Looking to make a full-size turkey this year? Check out all you need to know to prepare it here.
Watch: Roasting a Turkey Breast
Roast Turkey Breast Ingredients
Now that you know exactly what turkey breast to purchase, let’s take a closer look at what else you’ll need to make this Roast Turkey Breast recipe (measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
For the turkey breast:
For the herb butter:
For the turkey gravy:
How to Roast Turkey in Oven
Roasting turkey breast is easy! Simply smear with herb butter and roast! I’ve outlined the process with step-by-step photos below or you can watch the How to Make Video in the recipe card (full recipe with measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
Step 1: Bring Turkey Breast to Room Temperature
Dry the turkey. Remove the turkey from its packaging and transfer to a cutting board. Pat the turkey completely dry with paper towels. This will help the herb butter stick to the skin. Also, the dryer the skin, the crispier!
Bring turkey to room temperature. Let the turkey breast sit at room temperature for 45-60 minutes. This is important because it helps the turkey breast cook more evenly instead of drying out the outside while waiting for the inside to cook through. Prepare the pan. While the turkey is resting, prepare the roasting pan by layering sliced onions, oranges, herbs and garlic in the middle. Pour some chicken broth in the bottom of the pan. The onions and orange slices elevate the turkey to promote even cooking and browning.
Step 5: Make and Apply the Herb Butter
Make herb butter: Simply mix together the softened butter, olive oil, Dijon, and seasonings.
Reserve some butter: Transfer 2 tablespoons herb butter to another small bowl and reserve for the gravy; double the flavor without double the work! Loosen the skin: Working with one breast at a time, gently loosen the skin of with the help of the upside of a spoon if needed, then gently run your fingers between the skin and the meat, taking care not to tear the skin.
Add the herb butter: Rub about 2/3 of the herb butter underneath the skin on each side (⅓ of the butter per breast). After you spread the butter as far as you can underneath the skin, help spread it the rest of the way by massaging it through the top of the skin to the edges. Finally, rub the remaining butter all over the top skin of the turkey breast.
Step 6: Roast the Turkey Breast
Stabilize the turkey breast: Transfer the turkey to the bed of aromatics SKIN SIDE UP. If it’s a little wobbly, balance it with the onions and orange slices. You can even slice more onions/oranges to stabilize where needed.
Crisp up the skin: Roast the turkey breast at 450ºF for 20 minutes, uncovered. You’re looking for the skin to start to brown. Baste: Baste with juices from the bottom of the pan.
Roast: Reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF and continue to roast, uncovered, until the center or thickest portion registers 155-160ºF on an instant read thermometer.
Step 7: Let the Turkey Breast Rest
Rest: Transfer the Roasted Turkey Breast to a cutting board. Let rest, UNCOVERED (so the skin doesn’t get soggy), for 15-20 minutes before carving.
Step 8: Make the Turkey Gravy
Remove the onions: Remove the onions, orange slices, garlic and herbs from the bottom of the pan and pour the remaining liquid into a fat separator cup to skim off fat when poured. The turkey drippings are the deeply flavorful rich scrapings from the bottom of the roasting pan and boast concentrated flavor that translates into the best gravy. See tips below if you don’t have a degreasing cup. Make the roux: Next, melt some unsalted butter with one tablespoon reserved Herb Butter, then whisk in the flour and cook for several minutes, whisking constantly. Whisk in the broth. Add the degreased turkey drippings plus enough chicken broth to equal 2 ½ cups. Simmer. Simmer until the gravy is thickened to your desired consistency. If it becomes too thick, whisk in additional broth. Season to taste. Now taste and add the additional one tablespoon Herb Butter if your gravy needs more flavor. Taste again, and season with salt and pepper.
Step 9: How to Carve the turkey.
Carve turkey: Starting at the breast bone, carve the turkey, keeping your knife as close to the ribs as possible, until the whole breast is carved from the bone; some meat will still be left on the bone. Slice: Once no longer attached to the bone, slice the breast crosswise into slices.
Serve this Oven Roasted Turkey Breast recipe with your favorite Thanksgiving, Christmas, and comfort food sides for a real feast! Tag @CarlsbadCravings and Use #CarlsbadCravngs Leave a Review, I Always Love Hearing From You!
