Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
Roasted turkey breast with herbs, garlic and golden crispy skin.
This herb roasted turkey breast is juicy, tender and full of flavour, with garlic, herbs and beautifully golden skin. It’s an easy option for Christmas, Thanksgiving or any smaller holiday dinner when you want classic roast turkey without cooking a whole bird.
Juicy Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
This herb roasted turkey breast comes out tender and juicy with a savoury herb and garlic flavour and beautifully golden skin. It gives you all the comfort of a traditional roast turkey, but with much less prep and a shorter cooking time.
Why This Easy Turkey Breast Works
Turkey breast is a great choice when you want a holiday-style dinner without roasting a whole bird. The herbs and garlic add plenty of flavour, while roasting gives the outside that lovely golden finish. It also slices neatly, which makes serving easy and leftovers especially useful.
Perfect for Holidays and Smaller Gatherings
Serve this herb roasted turkey breast for Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, Sunday supper or any smaller family gathering. It works especially well when you want classic turkey on the table but simply don’t need a full-size roast.
How To Season With Herbed Butter
Herb Butter Under the Skin for Extra Flavour
Gently lifting the turkey skin and spreading the herb butter underneath helps season the meat directly, not just the outside. It also helps keep the herb roasted turkey breast juicy as it cooks while giving the skin a rich, golden finish.
A little messy, but worth it.
Coat the Turkey Breast with Herb Butter
Rub the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the turkey breast, working it across the skin as evenly as you can. This adds another layer of garlic and herb flavour and helps the herb roasted turkey breast develop a beautifully golden, savoury crust as it roasts.
Don’t worry about making it perfectly smooth — just get a good coating over the surface.
Tips for the Best Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
• Get the herb butter under the skin. Gently loosen the skin and spread some of the butter directly over the meat. This gives the turkey much more flavour and helps keep the breast juicy.
• Coat the outside too. Rub the remaining herb butter over the skin so it roasts up golden and savoury. It doesn’t have to look perfectly even.
• Pat the turkey dry first. Removing extra moisture helps the herb butter stick better and encourages the skin to brown instead of steam.
• Don’t overcook the turkey breast. Turkey breast can dry out fairly quickly, so start checking the internal temperature toward the end of the roasting time.
• Let it rest before slicing. Give the roasted turkey breast time to rest so the juices settle back into the meat. Cutting it immediately can leave you with a drier turkey and a lot of juice on the cutting board.
• Slice across the grain. This small step makes the finished herb roasted turkey breast noticeably more tender and easier to eat.
Real Kitchen Tip: Keep the Turkey Breast Juicy
For a juicy herb roasted turkey breast, start checking the internal temperature before the full roasting time is up. Turkey breast can go from perfectly moist to dry fairly quickly, so don’t rely on time alone. Once it’s cooked through, let it rest before slicing so the juices stay in the meat instead of running onto the cutting board.
Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 turkey breast boneless, skin-on, about 1.4–1.8 kg (3–4 lb)
- 3 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup chicken or turkey broth
Instructions
Prepare the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Lightly grease a roasting pan or baking dish.
Dry the turkey.
- Pat the turkey breast very dry with paper towel. This small step helps the skin become golden rather than soft.
Make the herb butter.
- In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, onion powder and smoked paprika.
Season the turkey.
- Carefully loosen the skin without removing it. Rub about half of the herb butter directly over the meat beneath the skin. Spread the remaining mixture over the outside of the turkey.
Prepare for roasting.
- Place the turkey breast skin-side up in the roasting pan. Pour the broth into the bottom of the pan, taking care not to pour it over the seasoned skin.
Roast.
- Roast uncovered for 60–90 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the turkey. Begin checking it after one hour.
Check for doneness.
- The turkey is ready when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 74°C (165°F). If the skin browns too quickly, loosely cover it with foil.
Rest and slice.
- Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and loosely cover with foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing across the grain.
Notes
- For the juiciest herb-roasted turkey breast, use softened butter and spread part of it underneath the skin. It seasons the meat directly and helps prevent the turkey breast from drying out.
- Pat the turkey skin dry before adding the garlic herb butter. This helps the outside roast instead of steam and gives you a more golden finish.
- A 3–4 lb turkey breast usually takes about 60–90 minutes at 375°F (190°C), but thickness can make a real difference. Start checking early.
- Always use a meat thermometer. Insert it into the thickest part of the turkey breast without touching bone, and cook until it reaches 165°F (74°C).
- If the skin becomes dark before the centre is cooked, cover the turkey loosely with foil. Do not wrap it tightly, or the skin can soften.
- Pour the broth around the turkey rather than over the top. Keeping the seasoned skin dry helps it brown nicely.
- Let the roasted turkey breast rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. This is important. The juices settle back into the meat, giving you tender, moist slices.
- Bone-in and boneless turkey breasts can both be used, but the cooking time may vary. Bone-in turkey breast often takes a little longer.
- Slice the cooked turkey breast against the grain for more tender pieces.
- Save the buttery herb pan juices for serving or making homemade turkey gravy. They have loads of rosemary, thyme and garlic flavour.