How do you season a turkey breast

This Boneless Turkey Breast Roast is herb crusted and garlic stuffed then baked in the oven with tender, juicy results! Only 6 ingredients are needed for this recipe that produces flavorful and impressive results every time.

It’s perfect for any holiday dinner and as easy as this bacon wrapped turkey breast recipe and air fryer turkey breast!

Make this juicy boneless turkey breast roast for Thanksgiving dinner instead of roasting a whole turkey. It’s perfect for smaller holiday gatherings where you might be feeding only 4 – 6 people.

Entire boneless skinless turkey breast is stuffed with garlic, herb crusted with fresh rosemary, and then oven roasted. It turns out juicy every time, which is hard to do when you cook a whole bird!

Ingredients and Notes

Simple wholesome ingredients is all you need for this recipe! When purchasing your turkey, general rule of thumb is 1/2 lb of turkey breast per person, so purchase accordingly to the number of guests you will be serving.

• Boneless turkey breast roast: This recipe calls for fresh boneless skinless turkey breast roast. If you have a frozen one, thaw it first. It can be boneless turkey breast meat, only thigh meat or both. In either case, meat is shaped and held together by stretchy mesh.
• Fresh rosemary: Not dried. I am all for shortcuts but holiday roast calls for fresh herbs as it infuses the best taste.
• Garlic: There is really no substitute for fresh garlic, which has a very distinctive flavor. If you are allergic to garlic, maybe bake with a bit of lemon juice and zest. And/or sprinkle with fresh chives before serving.
• Olive oil: Can also use avocado or grapeseed oil. I do not recommend to use melted butter because it will solidify as soon as you brush it on cold turkey breast roast and herbs will not stick.
• Salt and black pepper: To season and taste.

Only 10 minutes prep are needed for roasted boneless turkey breast recipe. It is truly so easy!

If your meat is frozen, here is an easy tutorial how to thaw a turkey breast, even if you need to do so quickly.

Stuff with garlic: In a medium roasting pan or Dutch oven, place turkey breast and make 10-15 inserts with a paring knife. Stick garlic slice into each hole until you run out of garlic.

Season with rosemary: Rub roast with oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper all around. Taking small handfuls of rosemary pat it onto the roast, then sprinkle some. The goal is to coat the roast in herbs for best roasted turkey flavor.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes per 1 lb: I cooked 3 pounds turkey breast roast for 90 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reads 160 degrees F. Do not worry about white meat reaching 170 degrees F. It will do so while resting. This way turkey roast will have juicy meat.

Remove mesh casing and slice: Using sharp knife or kitchen scissors, cut casing in the middle, remove and discard. Slice into thin slices without pushing on meat too hard.

Expert Tips

• Important to let meat rest! Remove roast from the oven, cover with aluminum foil and let turkey breast rest for 10 minutes. Internal temperature will reach 170 degrees F, making it safe to eat as per USDA guidelines and juices will settle. Don’t skip!
• Don’t remove the casing before cooking: Under any circumstances please don’t. Casing is holding pieces of meat together. If you remove it, meat will fall apart. Do not worry, we will season it inside. It will come out juicy and delicious.
• Bake roast uncovered: If you cover it, white meat will steam instead of roasting.
• Extra large roast 5-10 lbs: Cook for 30 minutes per each pound of turkey but check with thermometer 30 minutes before calculated total time. Just to avoid overcooking your oven-roasted turkey breast as oven gets hotter with time.

Variations

This recipe as is produces amazing results! If you want to try some variations, though, here are some ideas.

• Additional rub seasonings: Onion powder, crushed thyme, sage, and paprika. Or just try my delicious turkey breast rub that is full of yummy seasoning to complement the turkey breast perfectly.
• Can’t stand the thought of not using butter to rub turkey? Melt small amount of butter then mix with EVOO or some readers have had success with using room temperature butter.
• ‘Stuffed’ turkey breast: If you are up for the challenge, some readers have successfully removed mesh, unrolled the breast and spread additional layer of fresh herbs/butter then rolled it back up and stuffed breast back in mesh before roasting.
• Brine turkey overnight for additional flavor.

Serving Recommendations

Since I usually make this at Thanksgiving, I serve it with healthy turkey gravy and healthy cranberry sauce.

Are you wondering “What else to serve with turkey breast?”. Here are a few more holiday side dishes that are the perfect complement to your festive celebration.

• Healthy sweet potatoes
• Cauliflower mashed potatoes
• Parmesan roasted brussels sprouts
• Healthy sweet potato casserole
• Healthy green bean casserole
• Cauliflower stuffing

Storing Leftovers

Refrigerate cooked turkey roast whole or sliced in an airtight container for up to a week. Leftover turkey is so good cold on its own or in a sandwich. Or reheat just until warm with gravy. This recipe is so versatile!

Freeze leftovers sliced or cut into bite sized pieces in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator and then use leftovers for soup, as a protein in a salad for lunch, or for turkey tacos!

FAQs

How do I get browned crispy skin?

You can try broiling for a few minutes at the end. Just be careful not to dry out the turkey.

How do I keep meat juicy?

First, this recipe is for a fresh boneless turkey breast roast. If your roast is frozen, be sure to thaw it completely. If your breast is frozen in the middle, it will change the cooking time and end results will be dry.

Second, trust the first internal temp check, remove it from oven and let it rest so turkey juices settle back into the roast. Still having trouble? Some readers have had success using a roasting bag – although I am not sure what that is!

Why is my turkey breast tough?

If your roast comes out tough, it is because of type of meat the store used to wrap into the casing. I once happened to buy a small 2 lb roast and it was pretty chewy with muscle tissues.

I highly recommend to buy a minimum 3 pounds of larger boneless skinless turkey breast roast.

Can I make this ahead of time?

To save time at the holidays, you could ‘dress’ the turkey breast recipe with garlic and herbs, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Let turkey come to room temp, then proceed with roasting.

More Holiday Mains to Try

Heer are a few more suggestions for your small holiday meal instead of traditional turkey!

• Bone-in turkey breast
• Instant Pot turkey breast
• Baked turkey legs
• Beef sirloin tip roast
• Lamb roast
• Oven baked chicken breast
• Instant Pot pot roast

Servings 10 servings

Calories 258

Diet Low Fat

Diet Low Fat

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Boneless Turkey Roast

• ▢ 3 lbs fresh boneless turkey roast in casing
• ▢ 3 large garlic cloves cut into matchsticks
• ▢ 3 large rosemary sprigs leaves removed and minced
• ▢ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 1/4 tsp salt
• ▢ Ground black pepper to taste

Boneless Turkey Roast

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium roasting pan or Dutch oven, place turkey roast and make 10-15 inserts with a paring knife. Stick garlic slice into each one until you run out of garlic.

• Rub roast with oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper all around. Taking small handfuls of rosemary pat it onto the roast, then sprinkle some. The goal is to coat the roast in herbs.

• Bake uncovered for 90 minutes. Check with meat thermometer, it should read 160 degrees F.

• Remove from the oven, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Internal temperature will reach 170 degrees F and juices settle.

• Using  a sharp knife or scissors, remove the casing and slice. Serve warm at a Holiday table with traditional sides of mashed potatoes and gravy, cold as an appy or use in sandwiches instead of deli meat.

Easy Pan Gravy (Optional)

• Place roasting pan with juices from cooking turkey roast on medium heat. Scrape and shake rosemary and burnt on pieces from removed casing into the pot. There is a lot of flavor. Discard the casing.

• Add broth and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes and whisk to scrape the walls. Again lots of flavor in there. Add white wine, butter, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low-medium and cook for 5 minutes.

• In a small bowl, add a bit of gravy from the pot and cornstarch. Whisk well with a fork, pour back into the pot and whisk until gravy starts boiling.

• Cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened a bit. Serve with a turkey roast.

• Make ahead: ‘Dress’ the turkey breast with garlic and herbs, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Let turkey come to room temp, then proceed with roasting.
• Store: Refrigerate roast whole or sliced in an airtight container for up to a week. It tastes so good cold. And warm with gravy. This recipe is so versatile!
• Freeze: Freeze leftovers sliced or cut into bite sized pieces in an air tight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator.
• Fresh boneless turkey roast: This recipe calls for fresh boneless skinless turkey roast. If you have a frozen one, thaw it first.
• Bone in roast: If you want to cook turkey breast with bone in, check out this bone in turkey breast roast.

Serving: 2slices | Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 442mg | Sugar: 1g