This oven roasted Thanksgiving Turkey Breast is the ideal entree to make when you don’t need an entire bird! It’s made flavorful with a homemade turkey rub, butter, lemons, and plenty of aromatic fresh herbs. You’ll love that it’s got plenty of flavor in every tender, juicy bite!
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
It can be intimidating or even plain unnecessary to cook an entire turkey on Thanksgiving. If you’re hosting a smaller gathering of family and/or friends, keep your stress level to a minimum by making this Thanksgiving Turkey Breast instead. It’s perfectly portioned for about 6 people, and it’s way less maintenance than a whole bird.
We like to keep things simple, yet mouthwatering when it comes to seasoning the meat. Our favorite turkey rub is just perfect, and the medley of fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme finishes it nicely.
Other than that, all you need is a few freshly sliced lemons and softened butter to make your oven roasted Turkey Breast tender, juicy, and flavorful every single time!
Why You’ll Love this Thanksgiving Turkey Breast Recipe:
- RELIABLE: This tried and true Thanksgiving Turkey Breast recipe is the very definition of reliable. You can’t go wrong!
- NEVER DRY: We’ve all had dry turkey before, but that won’t be a problem with this recipe. Even roasted in the oven, it always comes out juicy!
- EASY TO MAKE: If cooking an entire bird is intimidating to you, this is an excellent recipe to utilize. Cooking turkey breast in the oven is oh so simple!
The way that the herbs lend natural, aromatic flavor to the meat is so incredible. And I really love the fall flavor that the sage brings!
How to Roast a Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- While that’s heating up, place the turkey in a large roasting pan or baking dish.
- Use paper towels to gently pat the meat dry.
- Mix together the butter and spice rub.
- Rub the seasoned butter all over the turkey, including under the skin.
- Arrange the lemons and herbs all around the turkey.
- Roast the turkey for about an hour and 45 minutes.
Generally, you want to cook about ¾-1 pound of turkey per person. A 6-7 pound turkey breast will feed 6-8 people.
Turkey takes about 1 day for every 4-5 pounds to defrost. Defrost the turkey breast in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days, depending upon the size of your breast.
A turkey breast takes about 15-20 minutes per pound to bake. If boneless, it will take about 10-12 minutes per pound. For a 6-7 pound breast, it should take about 1½-2 hours to cook.
The internal temperature of a properly cooked turkey breast is 165°F.
This turkey breast is extra moist due to the lower oven temperature. However, if you’re really worried about it drying out, cover the breast with foil while cooking, then remove the foil in the last 30 minutes to crisp up the skin.
For smaller gatherings, this Thanksgiving Turkey Breast always hits the spot. It pairs perfectly with all of your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes! These creamy mashed potatoes and broccoli cheese casserole are perfect to finish the meal.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can rub the turkey with the butter and spices up to 1 day in advance of when you plan to roast it. Leave the turkey uncovered in the refrigerator to help create a crispier skin.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover Thanksgiving turkey breast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place the turkey in a baking pan with some turkey stock or pan drippings and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, or until warmed through.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze Thanksgiving turkey breast in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Variations
Instead of turkey rub, you could use an equal amount of:
Make It A Meal
Serve this Thanksgiving turkey breast with classic Thanksgiving sides, such as:
Tips for the Best Thanksgiving Turkey Breast
- Adjust the final cooking time based on the weight of your turkey; increase or reduce by 15-20 minutes per pound.
- Roast the turkey skin-side-up to allow it to crisp.
- Properly cooked turkey breast is 165°F internally.
- Tent the turkey with foil while resting to seal in the juices.
- Use the leftover pan drippings to make turkey gravy!
More Thanksgiving Recipes We Love
- Classic Green Bean Casserole
- Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole
- Make Ahead Yeast Rolls
- Creamed Corn
- Mini Turkey Meatloaves
Preheat the oven and turn the game on – it’s Thanksgiving! And now, you can still enjoy the day while cooking this roasted Thanksgiving turkey breast. This easy recipe is perfect for both beginner cooks and small families!
More Turkey Dinner Recipes to Try:
- Smoked Turkey Breast
- Deep Fried Turkey Breast
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Grilled Huli Huli Turkey Breast
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Thanksgiving Turkey Breast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (6-7 pound) bone-in, skin-on turkey breast
- ½ batch turkey rub (click for recipe)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature (½ stick)
- 1-2 lemons sliced
- Fresh sage sprigs
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Fresh thyme sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Place the turkey, skin side up, in a large baking dish or roasting pan.1 (6-7 pound) bone-in, skin-on turkey breast
- Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Set aside.
- Mix together the butter and spice rub until uniform.½ batch turkey rub, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Rub the butter and spice rub all over the turkey, including under the skin.
- Arrange the lemon slices and pieces of fresh herbs around the turkey.1-2 lemons, Fresh sage sprigs, Fresh rosemary sprigs, Fresh thyme sprigs
- Roast the turkey for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until 165°F at the thickest point. Check the turkey a couple times throughout cooking. If the skin is becoming too brown, loosely cover it with tin foil.
- Loosely cover the turkey with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Adjust the final cooking time based on the weight of your turkey; increase or reduce by 15-20 minutes per pound.
- Roast the turkey skin-side-up to allow it to crisp.
- Properly cooked turkey breast is 165°F internally.
- Tent the turkey with foil while resting to seal in the juices.
- Use the leftover pan drippings to make turkey gravy!
Nutrition Information
