Roasted Turkey Breast
Yields the most tender, juicy meat with the crispiest skin! 15-20 min prep time. That’s it! So simple yet SO GOOD.
If you are keeping Thanksgiving small or you’re simply just not in the mood to cook an entire Thanksgiving turkey, this recipe is here to save. your. day. Or T-day I should say.
It’s quick, it’s simple, and it’s legit just amazing.
The turkey meat comes out so incredibly tender and juicy, yielding the crispiest skin with that herb butter slathered both underneath and on top of the skin.
It’s perfection.

Roasted Turkey Breast
Yields the most tender, juicy meat with the crispiest skin! 15-20 min prep time. That's it! So simple yet SO GOOD.
Ingredients
- 1 5-pound bone-in, skin-on turkey breast
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Let turkey stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray. Spread lemon slices into the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, thyme, sage and rosemary.
- Dry turkey thoroughly with paper towels. Using your fingers, carefully loosen the skin from the breast meat, spreading half of the butter mixture under the skin. Secure skin over the butter with wooden picks.
- Place turkey, breast side up, on top of the lemon slices. Spread remaining half of the butter mixture over the turkey; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place into oven and bake until the turkey is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Let stand 20 minutes before carving; serve warm with gravy, if desired.
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I made this turkey breast this weekend and my husband said it was the best turkey breast he has every had. He couldn’t stop raving about it. My son who is not a fan of turkey also said it was “pretty good” and that’s a compliment from him.
We also love your corn spoon bread recipe.
Thank you!
Cannot believe how tasty this recipe was. Unlike so many others, the added herbs and spices actually infused into the meat (which was moist as hell!). It was so good that my wife, who will not eat turkey leftovers, had two later meals with this turkey breast. Thanks so much!
Question: Do you cover the Turkey with foil or cooking bag or anything while baking?
Could we use dried herbs instead of fresh?
Delicious and so easy! I would definitely make this again.
I made this for my first go at hosting Thanksgiving for my family and I am SO PROUD of how it turned out. Possibly the most delicious Thanksgiving turkey I’ve ever had (my husband also said it was the best he’d ever had, too!). Make this. Immediately. So good.
Perfect!
Damn delicious is right! My 94 year old MIL raved endlessly about the flavor and how tender the meat was. I agree, the flavor was amazing. This is going to be my main stay recipe for eternity.
The turkey breast came out good. Next time I would leave out the lemon slices or replace them with onions and celery. The lemon slices imparted a sour/bitter tasted to the pan drippings which made for weird tasting gravy. They didn’t add anything to the taste of the turkey so why risk ruining your gravy?
This was just so easy and good. My husband and I don’t cook much but we wanted my aging parents to have the holiday off. It came out perfect.
I made this using a boneless 2 pound turkey breast. It came out tender and great. I could taste the lemon a little bit. I used poultry seasoning no salt or pepper. Thank you for helping me prepare this turkey!
I made this for guests and family for Sunday dinner and the bone-in turkey breast came out flavorful and juicy. I seasoned it Saturday and left in the fridge overnight and baked as directed. My turkey breast was almost 7 lbs so it took longer to cook but was great. I took the juices and added to my giblet gravy -equally fantastic! Will definitely use this recipe again.
Hands down, the best turkey breast recipe! I made it exactly as directed, and it was moist and tasted fabulous!
So far, EVERYTHING I have tried with Damn Delicious recipes have been so great!
I just got the boneless turkey breast. Following your Sheet pan herb roasted Turkey. This recipe looks better. wil the boneless turkey will work as well? Thank you
Same, I always get boneless. I’m guessing cooking time is decreased but by how much, I don’t know.
In the photo, it appears that your turkey breast does not contain the backbone, like it is spatchcocked. Around here, ours come with the backbone attached. Does it cook more quickly without the backbone? If so, I can remove it. Thank you.
I have the same question. Have never seen a whole breast without the backbone. Last time I cooked one I removed it but it was a job.
I was thinking that the breast had been carved and plated for the photo. Hope I’m right b/c I’m putting the thing it the way it comes!