Celebrate this year’s Thanksgiving Day with this ROAST TURKEY BREAST. Perfect for smaller families or those who don’t want the hassle of carving a whole turkey. You’ll smell the perfectly cooked aroma of this mouthwatering, perfectly seasoned, juicy centerpiece from streets away.
As the song goes: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” And I couldn’t agree more.
I know all of the home cooks out there will also agree that it’s the busiest season of all. Although it looks a bit different this year, I’m still excited though to see my boys’ faces light up when they see this turkey breast on the dining table.
This Roast Turkey Breast Recipe is perfect now that it’ll just be the three of us celebrating Thanksgiving at home. A hassle-free main course for small families or those who would be celebrating alone or with just a friend.
Taste the same Thanksgiving turkey satisfaction, but this time in smaller portions. Hassle-free, yet so tasty!
What Turkey Breast to Buy?
Don’t just settle for the last-pick turkey. Thanksgiving is special and so should your turkey. So, what turkey breast should you buy? Here are some tips on how you can find a good turkey breast meat.
Freshness
Take a good look at the turkey breast. If it’s slimy and has a pungently foul odor, it’s probably gone bad. Good turkey meat is supposed to be odorless and not slimy. Decomposition causes a bad smell which tells you that the meat hasn’t been properly stored or is just simply old.
Grade
Packaged turkey breasts should be properly labeled. Check for a USDA grade A seal because this will tell you that what you’re buying is A-ok! Although products without this seal are still edible, it might still have broken bones, feather pins, and bruises.
Size
Now repeat after me. SIZE DOESN’T MATTER! Whether it’s a hen or a tom, both have almost the same juiciness, tenderness, and moistness but vary in size. Hens tend to be smaller than their male counterpart.
Bone-in or Boneless Turkey Breast
Ultimately, finding a good turkey breast will depend on the number of people you plan to serve. Bone-in turkey breasts, which include the ribs and wing bones, serve well for a small crowd. It cooks faster and is thawed easier. Boneless turkey breasts, on the other hand, are marinated to the core and are easier to consume. This makes it a better option for serving a bigger crowd.
How Many Pounds of Roast Turkey Breast Do I Need Per Person?
You’re gonna want to make just enough Roast Turkey Breast to satisfy your family. If you prepare too much, you’ll end up with a lot of leftovers (although you can still use them for sandwiches). On the other hand, you might start a riot if you don’t make enough. Yikes!
The perfect ratio for a boneless and unstuffed turkey to a person is 1-pound or about half a kilo per adult and .05-pounds or about 230-grams per child.
This ratio may vary depending on your family’s appetite. In my family, I serve 2.5-lbs or roughly 1.1-kgs of turkey. Everyone is happy with little to no leftovers.
Thawing a Turkey
To make roast turkey breast, it is best to thaw it down first since most turkey meats are sold frozen. Thawing will take you roughly an hour per pound of frozen turkey meat when you use the water thawing method. Make sure to keep the turkey breast in its packaging.
Alternatively, place it outside the freezer and into the fridge to thaw, it’ll take longer but you’ll save water. The ratio now becomes five hours for every pound.
Roast Turkey Breast Seasoning
How to season turkey breast? Well, there are two easy ways to add flavor to your roast turkey breast. You may either use the traditional wet brining or dry brining. Both methods will take time but trust me, it’s worth the wait.
Wet Brining uses salted water and a mix of different herbs and spices. This method is similar to pickling but is briefer. Around 8 hours or a bit more. The trouble with leaving it for too long is that it can make your turkey too salty. The effect on the texture wouldn’t be good either as it could make it too spongy.
Dry Brining is similar to the one mentioned above but the application is more direct. A mix of salt, herbs, and spices are directly applied to the turkey breast. This is where the fun begins. The salt draws out moisture from the meat and gets dissolved to make a brine. The flavors and from the spices and herbs also mix in with this liquid. It is then reabsorbed into the meat. This is what we’re going to do with our Roast Turkey Breast Recipe.
What to Serve with Roast Turkey Breast?
Because this is highly regarded to be a Thanksgiving dish, most Thanksgiving food would go with it. You’ll love potato dishes such as these Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes or these fancy Duchess Potatoes.
If you plan to make your Roast Turkey Breast even more mouthwatering, this Homemade Gravy will do the trick. Use it as a dip or just drizzle it all over the dish. Serve with some refreshing Tossed Salad or these Green Beans Bacon Bundles to add a different flavor dimension.
More Holiday Dishes for the Family
How to Roast Turkey Breast
Pat dry turkey breast with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper, slipping salt under the skin where possible. Combine butter, minced garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, paprika, and parsley. Let it rest in the fridge until ready to use. You can make the herb spice a day or so in advance if desired. Loosen up the turkey skin by carefully running your fingers between the skin and the meat; the skin is very fragile so be careful not to tear it up. Generously rub the turkey with the herb butter combination and seasoning under the skin of the turkey breast. Let it rest in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Remove turkey from the fridge an hour before cooking; this will bring it to room temperature. Position the rack in the lowest part of the oven, remove any other racks. Preheat your oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Place onion, celery, and garlic in a 3-qt. baking dish, then place the turkey breast-side up.
Roast the turkey for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F. Continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F in the thickest part of the breast; about 1 hour or more depending on the size of your turkey breast. If the turkey is browning too fast, cover the breast, tent with a piece of foil to prevent over-browning. Remove turkey from the oven and let it sit for about 15- 20 minutes before carving. So the juices settle back into the meat. Reserve turkey drippings to make gravy here. Discard the herbs and onions. Serve it with this gravy.
Roast Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 (about 4-6 pound) turkey breast , boneless and skin-on
- 1 ½ - 2 teaspoons (7.5g-10g) salt
- 1 teaspoon (2g) coarse ground black pepper to taste
- 4 ounces (113.4g) unsalted butter , softened
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
- 5 leaves fresh sage , minced
- 3 large rosemary sprigs , leaves removed and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 sprigs thyme , minced (1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon (2g) paprika
- 1 tablespoon (4g) chopped parsley
- 1 onion , quartered
- 1 celery stick
- 6 crushed garlic cloves
Instructions
- Pat dry turkey breast with paper towels.
- Season with salt and pepper, slipping salt under skin where possible.
- Combine butter, minced garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, paprika, and parsley.
- Let it rest in the fridge until ready to use. You can make the herb spice a day or so in advance if desired.
- Loosen up the turkey skin by carefully running your fingers between the skin and the meat; the skin is very fragile so be careful not to tear it up.
- Generously rub the turkey with the herb butter combination and seasoning under the skin of the turkey breast. Let it rest in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- Remove turkey from the fridge an hour before cooking; this will bring it to room temperature.
- Position the rack in the lowest part of the oven, remove any other racks.
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
- Place onion, celery, and garlic in a 3-qt. baking dish, then place the turkey breast-side up.
- Roast the turkey for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F. Continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F in the thickest part of the breast; about 1 hour or more depending on the size of your turkey breast.
- If the turkey is browning too fast, cover the breast, tent with a piece of foil to prevent over-browning.
- Remove turkey from the oven and let it sit for about 15- 20 minutes before carving so the juices settle back into the meat. Reserve turkey drippings to make gravy here. Discard the herbs and onions.
- Serve it with this gravy.
Tips & Notes:
- If the turkey is browning too fast, cover the breast, tent with a piece of foil to prevent over browning.
- Make sure to remove the turkey from the oven and let it sit for about 15- 20 minutes before carving.
- Don't forget to reserve the turkey drippings for the gravy.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Sabrina says
This recipe is amazing. I don’t see other reviews here which is bizarre to me as this is the best turkey breast I’ve ever made. So flavorful! Didn’t change anything except for dried sage instead of fresh. I can’t wait to try your other recipes
ImmaculateBites says
WooHoo! That’s so kind of you .Thanks so much.