The first time I hosted Thanksgiving, I was 25 years old and newly married. I invited my parents over to my apartment and the four of us sat at a little card table in our little living room. I purchased my first set of cloth napkins, which I still set out for Thanksgiving and Christmas today.
As that Thanksgiving day went on, I remember feeling overwhelmed by having so many recipes in different stages of preparation at once. But no part of the menu was more intimidating than cooking the turkey. I had never even purchased a turkey before that year, let alone thawed and cooked one. Since I was serving a smaller crew – just four of us that year – what I really wish I had was this recipe for bone-in turkey breast. It makes just the right amount and always turns out to be the juiciest and most delicious tender turkey breast meat. Plus, the method is so simple that any first-time Thanksgiving host can do it!
This post was created in collaboration with our friends at Shady Brook Farms and Honeysuckle White.
Recipe Highlights
There are so many reasons that cooking a bone-in turkey breast makes sense. Here’s why I’ll often use this recipe instead of roasting a whole turkey or a boneless turkey breast.
- A bone-in turkey breast results in super moist, juicy, and flavorful meat. The bones tend to add more flavor and help prevent the white meat from drying out.
- When you just cook a bone-in breast instead of a whole turkey, it cooks so much faster and makes enough to serve 8 to 10 people (or fewer people with plenty of leftovers).
- Compared to a boneless turkey breast, a bone-in breast tends to be a more beautiful presentation on the table since it’s taller and more full.
- This method is so simple and it’s not intimidating at all! I’ll tell you exactly how to do it, step by step. And the best part: once the turkey is in the oven, you can just let it cook. There’s no need to do any basting since the compound butter (the butter-herb mixture) keeps everything nice and moist.
- There’s no need to start cooking turkey in the wee hours of the morning, since this recipe takes just 2 to 2 ½ hours total, start to finish. Plus, it only takes about 15 minutes of prep time to get the turkey into the oven in the first place – the rest is just roasting time.
- Other than the turkey breast itself, all you need are a few ingredients: butter, garlic, and some fresh herbs (or dried herbs), salt, and pepper.
Ingredient Highlight: Bone-In Turkey Breast
If cooking a whole turkey seems intimidating or makes too much, then consider a bone-in turkey breast. I find that it’s so much easier to make and don’t have to deal with the neck and giblets. I get what I consider the best part of the turkey – the tender, juicy breast meat – with minimal effort.
Because a bone-in turkey breast contains the bone, I find that the breast meat stays moist and juicy, and never dries out, like it sometimes can when making a boneless turkey breast. Plus, it’s easier to store without taking up so much of my precious freezer space. A bone-in turkey breast typically weighs 8-9 pounds and makes enough turkey meat to serve up to 10 people, or to provide an appropriate amount of delicious leftovers. I love that I get so much high-quality lean protein from one cooking session that I can use to make so many recipes, including any of our recipes that call for cooked shredded chicken. In fact, the leftover meat is so tender and juicy that it’s even delicious served cold right out of the fridge.
You can find a bone-in frozen turkey breast in the frozen section near the whole turkeys. I like Shady Brook Farms (which you can find in the Northeast U.S.) and Honeysuckle White (which you can find in the South and Midwestern U.S.) because they’re affordable and easy to find at almost all major retailers, including Walmart. Plus, the turkeys are raised by independent farmers with no added hormones or steroids. Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones or steroids in poultry. Antibiotics are responsibly used only when needed for treatment or prevention of illness.
Equipment Needed
Another bonus of this recipe is that it really doesn’t require that much equipment. Here’s what is handy to have around when making it:
- Paper towels – to pat the turkey breast dry
- Small bowl – to mix the butter and herbs
- Roasting pan – you can use a metal roasting pan or a disposable one
- Meat thermometer – use a wireless oven-safe temperature probe (that can stay in the turkey as it roasts) or just a reliable digital food thermometer
Skip The Basting
I know that a lot of turkey recipes out there encourage you to baste the turkey with it’s own juices to help keep the meat moist while baking. But, after roasting so many turkeys and turkey breasts in my life, I actually have found the opposite to be true. Basting can often result in turkey skin that is rubbery. Plus, constantly opening the oven door disrupts the roasting process, making it take longer to cook evenly and causing the meat to dry out.
Instead, I love this method for making a herb butter mixture that gets spread under and over the turkey breast meat. By spreading the butter mixture under the skin, it keeps the breast meat tender and juicy with no need to do any basting. Then, by spreading some of the butter mixture on top of the skin, too, I always get perfectly golden brown skin that is crispy and delicious.
I find that it helps to cover the turkey breast very loosely with aluminum foil (not tightly or entirely covered) for the last 30-45 minutes of cooking. I just press a large piece of aluminum foil very gently onto the top of the turkey breast, which helps the outer skin stay golden brown without getting way too crispy or burnt.
How To Serve
After the turkey breast comes out of the oven, let it sit in the roasting pan (still loosely covered with foil) for 15 minutes. This helps all of the juices redistribute in the meat. Then, simply transfer the whole breast to a serving platter. You can carve it right at the table or cut it into slices on a cutting board in the kitchen before bringing the sliced turkey meat to the table. I often share this photo tutorial if you’ve never carved a turkey breast before.
And, there’s no doubt about it: A turkey is always better when it’s served with some delicious Thanksgiving side dishes. I tend to gravitate toward classic recipes like creamy mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and roasted acorn squash. I also love the best turkey recipe paired with our unstuffing recipe, which is made from sweet potato, apples, Brussels sprouts, dried cherries, and pecans.
How To Store
To store leftovers, cut all of the turkey meat off of the bone. Then, store the room temperature leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you won’t eat it that soon, then put the leftover turkey meat in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze it for up to 3 months.
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Roasted Bone-In Turkey Breast Recipe
This super simple method is so easy that you’ll feel like a turkey roasting pro in no time. My no-baste method results in perfectly moist, tender, and juicy turkey breast meat that is crispy and golden brown on the outside. Plus, it’s so much faster and easier than roasting a whole bird.
Ingredients
- 1 (8-9 lb.) bone-in Honeysuckle White or Shady Brook Farms turkey breast*
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened**
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced (1 ½ teaspoons)
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon (5-6 leaves) finely minced fresh sage leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and position a rack in the lower ⅓ of the oven and remove any upper rack.
- Using paper towels, pat the turkey breast (inside and out) until it is as dry as possible; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine softened butter, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper. Mash and stir together to form a compound butter.
- Using clean hands, carefully lift and gently pull up on the skin on top of the breast to make space between the skin and breast meat. Insert your fingers under the skin while carefully moving your hand over the meat (and under the skin) to loosen all of the skin without tearing it. Leave the skin attached along the breast bone.
- Still using your hands, rub half of the butter mixture onto the breast meat beneath the skin.
- Then, spread the remainder of the butter mixture over the outside of the skin all over the turkey.
- Place the turkey breast side up in a metal roasting pan.
- Place the roasting pan in the oven and, if you have one, insert an oven-safe wireless temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast. It’s OK if you don’t have one – you can use any reliable digital meat thermometer to test the breast meat temperature after 90 minutes.
- Cook the turkey breast until it reaches 165°F in the thickest part of the breast, which will take 1½ to 2 hours (90 to 120 minutes). Do not baste during cooking time.***
- Check on the turkey at about 65 to 75 minutes. If the skin is becoming too dark at this point, loosely tent a large piece of aluminum foil over the breast. You do not need to cover it tightly or completely; just lightly press the foil over the top to prevent further browning. Continue to cook until the breast reaches 165°F in the thickest part.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
- Store turkey leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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Notes
*You can find bone-in turkey breasts at Walmart and many other retailers. In the Northeast United States, look for Shady Brook Farms. In the Southern and Midwestern United States, look for Honeysuckle White. Store locators are linked here: Shady Brook Farms and Honeysuckle White.
**Set the butter at room temperature to soften at least a few hours or overnight. It should be the consistency of frosting.
***There’s no need to baste this turkey because the compound butter, which gets rubbed under and over the skin, creates perfectly moist turkey meat. Sometimes basting can actually make the skin more rubbery, so just skip that step and enjoy turkey that is nicely browned and golden on the outside and juicy-tender on the inside.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 4 ounces turkey breast meat
- Calories: 204
- Fat: 8 g
- (Sat Fat: 4 g)
- Sodium: 240 mg
- Carbohydrate: 0 g
- (Fiber: 0 g
- Sugar: 0 g)
- Protein: 33 g
- Cholesterol: 94 mg
Dietary
Frequently Asked Questions
Cook a bone-in turkey breast at 350°F. It will typically take 12-15 minutes per pound. So an 8-9 lb bone-in turkey breast will roast for 1 ½ to 2 hours (90 to 120 minutes).
Cook turkey breast, whether it’s bone-in breast or boneless breast, to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
For bone-in roast turkey breast, estimate 3/4 to 1 pound turkey per person. An 8-lb bone-in turkey breast, for example, makes enough for up to 10 people.
The key is to skip the basting step. Instead, spread a compound butter (a mixture of butter and herbs) all over the turkey – both under the skin and on top of it. This method results in turkey that is juicy and tender on the inside with a golden brown crispy skin on the outside.
Start roasting the turkey in a pan with no cover or lid on top of it. Check the turkey after it has been roasting for 65 to 75 minutes. If the skin is becoming too dark at this point, loosely tent a large piece of aluminum foil over the breast. You do not need to cover it tightly or completely; just lightly press the foil over the top to prevent the outer skin from getting too crispy or burnt.
Yes, you can. Gravy is made from the drippings of a turkey, and you will get plenty of pan drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan that can be used to make a delicious turkey gravy.
Yes, you can roast a turkey breast that is still frozen. Remove it from the outer wrapper and roast the whole turkey breast in a 350 degree oven until it registered 165 degrees in the thickest part of the breast. It will take about 50% more time versus cooking a thawed breast. For example, a thawed 8-lb bone-in turkey breast cooks in 90 to 120 minutes, but a frozen bone-in breast will need 135 to 180 minutes to cook.
Yes, you can cook turkey breast the day before and then serve it chilled or at room temperature. Or, if preferred, you can reheat slices in a shallow pan on the stovetop with some olive oil or broth to help keep it moist. However, the best presentation and flavor will come from serving a turkey breast right after it has been roasted. One of the benefits of cooking a turkey breast, instead of a whole Thanksgiving turkey, is that it’s done in 2 to 2 ½ hours total.
The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.
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