Simple Oven Roasted Turkey Breast is the perfect alternative to a full size turkey for small families. With its crispy skin and tender, juicy meat, your whole family is going to love this one!
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, and dreams of cranberry sauce, pie, and turkey are dancing through our heads. Thanksgiving is the feast of all feasts, a time for family gatherings, a chance to rest and recharge, and what’s not to love about that? We know that the thought of a large Thanksgiving meal can be daunting, stressful, and, well…the opposite of restful. However, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Has anyone else ever felt pressured to roast a whole turkey just for tradition’s sake? We are here to tell you that you do NOT have to roast a whole turkey. Turkey breasts are totally satisfying and delicious with their crispy skin and juicy meat. Pair this with your favorite mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie for a Thanksgiving to remember!
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Can I use an oven bag to roast a turkey breast?
There is some debate on oven bags vs. traditional roasting. The idea behind an oven bag is that it should lock in moisture and flavor. Your turkey will also cook faster, you don’t have to worry about basting, and cleanup is a breeze! There are a lot of benefits to roasting in a bag, however if you prefer to roast a bird the traditional way sans bag, more power to you. It’s really just about personal preference.
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Turkey Skin: Optional?
We are big proponents of always cooking with bone in and skin on meat. The flavor can’t be beat, and there’s nothing quite as delicious as crispy skin. If you avoid excess fat for dietary reasons, or just aren’t a fan of the skin, you can always remove the skin before roasting.
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To Baste or Not to Baste:
Basting requires you to open the oven door repeatedly, losing a ton of heat! You do not need to baste, and we actually recommend not basting with this recipe. If you do decide to baste, you will need to plan on some additional cooking time.
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Boneless or Bone-in Turkey Breast
Turkey breasts are sold both boneless, and bone-in. Bone-in turkey breasts tend to be larger and contain both sides of the breast, while boneless turkey breasts are generally just one breast. This recipe will work with either, though a single boneless turkey breast will require a shorter cooking time.
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What should I do with leftover Oven Roasted Turkey Breast?
Leftover turkey is one of the best things about Thanksgiving! We doubt you’ll be able to stop yourself from eating this whole turkey breast with your family. However, if somehow you end up with leftovers, you should always use them in a sandwich the next day with some cranberry sauce, provolone cheese, and your favorite leafy greens. Mmmmm!
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious Thanksgiving inspired recipes:
Watch the video below where we will walk you through every step of the recipe with a video demonstration.
This is my second time making this, easy, taste great!!! I did add a little butter to the spice mixture. Smells great, taste great!!!
Turned out easy! Delish! Waaayyy easier to make! Great ideas
I used this recipe on a 6lb Turkey breast with bone that I defrosted for 5 people. I cooked it for 2 hours, let it rest, cut and served. This recipe was easy and flavorful. It got 5 stars from all 5 of us. Thank you!
This was easy and delicious. My husband, children, and grandchildren all devoured it. The herbs form a slight crust that is very tasty.
Delicious, tender and juicy.
I tried your recipe because there were only 2 of us for Thanksgiving usually its a 20 lb bird for 10.
So perfect and the best stuffing ever. Plus I didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to get it all done.
Thanks so much for the recipe, it was awesome 👏🏻
The recipe is really amazing except for the cooking time. Twenty minutes per pound is not nearly enough to get it to 160 degrees. For that reason I had give it 4 stars instead of 5.
But the herbs are very flavorful and delicious. We’ve made it quite a few times.
Really you knocked off a star because you didn’t agree with the cooking time. Listen uo all meat and oven vary. I you want perfection use your eye and a thermometer (by the way the can very too) because this simple recipe is a Rock Star in my book.
I made this with all the same spices except I added vegetable oil also and did not use rosemary because I did not have it. It was so tasty! Oh, I also injected these spices into my turkey breast besides coating it.
Super easy recipe. My wife has always doing the cooking so I did it tonight and it was really easy and tasted great. Thank you so much.
Yummy!! And easy.
This was a fantastic recipe! The texture was chewier than if it were baked at a lower temperature, but it was a very awesome change and I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!