Holiday Recipes: Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
Our rating: 4.5 / 5 
November 14th, 2008
Nom Nom Nom.. Must. Eat. Turkey.
Every holiday feast needs a protein of some sort…unless, of course, you’re vegan or vegetarian - then I guess your stuck eating some sort of scary tofurkey! The pre-holiday feast that Nicole and I shared was no different. For our protein, we decided to forgo roasting the usual whole turkey since there were only four of us eating. Instead I decided to do an herb roasted turkey breast. In hindsight, more turkey could have been great for leftover recipes, like this one, but hey! This hommie doesn’t really have the ability to think that far into the future! 
The breast meat turned out so incredibly moist and flavorful. The next day I was seriously slapping myself for said foresight failures. If only there’d been more turkey I could have made a killer sandwich with some of Nicole’s kick ass super-fluffy sweet potato buttermilk rolls! Imagine how great that would have been with a schmear of the leftover rosemary-persimmon-cranberry sauce (recipe to come) and some melted brie! (Dude! I have just succeeded at making myself hungry!) Next time I would definitely double this recipe and do two turkey breasts. Why is it that we don’t eat more roasted turkey year round?
*In case anyone didn’t see yesterday’s post, this is part of a special Holiday series featuring recipes that Nicole, from Pinch My Salt, Tyler and I cooked and feasted on together! Here’s a list of all the dishes in the series so far:
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Wrapped in Prosciutto
Extra Creamy Mashed Potato Casserole
Sweet Potato Buttermilk Rolls
Herb Roasted Turkey Breast (your reading it! duh!)
Herb Oil:
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
2 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tsp fresh oregano, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
Rub:
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp red chile flakes
1 bone-in turkey breast, about 3-5 lbs (just one of the breasts! not both!)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Add the ingredients for the herb oil into a small bowl. Stir to combine thoroughly.
In a different small bowl, add all of the ingredients for the rub. Stir to combine thoroughly.
Place the turkey breast on sheet or roasting pan. Using your fingers, gently work your way beneath the skin of the turkey to create an air pocket between the meat and the skin. Do not fully remove the skin.
Rub the herb oil into every crevice of the turkey breast, making sure to season liberally beneath the skin. (This is the only way to actually get the seasoning to the meat itself.) Next, use the spice rub to season the every inch of the turkey, again, making sure to get a liberal amount of seasoning beneath the skin.
Make sure the breast is skin-side up on the roasting pan, then place into a preheated 425 degree oven. Roast the turkey breast for 45-55 minutes at 425 until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees. Make sure that the thermometer does not touch any bones as this will skew the reading. Remove roasted turkey breast from oven and cover loosely. Allow breast to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
November 14th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I’m making some Cornish game hens tomorrow for a Thanksgiving warm up so I can get my not so traditional bug taken care of. This sounds perfect! Now…the hunt for what to stuff them with begins..I’ll let you know how it goes.
November 14th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Oh my - that looks incredible!
November 14th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Oh that looks so juicy! Yum!
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:33 pm
M’kay. I’m back. I used this recipe for 5 game hens and oh, my goodness. So lovely. Easy, too. I love it when herbs are stuffed under the skin but have never tried that AND a rub. Excellent. Will post it tomorrow — thanks for the recipe!
November 23rd, 2008 at 9:08 am
I have a 8 pound turkey breast, do I have to roast the turkey breast longer or wait till it reaches 170 degrees.
November 23rd, 2008 at 1:39 pm
trudy, you will definitely have to cook it longer… and until 170 degrees! (you can proabably take it out at 165 degrees and it will keep cooking for another 5 degrees out of the oven as it rests!) is it a boneless or bone-in breast? let me know and I will try to approximate how long you should cook it?
November 24th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
I have a 9 lb, boneless turkey breast. About how long do you think it will take to cook to 165 degrees? Also, I was thinking about oiling and rubbing the turkey the day before and letting it sit overnight in the fridge. I like lots of flavor. Any thoughts?
November 24th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
jill, for a boneless turkey breast you will cook it until it reaches an internal temp of 165. that should take about 15-20 minutes per pound. so a total of 2 1/4 - 3 hours. Also, be sure to roast a whole boneless breast at 325 degrees! It would be perfectly fine for you to oil and rub the turkey a day ahead of time! Sounds like a perfect game plan!
November 25th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
i have a 9 and a half lb bone in turkey breast. for how long should i cook it and at what temp? thanks
November 26th, 2008 at 2:13 am
hi sharon - for a 9.5 lbs bone in turkey it should cook for 2hrs 23min to 3hrs 10 minutes at 350 degrees. If you want to ensure crispy skin start it at 450 for the first 20 minutes then reduce the heat to 350. Check the temp at 2hours and 20 minutes. remove the breast as soon as it reaches 165 degrees. then cover with foil and rest for at least 10 minutes. is turkey breast tied into a package or are teh breasts kind of separate? that would change the cook time!
November 26th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
thanks…i have separated the two breasts. how does that effect the time?
November 27th, 2008 at 12:10 am
no problem! if the breasts are separated and can be laid flat, rib-side down, in a single layer then you can cook it pretty much according to the recipe above! 425 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast (not touching the bones) reads 165 degrees. good luck and enjoy!
November 27th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
how come the oven temp for boneless is 325 degrees and 425 for bone in breasts?
November 27th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
diana, the recipe above is for a single turkey breast (not both turkey breasts that come on 1 bird). It isn’t as thick of a piece of meat so it can cook at a higher temperature with drying out before it’s cooked through. you rarely see a single boneless breast sold in the stores in the usa. most of the time it’s two breast tied together into a “roast”. this creates a really thick piece of meat. You can start out the oven at a high temp to ensure a brown skin (for the first 20 minutes or so) then drop the oven down to the lower temperature. that way the outer part of the turkey isn’t dried out by the time the inner part has reached 165 degrees. i hope that helps!
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:02 pm
This is a terrific recipe - I’ve made it 3 times in the last few weeks! Always a hit.
April 19th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Your site rocks! Love the recipes and love the photos. Hearty and real and approachable. Am looking forward to following you. Cheers
D
May 30th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
made this today, it was delish! used bone in, fresh garlic, and dried oregano. used pan juices with shallots, butter, flour and chicken broth for gravy. I also let turkey go to 170. this is the best turkey i’ve ever eaten- thanks for the recipe!