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How to Roast a Turkey Breast

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By: MadelinePosted: 10/29/2021Updated: 11/01/2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Learn How to Roast a Turkey Breast in the oven with this simple recipe! Find out how to season it and how long to cook a turkey breast per pound.

How to roast a split turkey breast in the oven

A Turkey for smaller gatherings

Whether your holiday meal gatherings are smaller or you’re just simply not in the mood to cook a whole turkey, this oven roasted turkey breast recipe is for you. It’s bone-in turkey breast, so it will give you the same Thanksgiving feels as an entire bird but with far less effort!›

Keep reading to find out how long to cook a turkey breast per pound and whether or not to cook a turkey breast at 325 or 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Above view of roast turkey breast with gravy, mashed potatoes and green beans

Kitchen Tools

  • Measuring spoons and measuring cups
  • Liquid measuring cup
  • Small mixing bowl
  • Wire rack and baking sheet
  • Instant read thermometer
  • Sharp kitchen knife
  • Sauce pan
  • Spatula
  • Strainer
  • Gravy bowl or something similar to serve from
  • Cutting board

What sides to serve with this?

This bone-in oven roasted turkey breast recipe is a pretty traditional holiday flavor, so it would pair quite well with your favorite holiday meal sides.

That could be green beans almondine or green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, stuffing or dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, a big salad, roasted brussels sprouts, mac-n-cheese – you name it, the list goes on!

Looking for a full Thanksgiving dinner menu? Check out this simple Thanksgiving dinner menu.

Above view of ingredients for an oven roasted chicken brast

Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe Ingredients

  • 1 split turkey breast bone in and skin on
  • Unsalted butter
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Ground Ginger
  • Sage, fresh
  • Rosemary, fresh
  • Thyme, fresh

Gravy Ingredients

  • Unsalted butter
  • All purpose flour
  • Turkey broth
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Dried rubbed sage

How long to Cook a Turkey Breast Per Lb?

A very frequently asked question around turkey is: how long to cook a turkey breast per lb? The answer is simple! 20 minutes per pound at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For example, my turkey breast was 3 pounds, so I roasted it for 60 total minutes at 350F.

If you’re ever unsure whether your bird is done, an instant read thermometer really is a lifesaver in these situations. A cooked turkey is ready at 165 degrees F.

Step by step assembly of butter rub for turkey breast

How to make this Bone In Oven Roasted Turkey breast

Step 1: prepare Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350F and mince the garlic. Mix together the butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, ginger, and fresh herbs in a small bowl.

Pat the turkey dry and rub the butter mixture all over the skin of the breast and under the skin of the breast. This may take you a bit of time but it is important to get the butter mixture under the skin.

Step 2: Roast the turkey

Place the seasoned turkey breast on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Place in the oven to roast at 350F for 20 minutes per pound. Again for example, my turkey breast was 3 pounds so I roasted it for 60 minutes.

After that time has passed, check the internal temperature of the breast with an instant read thermometer. If the internal temperature is 165F, remove the breast from the oven and allow it to rest.

If it is not yet 165F, continue cooking for additional 10 minute increments until the internal temperature registers at 165F in the thickest part of the breast.

Allow the turkey to rest out of the oven, then transfer to a cutting board. Once it is cool enough to tough, slice into slices.

Step 3: Make the gravy

Pour the drippings from the bottom of the baking sheet into a sauce pan. Use a spatula to scrape off an brown bits – those add flavor! Melt the butter with the drippings over medium-low heat.

Mix in the flour until you have a thick paste. Slowly pour in the turkey broth in small increments while mixing. Keep mixing until all of the broth has been incorporated.

Stir in the salt, pepper, and rubbed sage and increase the heat to medium. Allow the mixture to come to a gentle bubble and cook for 3 more minutes, until it has thickened slightly. Pour gravy through a strainer and serve with the turkey!

Step 4: Serve

Serve the turkey breast with the gravy and your choice of sides for a delicious feast!

How long to cook a turkey breast per lb

Storage and reheating

Once fully cooled, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through.

This cooked turkey breast is PERFECT for leftover sandwiches!! I even add some of the cranberry sauce.

Split turkey breast recipe for thanksgiving

Check out these Great Side Dish Ideas to serve with this turkey breast

  • Maple Cinnamon Roasted Kabocha Squash
  • Easy Creamy Mashed Potatoes
  • Crispy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
  • Green Beans Almondine
  • Crispy Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
  • Kale Cranberry Quinoa Salad

You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!

Image for pinning how to roast turkey breast on pinterest
Above view of sliced roasted turkey breast
Recipe

How to Roast a Turkey Breast

★★★★★ 4.9 from 11 reviews

The easiest recipe to roasting a split turkey breast. **Double this recipe to make two breasts at once**

Recipe By: Madeline
Prep: 10 minutesCook: 1 hour 30 minutesTotal: 1 hour 40 minutes
Print Pin it Rate recipe Save recipe
Servings: 3 servings 1x

Ingredients

Turkey Ingredients

  • 1 split turkey breast bone in and skin on (mine was 3lbs)
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped sage
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme

Gravy ingredients

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 cup turkey broth
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp dried rubbed sage

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and mince the cloves of garlic. In a small bowl mix together butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, ginger and fresh herbs.
  2. Pat turkey dry and rub butter mixture all over the skin of the breast and under the skin of the breast. It might take some time to do this but it is important to get some of the butter mixture under the skin.
  3. Place seasoned turkey breast on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Place in the oven to roast at 350F for 20 minutes per pound. For example, a 3lb breast will roast for 60 minutes.
  4. After that time check the internal temperature of the breast using an instant read thermometer. If the internal temperature is 165F, remove the breast from the oven to rest. If not, continue cooking for additional 10 minute increments until the internal temperature is 165F in the thickest part of the breast.
  5. Remove the breast from the oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cutting board. Once the breast is cool enough to touch, slice into slices.
  6. To make the gravy, pour the drippings from the bottom of the baking sheet into a sauce pan. Use a spatula to scrap off any brown bits, those add flavor. Melt butter with the drippings over medium low heat. 
  7. When the butter is fully melted, mix in the flour and mix until you have a thick paste. Slowly pour in the turkey broth in small amounts while mixing. Keep mixing until all of the broth has been slowly incorporated.
  8. Stir in the salt, pepper, and rubbed sage and increase the heat to medium. Allow mixture to come to a gentle bubble and bubble for about 3 minutes or until it has thickened slightly. Pour gravy through a strainer and serve with turkey slices.
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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How to Roast a Turkey Breast?

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About Madeline

Hi, I'm Madeline! I am so excited to share my healthy and approachable recipes with you. Here you will find simple, comforting recipes that the whole family will enjoy. Turn on your favorite playlist or podcast and let's get cooking!

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Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Sydney says

    Posted on 11/8 at 12:45 pm

    Thanks for sharing this. I’ll probably make This for thanksgiving this year due to smaller crowd.

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 11/8 at 1:25 pm

      yay!! so glad!

      Reply
  2. JP says

    Posted on 11/12 at 3:14 pm

    Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I greatly appreciate all the details you provide and am excited to follow it for our holiday dinner this year!

    What are your thoughts on using a boneless turkey breast?

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 11/15 at 9:28 am

      wonderful! And I think it will work just fine BUT will cook faster than bone in and is more likely to be dry quickly so keep an eye on it and remove from the oven as soon as the internal temp reaches 165F so that it doesn’t dry out!

      Reply
  3. Misti says

    Posted on 11/24 at 4:41 pm

    Do you recommend bringing the Turkey breast ahead of time?

    Reply
    • Misti says

      Posted on 11/24 at 4:41 pm

      Brine

      Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 11/29 at 6:26 pm

      You don’t have to but you certainly can!

      Reply
  4. Olivia says

    Posted on 11/25 at 11:52 pm

    This was so helpful! Great, easy recipe. Made my first turkey breast and followed this exactly. Thanks Madeline!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 11/29 at 6:27 pm

      Awesome! I hope you enjoyed!

      Reply
  5. Kate says

    Posted on 11/30 at 3:08 pm

    I have never made a roast turkey breast before and this recipe worked great! Came out perfect. Realized along the way i didn’t buy a “split” Turkey breast but an entire one! So just adjusted cooking time accordingly and flipped halfway.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 12/1 at 11:31 am

      So glad that worked, Kate! Glad you liked it

      Reply
  6. Kallie says

    Posted on 11/30 at 8:42 pm

    After finding out a few days before Thanksgiving that we would be quarantined I decided to give this a try for my small family instead of an entire turkey. Everyone loved it and said it was the best turkey they had ever had.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 12/1 at 11:32 am

      That’s awesome! Glad you loved it. But sorry about the quarantine.

      Reply
  7. Kaitlyn says

    Posted on 1/11 at 9:03 pm

    I tried this recipe for Christmas dinner as my family wanted “traditional” but there’s only 6 of us and we don’t need a whole turkey. It was absolutely delicious and not a dry bite!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 1/12 at 11:06 am

      that’s so great to hear, Kaitlyn! thank you!

      Reply
  8. Ann LeKander says

    Posted on 1/16 at 5:30 pm

    Wonderful recipe. The breast was moist and tender. Will make again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 1/17 at 6:17 pm

      thanks Ann!

      Reply
  9. June says

    Posted on 2/24 at 3:52 pm

    Yummy

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 3/1 at 10:00 am

      thank you!

      Reply
  10. Joann L Jacobson says

    Posted on 11/20 at 2:52 pm

    So good I made it today I am a chef love to cook

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 11/20 at 5:41 pm

      yay so glad you enjoyed!

      Reply
  11. Charlet Kaye Pesavento says

    Posted on 11/24 at 9:43 pm

    I greatly appreciate your recipes and clear description’s along with videos. I want to follow you and learn more. Thank you.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 11/25 at 8:52 am

      So glad to hear it, Charlet! You’re welcome!

      Reply
  12. Tara says

    Posted on 11/24 at 10:28 pm

    Used this recipe today and the turkey breast was beautifully browned and the meat was not dried out! Thank you for sharing this.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 11/25 at 8:51 am

      Awesome! Thanks, Tara!

      Reply
  13. Katie says

    Posted on 11/26 at 10:45 am

    Made this for my hubby and mine day after thanksgiving to have some leftovers. Super easy and came out great!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 11/27 at 12:06 pm

      Thanks for the review, Katie! I am so glad to hear you liked it.

      Reply
  14. Jacqueline R Rose says

    Posted on 12/24 at 6:56 pm

    This takes much longer than the recipe says. Our turkey breast was delicious, but it was nowhere near done at the 50 minute mark for a 2.5 lb. breast. Definitely use a thermometer.

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 12/26 at 1:22 pm

      Thanks for the feedback, Jacqueline! Cooking time may vary from oven to oven.

      Reply
  15. Lauren says

    Posted on 1/14 at 5:01 pm

    I make this alllll the time and always comes out great. thx.

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 1/15 at 7:36 pm

      Yay! So glad, Lauren!

      Reply

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