Roasted Bone-In Turkey Breast with Herb Butter

Our oven-roasted turkey breast recipe is slathered in lemon, garlic, and herb butter. It is hands down the best recipe for a juicy and moist bone-in roasted turkey breast. Perfect for your gluten-free Thanksgiving menu!

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Thanksgiving can be tough to prepare for and there are a lot of opinions on classic versus modern Thanksgiving recipes. And I am all about tried and true recipes mixed with updated versions, like our whole roasted cranberries and our updated sweet potato crunch. The best of both worlds.

This turkey breast recipe has classic Thanksgiving flavors with sage and thyme but is easier to manage than a whole turkey.

It is the perfect Thanksgiving turkey recipe for 4 to 6 people. Or you can make it to supplement your whole turkey for large gatherings, especially great when your guests prefer white meat.

Jump to:

• 📖Why This Recipe Works
• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🦃 Selecting a Turkey Breast
• 🦃 Brining Turkey Breast
• ⏲️ How to Cook a Bone-In Turkey Breast
• 🥗 Turkey Breast Side Dishes
• 🥘Expert Tips
• 🔪Equipment
• 💭 Christmas Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe
• 🌡️ Storing
• More Holiday Recipes
• 💬Frequently Asked Questions
• 📖 Recipe
• ⭐Reviews

📖Why This Recipe Works

This recipe is naturally gluten-free and can be made dairy-free by using vegan butter or margarine.

While I showed a whole turkey breast in the photos, this recipe can be with a half breast, also called a split breast. You also use it for a skin-on boneless turkey breast.

This recipe is easier to manage than making a whole bird. And you can make this simple recipe for other gatherings like Easter, Christmas, or even for your weekly meal prep.

The brine keeps the breast moist and the herb butter creates a lovely crispy skin.

And of course, it pairs perfectly with our gluten-free turkey gravy recipe.

🧾 Ingredients

This recipe uses only easy to find ingredients. I typically roast my turkey with a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, or even Chardonnay.

If wine isn't your thing, you can substitute turkey stock or chicken broth. The key is to keep moisture in the oven to ensure a juicy breast.

• Whole bone-in turkey breast with the skin still on (6 to 7 pounds)
• Butter
• Fresh Herbs- Thyme, Sage, and Rosemary
• Lemon
• Garlic
• Salt and Pepper
• Dry white wine

To make a half turkey breast or boneless turkey breast you can scale down the herb better ingredients. Or split the herb butter and use half for your dinner rolls.

🦃 Selecting a Turkey Breast

The average bone in full turkey breast is 6 to 7 pounds. When estimating the size needed, assume 1 pound per person for a bone-in turkey and ½ pound for boneless.

Fresh turkeys are chilled below freezing but not frozen solid. They should be baked within 2 days of purchase.

Fresh vs Frozen

When selecting a frozen turkey breast, look for any signs of frost. Skip those.

You will need to defrost the turkey fully before cooking. The average bone-in double turkey breast will need 48 to 72 hours in the refrigerator to completely defrost.

Turkey Labels

When it comes to turkey, labels can be confusing. Heritage, organic, pastured, free-range... it can be confusing. Buy the best quality turkey in your price range. There are only 2 things you need to look out for.

First, avoid basted and self-basting turkeys if possible. These will be the most highly processed. If you have already purchased a basting turkey, do NOT brine. They are injected with a solution that is intended to retain moisture. Your turkey may be too salty if brined.

Second, do not brine kosher turkeys. They are typically brined during the packaging process. Confirm with your butcher if you are unsure. Again, it will be too salty if doubled-brined.

🦃 Brining Turkey Breast

Often people ask if bringing turkey is really necessary and my answer is... yes! I am a big fan of brining chicken and brining salmon. Turkey is no different, in fact, I would say that a turkey brine is the most critical step in roasting a turkey.

Turkey breast meat, both the white meat and the dark meat, is known to dry out quickly which is why brine is a critical step.

There are two brine methods. The wet method submerges the turkey breast in a solution of water, salt, sugar, and herbs.

While the dry method coats the turkey in salt and it sits uncovered in the fridge. Both are great but the dry method takes longer so I prefer a wet brine.

Turkey Brine Ingredients

• Water and ice
• Kosher salt
• Molasses- you can substitute brown sugar or granulated sugar if needed.
• Garlic
• Whole Black peppercorns
• Fresh Herbs- Sage and Rosemary
• Lemons 

⏲️ How to Cook a Bone-In Turkey Breast

Making a turkey can be overwhelming. This is why roasting a bone-in turkey breast is a favorite tradition of mine.

Step 1- Brine Overnight

To make the turkey brine, combine half, 4 cups, of the water, molasses, salt, pepper, herbs, and lemon in a stockpot. Heat until salt dissolves. There is no need to bring it to a boil.

Remove the pot from heat and add the remaining 4 cups of cool water and the ice. This helps to speed up the brine process.

Put your turkey breast into a pot large enough to fully submerge the turkey. I typically use the same stockpot. When the brine mixture is completely cooled pour over the turkey.

If the turkey isn't completely covered by water add enough to fully submerge. Place in refrigerator for 12 hours.

Step 2- Prep Your Turkey

Preheat the oven to 325 F degrees. You will want your turkey to sit out at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes before roasting.

Site a wire rack in a sheet pan. Remove the turkey from the brine and set it on the wire rack to drip dry for a few minutes. Then pat dry the turkey breast with a paper towel.

Drying the skin of the turkey will help it crisp up later.

Step 3- Make the Lemon Herb Butter

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, softened butter, and lemon juice to make a paste. For a stronger lemon flavor, you can also use the zest of one lemon.

The herb butter goes half under and half over the turkey skin. This allows for the flavor to go directly onto the meat while getting enough butter onto the skin to crisp it up.

Loosen the skin from the meat gently with your fingers and smear half of the paste directly on the meat. Spread the remaining paste evenly on the skin.

Step 4- Roast the Turkey

Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Roasting the turkey on a rack allows the juices to drain so you can have pan gravy from the drippings.

Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.

Roast the turkey for 2 hours to 2 ½ hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F. Check the turkey every 30 minutes and add more wine, turkey stock, or water to the bottom of the pan if it begins to run dry.

A half turkey breast will typically cook in less than 2 hours. While boneless breasts will be about 90 minutes, depending on the size.

Step 5- Serve

When the turkey is done, cover it with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. It should come up to an internal temperature of 165 F degrees minimum.

To serve, slice the turkey into ¼ to ⅓ inch pieces and spoon over pan juices. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh herbs.

To serve with pan juices carefully scoop off the top layer of fat from the juices. Then ladle the pan juices over the turkey.

To serve with gravy, scrape up all the bits with a wooden spoon. Pour into a fat separator and follow the instructions for our gluten-free turkey gravy recipe.

🥗 Turkey Breast Side Dishes

Turkey is a versatile protein. Here are a few of our favorite side dishes to serve with turkey breast:

• Brussel Sprout and Pomegranate Salad
• Modern Green Bean Casserole - Deconstructed and no cream of mushroom soup!
• Small Batch Mashed Potatoes- The perfect size for a small gathering.
• Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing
• Sweet Potato Crunch
• Bourbon Roasted Cranberries - the best tart cranberry recipe.

To drink, I like to serve chardonnay, or the less popular but arguably better, viognier. For red wine, I recommend sticking with the classic turkey breast and pinot noir pairing.

🥘Expert Tips

• If you don't have a rack for your roasting pan you can ball up a few pieces of aluminum foil to prop your turkey up on.
• Be sure to salt and pepper the bottom of your turkey for maximum flavor.
• If you live in a very dry climate start your turkey covered with foil for the first 30 to 45 minutes
• If your turkey begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover or tent with foil to stop the browning but allow steam to escape.
• Save your turkey carcass to make homemade turkey broth.

🔪Equipment

This recipe requires a roasting pan, preferably with a roasting rack, and a stockpot or other pan large enough to fully submerge the turkey in the brine.

💭 Christmas Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe

My favorite variation of this recipe is to swap out the lemons with oranges and add a pinch of nutmeg to the herb butter. This is how I make it for our Christmas dinner.

You can also throw a few cinnamon sticks into the brine.

🌡️ Storing

A frozen turkey breast may take a few days to thaw in the fridge so plan accordingly. It can continue to thaw out in the brine if needed.

Cooked turkey lasts 3 to 5 days when tightly wrapped and stored in the fridge. Or freeze up to 2 months.

If your leftover turkey has already been sliced, sprinkle on a little turkey broth to keep it moist.

Food Safety

Just a few reminders when working with raw poultry.

• Cook to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Insert the meat thermometer at the thickest part of the breast
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched the raw turkey meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature beyond the 1 hour resting period

More Holiday Recipes

💬Frequently Asked Questions

📖 Recipe