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 third time using this recipe. The turkey breast is moist and full of flavor.
I, Love the way you cook.
First time roasting a whole bone in Turkey breast (8lbs). The seasoning mixture was perfect both under and over the skin although I cut back to 1 1/2 tsp of salt and next time will just use one teaspoon. I did add 2 stalks celery, 4 carrots and small onion to pan when roasting which made the gravy delicious. Dinner was delicious and I have plenty of leftovers for several days of turkey sandwiches, thanks for this recipe
Best turkey breast I’ve ever made!
Loved it. Delicious. Added celery seed and some sage. We had 3lbs and it says “3-8 lbs” so we had leftover rub. We’ll try it with chicken.
Cooked in a roasting pan with small red potatoes, carrots and onion. Made gravy and made for a comfort dinner
our family, thought this was the best Turkey breast
I’ve never reviewed anything but wanted to on this. This was so delicious! And easy! I made 2 turkey breasts. One for that evening with mashed potatoes and one for sandwiches the next day (hot turkey sandwich with bacon and provolone on a french roll) . Family loved it. So flavorful.
The recipe is very to make. directions were spot on. very taste and tender. I like simple recipes that take 2 hours to cook and this is one of them.
Made this tonight and EVERYONE loved it (even my 2 finicky eaters). I will definitely make this again! The meat was moist and very flavourful. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Good but next time I would cut the salt in half