How to make the best juicy roasted turkey breast with garlic, herbs, and orange. We love roasting turkey breast. It’s much quicker to make than a whole turkey, but will still easily serve six.
How To Make the Juiciest Turkey Breast Ever!
It’s unbelievably moist and juicy, too. You can play around with the flavors, but our recipe calls for the classics – mustard, garlic, rosemary, sage, and orange. We absolutely love it. It’s simple, beautiful and perfect for sharing with family. For another simple meal, try our whole roasted chicken with lemon.
We’ve found that bone-in turkey breasts are a little easier to handle than whole turkeys. When we’re cooking for smaller numbers, they’re perfect and will feed 6 to 7 people, allowing for some leftovers.
For this recipe, you will need a 6 1/2- to 7-pound bone-in turkey breast. Make sure it’s completely thawed.
How to Thaw Turkey Breast
If you cannot find a fresh, unfrozen turkey breast, you will need to thaw it. To do this, buy the frozen turkey 2 days in advance then thaw breast side up, unopened on a baking sheet in the fridge. If you are in a rush, you can also thaw the turkey in cold water — this is much quicker. Thaw breast side down, unopened, with enough cold water to cover the turkey completely. Change the water every 30 minutes until it is completely thawed. A 7-pound turkey breast will take about 3 hours to thaw using the water method. For more information, take a look at Butterball’s tips for thawing turkey.
How to Roast Turkey Breast
It’s easiest to use a roasting pan with a rack. Since we’re only roasting the breast it can be a little unstable. The rack helps keep turkey breast stay upright.
It is possible to roast turkey breast without a roasting pan and rack. In our photos, you’ll notice we used a baking dish without a rack. You can do this, as well. Use a dish that just fits the turkey breast, place it into the dish then if you find it to be unstable, use slices of orange to prop the breast up a little so it stands tall. (Instead of orange slices, try lemon or onion slices or even carrots).
Roast the turkey breast in a 325-degree F oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The meat will be moist and juicy and the skin golden brown.
Our Favorite Garlic and Herb Turkey Rub
We love lots of flavor so we rub the turkey all over with a paste made from olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic and lots of herbs. Here, we’re using rosemary, thyme and sage. You could do the same or just use one herb. Some orange zest added would be delicious, too.
Another idea is to swap fresh garlic for roasted garlic! Roasted garlic is one of the best things you can make in your oven. Here’s how we roast garlic as well as lots of ways to use it.
We like to rub the garlic-herb paste all over the turkey — even under the skin covering the breast. You want it everywhere. (We find our hands are the best tools for this, if you’d like, use a pastry brush or small spoon instead). Once the turkey is completely rubbed down, pour orange juice and chicken stock into the pan along with a few slices of orange and slide into the oven.
Tip: Look for the poultry herb packet sold in stores. It has the perfect amount of each herb for this. The packet usually has all three herbs included and is cheaper than buying three separate packets.
We love serving the turkey off of the bone — we do this with roasted chicken, too. To do this, carefully cut each breast of the bone then slice into thick slices. The orange juice and chicken stock added to the pan for roasting is also wonderful spooned over the turkey slices. In addition to the pan drippings, we also love serving the turkey with this simple gravy from scratch. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
We have lots of side dishes on Inspired Taste, the following recipes compliment roasted turkey very well.
- Our Favorite Mashed Potatoes – This is our favorite homemade mashed potatoes recipe (skin-on or peeled). Learn which potatoes to use and how to cook them so that they are creamy and delicious. For a low-carb option, try our Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
- Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash – Butternut squash is roasted until tender and lightly caramelized. Cinnamon and cayenne add warmth while brown sugar sweetens things up a little.
- Roasted Carrots with Parsley Butter – Roasted carrots are sweet, tender and completely delicious. In this recipe, we toss them with a garlicky, parsley-laced butter.
- Shaved Fennel and Arugula Salad – This salad is crunchy, fresh, and light. There is orange juice in the dressing, so this is perfect with the turkey.
- Seriously Good Mushroom Stuffing – Loaded with fresh mushrooms, onions, sage, and thyme this homemade mushroom stuffing is deeply flavorful and absolutely delicious.
Garlic Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
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Roasted turkey breast is quicker to make than a whole turkey, but will still easily serve six. It’s unbelievably moist and juicy, too. It’s easiest to use a roasting pan with a rack. Since we’re only roasting the breast, the rack keep the breast upright. It is possible to roast turkey breast without a roasting pan and rack. In our photos, you’ll notice we used a baking dish without a rack. You can do this, as well. Use a dish that just fits the turkey breast, place it into the dish then if you find it to be unstable, use slices of orange to prop the breast up a little so it stands tall. (Instead of orange slices, try lemon or onion slices or even carrots).
Makes 6 generous servings
You Will Need
1 whole bone-in turkey breast, 6 1/2 to 7 pounds, thawed
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 orange, sliced
Directions
- Prepare Turkey
1Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
2Put turkey breast, skin-side up in a heavy roasting pan or baking dish, preferably on a rack. (If you do not have a rack, you will need to cushion and prop the turkey breast up with orange slices later so that it is stable).
3Stir garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, olive oil, and the mustard together to form a paste. Use your fingers to lift the skin away from the breast meat and spread half of the paste directly on the meat. Smear the remaining paste all over the outside of the turkey.
4Pour the orange juice, lemon juice, and chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting pan. Scatter orange slices around the pan and if needed, use a couple slices to prop the turkey breast upright so that it is stable.
- To Finish
1Roast the turkey for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an internal thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast. (It’s best to check more than one location to be sure). If, while it roasts, you notice the turkey is browned more than you’d like, cover the turkey loosely with aluminum foil and continue to roast until done.
2When the turkey is done, remove from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and allow it to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Pour the juices left in the roasting pan into a small jug and skim any fat from the top. Slice the turkey and serve with the pan juices spooned over the top.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- If you cannot find a fresh, unfrozen turkey breast, you will need to thaw it. To do this, buy the frozen turkey breast 2 days in advance then thaw breast side up, unopened on a baking sheet in the fridge. If you are in a rush, you can also thaw the turkey in cold water — this is much quicker. Thaw breast side down, unopened, with enough cold water to cover the turkey completely. Change the water every 30 minutes until it is completely thawed. A 7-pound turkey breast will take about 3 hours to thaw using the water method.
- Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. We assumed 6 servings, which means 6 very generous portions. You will likely have leftovers.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutrition Per Serving
Calories
511
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Protein
70 g
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Carbohydrate
3 g
/
Dietary Fiber
0 g
/
Total Sugars
2 g
/
Total Fat
23 g
/
Saturated Fat
6 g
/
Cholesterol
179 mg