Oven Roasted Turkey Breast

This Oven Roasted Turkey Breast is juicy, herbaceous, and the best alternative to a whole turkey for smaller holiday celebrations. Cooked low and slow, the turkey always turns out tender and moist!

To make this boneless turkey breast recipe all you need are 6 simple ingredients. The results are impressive, a moist and flavorful turkey dinner for all your holiday celebrations.

Disclosure: this recipe has been created in partnership with Awaken180° Weightloss and it is compliant with the program rules and recommendations. For more information please visit Awaken180° Weightloss.

No time to cook a whole turkey for the holidays or special events? Make this Oven Roasted Turkey Breast instead! Dressed in herbs, butter, and garlic, this delicious turkey always turns out moist and tender.

To achieve the best results, this turkey breast recipe is first cooked at a high temperature in the oven before letting it roast low and slow for about 1 hour. This foolproof method seals in the flavors and helps retain moisture. You won’t ever want to roast a whole turkey again after trying this simple and delicious recipe!

If you end up with leftovers put them to good use with this Turkey Fennel Stuffed Cabbage Rolls recipe that is Awaken180° Weightloss Approved!

What’s the best way to cook turkey breast?

You don’t have to be afraid of overcooking or drying out your turkey with this recipe! The turkey breast always turns out moist, juicy, and tender thanks to the foolproof low and slow method in the oven. It starts off at a high temperature to slightly brown the outside before the temperature is lowered to thoroughly cook the meat and seal in the juices.

What is low and slow cooking?

If you’ve ever spent countless hours and money preparing an elaborate meaty main dish only for it to turn out tough, dry, burnt, or overdone, then you have got to try the low and slow cooking method. 

Instead of cooking meat quickly at a high temperature, this method trusts a lower temperature (usually around 350ºF-375ºF) to cook the meat from the inside out over several hours. In the end, you’ll have a flavorful, tender, and juicy piece of meat without needing to baste, brine, or inject extra fat or seasonings. It’s a foolproof method you can trust to give you succulent and savory whole turkey breasts, pork ribs, beef briskets, and more.

Roasted boneless turkey breast ingredients

• Boneless turkey breast – I prefer to make this recipe with boneless turkey breast because it’s so much faster than bone-in. You can use bone-in turkey breast but the portion size will be larger and you’ll need to increase the cooking time. If your turkey breast is frozen, make sure it’s completely thawed and defrosted before roasting (this usually takes 24 hours).
• Butter – The butter is mixed with the herb mix to create a flavorful herb paste.
• Herbs and seasonings – A mix of peppercorns and sea salt, fresh rosemary, sage and thyme, and garlic cloves are crushed together and then mixed with butter before being spread all over the turkey.

How to make oven roasted boneless turkey breast

Lightly seasoned turkey breast is a delightfully healthy way of flavoring the turkey breast for a delicious year-round meal or for the holidays. If it’s your first time roasting a turkey, follow the steps below and the FAQs for more helpful tips.

Step 1: Chop fresh rosemary, thyme and sage into tiny pieces. Alternatively you can use a mortar and pestle and crush the herbs.

Step 2: Add herbs, butter at room temperature, salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and stir into a paste.

Step 3: Pat the turkey breast dry and coat all sides with the butter and herb paste.

Step 4: Roast the turkey breast in the oven at 425ºF for the first 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350ºF and cook for another 1 to 1 ½ hours (or 30 minutes per pound).

Step 5: Take the turkey out of the oven, tent it in foil, and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

Serving suggestions

Roast turkey breast is a delicious main dish you can serve for weeknight dinners, celebrations, or smaller Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Include lots of classic and savory sides that are program approved, like Roasted Vegetable Salad with Ginger Rosemary Dressing, Cauliflower Fennel Soup and Salmon Stuffed Mushrooms.

If you happen to end up with leftovers, slice up the breast and store them in the fridge for later. Leftover turkey slices are delicious in salads and soups.

Frequently asked questions

How long do you cook boneless turkey breast in the oven?

Boneless turkey breast generally needs to cook for about 30 minutes per pound in the oven. I made this recipe with a 2 ¾ pound breast, which took about 1 ½ hours to roast.

At what temperature do you roast turkey breast?

Cooking the turkey at a high temperature of 475ºF for the first 10 minutes will help brown the skin. Afterward, turn the temperature down to 350ºF so the meat can cook low and slow.

Should you roast turkey breast covered or uncovered?

I roasted this turkey breast uncovered to help crisp the outside. The meat won’t dry out if it’s cooked without foil or a lid on top. If you’re worried about it browning too much, feel free to place a lid on top of a roasting pan or cover a baking dish with foil.

How can you tell turkey is done cooking?

Use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the turkey. You’ll know it’s done when the thickest part of the breast reaches 165ºF. Check out this guide to internal meat temperatures for more information.

How do you keep a boneless turkey breast from drying out?

Once your turkey breast comes out of the oven, cover with aluminum foil and let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes before slicing. This will ensure the juices stay in the meat, making your turkey super moist and juicy.

Expert Tips

• Important to let meat rest! Remove roast from the oven, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. This will allow the turkey to remain moist and flavorful.
• If your turkey breast came with netting, don’t remove it before cooking: the netting is holding pieces of meat together. If you remove it, meat will fall apart. Some turkey breasts are sold without netting and that’s okay too.
• Bake roast uncovered: If you cover it, meat will steam instead of roasting.
• Always cook for 30 minutes per pound, no matter the size of your turkey: Cook for 30 minutes per lb but check with thermometer towards the end of cooking time to avoid overcooking your roasted turkey breast as oven gets hotter with time.

Notes

• Make ahead: ‘Dress’ the turkey breast with garlic and herbs, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Let turkey come to room temp, then proceed with roasting.
• Store: Refrigerate roast whole or sliced in an airtight container for up to a week. It tastes so good cold. And warm with gravy. This recipe is so versatile!
• Freeze: Freeze leftovers sliced or cut into bite sized pieces in an air tight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator.

Looking for more Awaken180° program approved recipes?

• Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers Soup
• Low Carb Beef Stew
• Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies
• Turkey Fennel Stuffed Cabbage Rolls