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 was the best turkey recipe ever! It was very moist and flavorful!
Recipe needs to be more specific for boneless vs bone-in. Here’s hoping I don’t overcook it.
Hi Paul! Don’t worry, you should be fine. As noted above in the section about bone-in and boneless, this recipe works for both. Boneless may require a slightly shorter cooking time, but as always, use a meat thermometer for accuracy.
Perfect! Really an excellent recipe, I will use this again and pass it on to my family and friends.
I have never before roasted a turkey breast rather than a whole stuffed turkey. We were truly astounded how delicious and juicy this turkey turned out. My friend has said at every meal, hot meal or a sandwich, that he has never had such flavorful juicy turkey. I used a modification suggested by another reviewer and added some melted butter to the mixture. Also, it was prepared Christmas day and I had no rosemary or oregano, so made do with the remaining ingredients. I know it would have been even better with the added herbs. I also accidentally let it go to 170 degrees in the oven and it was still the juiciest turkey ever. It’s making me a convert to white meat! I will look no further for another recipe.
My picky eater ate this, that alone is worth 5 stars. It was super easy, came out great without pulling out my big roasting pan (7.5 pound turkey breast) – based on other comments, I started checking after 90 minutes and ended up finishing it at 350 for about 40 minutes while I baked dressing.
Other modifications: I didn’t really measure out the spices and herbs for the rub, but I like using the olive oil to make the paste. I also put onion chunks and some carrots into the breast cavity.
We made this for Thanksgiving and are making it again for Christmas. The spices are off-the-chart delicious. We’ve made many holiday meals…full blown huge turkey….and now, ironically, we are mostly plant based and don’t eat meat so the breast is perfect… but these seasonings are a tad different from we would normally use and they are exceptional…. this is our ONE meat treat/year..and it’s because of this sensational recipe. Thank you
The turkey was fine and none of my family of 12 complained. I guess I just personally prefer plain turkey. However, there were leftovers that were in small pieces and so I used McCormick’s Taco Seasoning packet to make taco meat. My husband and I thought it was very good and a great way to provide variety for the leftover turkey.
This recipe worked out great for my daughter and I. Just 2 of us and we had a great scaled down dinner. No arguments (except for the board games after, and that was fun!).
Single Mom family.
63 years old and I have never made a turkey in my life but I made this for my small family gathering this year and they LOVED it. The spice mix is the winner! I was so sure I was going to poison my family….Ha! My 8-pound turkey breast was bone in and after 3 days in the fridge was STILL not thawed out so I had to do the cold-water bath method a few times before I could get started. I cooked the night before so on the day I sliced it up, put it in the crockpot on low with some chicken stock to keep it moist and it was great. No leftovers. Lessons learned – buy a boneless turkey breast next time. Also, Check the bird! I calculated the time to cook and mine was actually done much earlier. I actually want to do this again next year! Hahaha Thank you so much.
Love your post! I’m 62 and the recipe got me out of the kitchen so I could enjoy a movie with my daughter!
I tried this for the first time this Thanksgiving. The combination of spices were very good but it was done 45 minutes early & could have been juicier. Afterwards I read that 375° is too high of a temp for a turkey breast so next time I’ll roast it at 350°.
I think it might be because I used a roasting oven appliance instead of cooking it in the oven.