfect!
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Cooking Turkey Breast
Cooking a turkey breast is great for those smaller holiday gatherings. I have a feeling a lot of us will be spending the holidays with our immediate families this year. No need to skip the feasts entirely, just scale them down.
I personally have been cooking just the turkey breast for years because that is my preferred part of the turkey and my holiday feasts are always on the small side.
Do You Cook Turkey Breast Covered Or Uncovered
If you want that deep browned top (which most do) Start uncovered then just tent with foil once the turkey reaches your desired color. I usually cover it around the last 30 minutes or so.
Ingredients Needed For Buttery Herb Turkey Breast(screenshot for grocery list)
Place turkey into greased roasting dish. Carefully pull up the skin from the breast and rub half the butter mixture under the skin. Smear the remaining butter on top of skin. Surround with lemon wedges and fresh herbs.
Roast turkey breast for approximately 2-3 hours or until internal temp reaches 165ºF in the thickest part of the breast. Baste with juices 1-2 times while roasting. Tent with foil once turkey reaches the desired brown color.
This Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe is perfect for those small holiday menus. If you’re hosting a small Christmas or Thanksgiving Dinner, this butter and herb turkey breast will be perfect!
Place turkey into greased roasting dish. Carefully pull up the skin from the breast and rub half the butter mixture under the skin. Smear the remaining butter on top of skin. Surround with lemon wedges and fresh herbs.
Roast turkey breast for approximately 2-3 hours or until internal temp reaches 165ºF in the thickest part of the breast. Baste with juices 1-2 times while roasting. Tent with foil once turkey reaches the desired brown color.
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Cherylsays
I made this yesterday putting as much of the butter mixture under the skin and cooking in an oven bag. My 8.5 lb turkey breast took 2 hours to cook. It was moist and delicious. Today, after picking the carcass, I cooked the carcass in water with salt, pepper, and some garlic powder (because I had no vegetables). After 3 hours I strained the broth, found I had 1-3/4 cups, and it was delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe. PS: When straining the drippings after cooking the breast, I was surprised that there was not much fat considering that 1/2 cup of butter was used on the bird. Was it absorbed by the meat?
This means that starting out covered is the way to go. You also have the option to just cover the breast with foil, as the white meat cuts of turkey are less fatty to begin with and heat up faster than the wings and thighs. Because of that, they're more at risk of drying out.
"Often, consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."
Start in a hot heated oven at 450 degrees F, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F just before you put the turkey in the oven. The initial high heat will help brown the skin, then the lower heat will help cook the turkey breast on the inside without drying it out.
We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird.
Your turkey will cook more evenly and faster if you start it out at room temperature so remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. If you plan to stuff your turkey, wait until you're ready to put it in the oven before putting the stuffing in the turkey.
An easy turkey tip: Peel and quarter an onion or two and nestle it into the cavity of your turkey. Alliums like onions and shallots add flavor and a bit of moisture to poultry. The onion and shallot flavor also pairs well with other onion-infused sides like dressing and green bean casserole.
If a meat thermometer is not available, pinch the thick muscle of the drumstick or the breast between cloth- or paper towel-protected fingers. The meat should feel soft and the leg will move easily when twisted.
First, allow your cooked turkey to sit for about 20 minutes before starting to carve. Beginning halfway up the breast, slice straight down with an even stroke. When the knife reaches the cut above the wing joint, the slice should fall free on its own.
Placing butter under the skin won't make the meat juicier, though it might help the skin brown faster. However, butter is about 17 percent water, and it will make your bird splotchy, says López-Alt. Instead, rub the skin with vegetable oil before you roast.
Wash your hands, but not the turkey! Many consumers think that washing their turkey will remove bacteria and make it safer. However, it's virtually impossible to wash bacteria off the bird. Instead, juices that splash during washing can transfer bacteria onto the surfaces of your kitchen, other foods and utensils.
We've found that covering a turkey in foil yields much moister results than roasting it without foil, and we favor simply covering up the breast to even out cooking time. Some people swear that roasting a turkey breast-side down and flipping it halfway through achieves the same results as a foil covered breast.
Plan on between 2 and 2 ½ hours total for a 14- to 16-pound bird. Start at a high temperature (450°F for 45 minutes), then reduce to 325 degrees F. Let the turkey rest (30 minutes). Cover the turkey with aluminum foil to help it retain heat.
2- to 2½-pound bone-in turkey breast half: Roast at 325°F for 60 to 70 minutes. 2½- to 3-pound boneless turkey breast: Roast at 325°F for 40 to 60 minutes. 4- to 6-pound whole turkey breast: Roast at 325°F for 1½ to 2¼ hours. 6- to 8-pound whole turkey breast: Roast at 325°F for 2¼ to 3¼ hours.
You don't need a roasting rack, but it helps to keep your turkey raised. It might come out a little stewed otherwise. You can use a wire cooling rack if you have one. If not, you can twist up some aluminum foil or cover the bottom of the pan with a chunky layer of coarsely chopped veggies.
If the turkey breast won't stay upright in the roasting pan, take two or three feet of aluminum foil, wad it up and partially stuff into the turkey's chest cavity to create a “stand” to keep the breast steady.
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Cheryl says 
