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We will be showing you how easy it is to make the best and juiciest oven-roasted turkey breast recipe ever. Marinated with a mixture of maple syrup, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. Enjoy tender, juicy, roasted turkey breast for Thanksgiving dinner without having to cook a whole turkey!
Some of us don’t want to cook a whole turkey for Thanksgiving and some may feel like preparing for a whole turkey is such a hassle. Therefore, making a turkey breast roast instead is the perfect solution. Especially if you aren’t hosting Thanksgiving for s huge crowd! This easy turkey breast recipe is so easy to make, low carb, high protein, hassle-free, juicy, and full of flavor. Made with boneless and skinless turkey breast, and only a handful of simple ingredients.
Why make a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey
- Hassle-Free for a Small Crowd: Why cook a whole turkey if you have a small crowd to feed? Turkey breasts come out just as great!
- Save time: It takes less time to cook than it would to roast a whole turkey.
- Much easier: You do not need to worry about all the work that involves making a full turkey.
Ingredients you will need
- 1 Boneless turkey breast (2-4 lbs) halved, skin removed: do make sure you use a boneless turkey breast. The skin could stay if you prefer to keep the skin.
- Olive Oil: or any oil of choice. We would substitute this with avocado oil or melted butter.
- Maple syrup or honey: we love the addition of a bit of sweetness to the turkey marinade
- Lemon Juice: do use fresh lemon juice instead of bottled lemon juice
- Garlic Cloves minced: we prefer that you use fresh garlic and not garlic powder.
- Chili Flakes, Sea Salt, and Freshly ground black pepper
How to make the roasted turkey breast
Thaw: If you are using frozen turkey breast, allow it to thaw or defrost in the fridge at least 24 hours ahead.
Rinse: Rinsing your turkey breast is an option and comes down to your preference. The FDA doesn’t recommend you rinse your poultry. Some may find it impossible to not rinse their chicken or turkey. Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel.
Mix marinade: In a small bowl combine all marinade ingredients.
Marinade: Place the turkey breast into a gallon ziplock together with the marinade, and
mix well through the bag. For best results refrigerate overnight to marinate.
Cook/bake/roast: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Transfer the turkey breast to an ovenproof dish or roasting tray and keep it on the counter for about 20 minutes, to get close to room temperature.
Place it in the preheated oven and roast until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the turkey breast registers 170°F. About 60 minutes.
Serve: Allow it to rest, covered with foil, for 10 minutes before carving.
Commonly asked questions
The size your your turkey breast will determine the amount of time it needs to be fully cooked. Knowing how much your turkey breast weighs is key and it will give you an idea of how long it will be in the oven. It takes about 15 minutes for every 1 lb.
A 4 lb turkey breast should take about an hour. Use a thermometer to help you determine when your turkey is done. Insert it in the thickest part of the breast. The turkey is done and fully cooked when the thermometer reads 165-170 F.
Turkey breast can be baked at anywhere between 350 and 400 F. Either way you go, the higher the temperature the less time it will take. Make sure to test doneness with a thermometer. If you don’t have one, pierce the thickest part of the breast with a knife and ensure that there aren’t any pink liquids flowing out.
Thawing a turkey breast is simple. Plan ahead and allow it to thaw in the fridge at least one day ahead. Assuming the turkey breast is between 3-5lbs. Anything larger may take longer than 24 hours to thaw. Don’t forget to place it in a dish to prevent leaks in your fridge.
It is best to consider about 0.75-1 lb per person to be safe. If you do end up with leftovers, even better because we have a few recipes for you to make with any leftover turkey (mentioned below).
How to properly season a turkey breast
A rule of thumb: use your favorite seasonings. Your marinade or seasonings should have some herbs, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper.
Pat dry the turkey breast using a paper towel. If you prefer not to marinade the breast in a Ziploc bag, then place the turkey breast in an oven-safe dish, add olive oil, your seasonings, garlic, lemons, salt, and pepper. Using your fingers, distribute the seasoning all over the breast and then place it in the oven.
Recipe notes and tips
- Use boneless and skinless turkey breast. If you decide to use bone-in turkey breast that’s fine but the cooking time will take longer by 20-30 minutes. The best way to check if the turkey breast is fully cooked is to use a food thermometer. Place the food thermometer on the thickest part of the breast until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.
- Use your favorite marinade. If you have one you already like, use it.
- Do not overcook the turkey breast. It will come out dry.
- Allow the cooked turkey to sit for a good 10 minutes before slicing through it. You will enjoy a much juicier turkey.
- You may use any oil of your choice or rub some butter on it instead.
- You may use maple syrup or honey. Either one works.
Storage recommendations and reheating
- Fridge: You can store your leftover turkey in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: you can freeze your leftover turkey for up to 3 months. You can thaw the turkey slices in the fridge the night before and then reheat when ready to serve.
- Reheating: The easiest and best way to reheat the leftover turkey is to microwave it for 60-90 seconds when ready to serve.
Other turkey recipes you may like
- Turkey Pumpkin Chili
- Leftover Turkey Soup Recipe
- Creamy Turkey Lemon Rice Soup
- Easy Ground Turkey Meatloaf
- White Bean Turkey Chili
- Easy Garlic Herb Turkey Roast
Side dishes to Serve with this turkey breast
- Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
- Creamy Mexican Corn
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin
- Butternut Squash Casserole
- Maple Roasted Carrots
- Garlic Roasted Mushrooms
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Oven Roasted Maple Turkey Breast
Equipment
- baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 Boneless turkey breast (2-4 lbs), halved, skin removed
For the marinade
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Maple syrup, or honey
- 3 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 2 Tsp Chili Flakes
- 2 Tsp Sea Salt
- 1 Tsp Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the turkey breast and pat dry. (you may skip rinsing and just pat dry)
- In a small bowl combine all marinade ingredients.
- Place the turkey breast into a gallon ziplock together with the marinade, and mix well through the bag. For best results refrigerate overnight to marinate.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Transfer the turkey breast to an ovenproof dish or roasting tray and keep it on the counter for about 20 minutes, to get close to room temp.
- Place it in the preheated oven and roast until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of turkey registers 170°F, about 60
minutes. - Allow it to rest, covered with foil, for 10 minutes before carving.
Notes
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is calculated using a nutrition facts calculator. It is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
- If using frozen turkey breast, allow it to thaw in the fridge 24 hours ahead.
- Rinsing your poultry is a preference. The FDA recommends to NOT rinse in order to avoid contamination and spreading of germs.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this dish following the recipe using the 3x portion. I used turkey breast tenderloin instead but had over 7 lbs of meat. Somehow the marinade ended up incredibly spicy, there was too much red chili flakes. Hope to try it again but a warning to be careful with the amount of Chili Flakes.
I would definitely only use what you can handle. Will leave a note on there.
I had turkey breast tenderloins, so I halved those (there were four) and cooked it for about 30-35 minutes, and they came out great! Would definitely try it again 🙂
Perfect!
I’m making this tomorrow for dinner. Seeing that I’m up every morning at 3:45 am I’ll make the marinade in the morning and allow it to rest I. The sauce all morning till about noon and then cook it off. I lost pictures once I’m done.
Thanks for sharing
Looking forward to seeing this.
Well as promised I cooked this delicious roasted maple (is used organic honey) turkey breast. It came out so pretty golden brown and the marinade in the pan made a sauce. The smell of the breast just made my house smell o so good. There’s no option for me to upload my photo. Thanks for sharing
Made this for Covid thanksgiving and liked it so much we made it again for Christmas dinner. Even my daughter who “doesn’t like turkey” likes this dish. Thank you!!
Thank you. So happy you guys loved it.
Family favourite! Thank you!
Sometimes I add some guava/apple juice to the bottom of the pan while it’s cooking and baste every so often.
Sounds like a great idea