Boneless Skinless Turkey Breast roasted with garlic and herbs makes the perfect holiday turkey dinner for a small family. This recipe takes less than 2 hours to make!
It’s hard to believe tomorrow is already October!! I’m excited to be in full-on fall mode again. It’s one of my favourite seasons for many reasons, not the least of which is all the delicious cold-weather cooking I love doing! This juicy boneless skinless turkey breast is one of my favourite mains to make, and it’s perfect for small holiday gatherings where you’re feeding 5 or 6 people!
There are so many benefits to roasting a boneless skinless turkey breast instead of a whole bird. Aside from the amount of time you’ll save yourself, you can also save space in your oven for all those other delicious holiday dishes you plan to make, like these Crispy Rosemary Garlic Roasted Potatoes or this Easy From-Scratch Green Bean Casserole. And since a turkey breast is so much smaller than a whole turkey, I’ve even made this delicious recipe on a weeknight. I slice up the meat for turkey sandwiches for lunches!
Kitchen tools for cooking boneless skinless turkey breast
Roasting a turkey breast requires only a few simple kitchen tools:
A simple roasting pan or casserole dish.
An instant read meat thermometer is a MUST for any roasted turkey breast. Check the doneness easily by measuring the temperature of the meat to ensure the turkey stays nice and juicy and doesn’t dry out!
Here are all my best no-fail tips for roasting a juicy holiday turkey breast:
Use butter. Butter is the key ingredient to juicy turkey breasts and it also gives a lot of flavour, especially when you’re roasting without the skin and bones.
Herbs for flavour. Using fresh or dried herbs is the best way to infuse a TON of flavour into your boneless-skinless turkey breast.
Lower the oven temperature. One of the most common turkey-roasting mistakes people making is roasting at too high a temperature. This dries out your turkey breast – roast at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for best results.
Use a timer AND a thermometer. Roast your turkey breast for about 90 minutes (for a 2 pound breast), but be sure to test the doneness a little early to make sure you take the turkey breast out of the oven when it reaches the correct internal temperature (165 degrees Fahrenheit) in the deepest part of the breast.
Let it rest. Once your turkey breast comes out of the oven, let it sit for about 10 or 15 minutes before slicing into it (cover with aluminum foil). This will ensure the juices stay in the meat, making your turkey ultra moist and juicy.
Save the pan juices. Making your own homemade gravy is SO easy with the pan juices left over from your roast turkey breast. Follow my delicious homemade gravy recipe HERE and halve the recipe if you’re making it with the juices from one roast turkey breast.
LOOKING FOR MORE EASY STRESS-FREE HOLIDAY MEAL IDEAS AND RECIPES?
I hope you enjoy this boneless skinless turkey breast recipe as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite holiday side dish to serve with roast turkey? I’d love to know!
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Garlic Herb Roasted Boneless Skinless Turkey Breast is a fast and easy holiday turkey recipe. The turkey is full of flavour and perfect for a small dinner!
Place the turkey breast on a plate or board and pat it dry with paper kitchen towels.
In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper until the herbs are distributed throughout the butter.
Rub the butter mixture all over the turkey breast, top and bottom, making sure every inch is coated in butter.
Place the coated turkey breast in a shallow casserole dish or baking dish and roast at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 90 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 Celsius).
Remove the turkey breast from the oven and cover with aluminum foil (leave it in the pan). Let it rest for about 10-15 minutes, then slice and serve.
Notes
Prepare this turkey breast one day ahead of your holiday gathering and re-heat before serving if desired.Be sure your boneless-skinless turkey breast is thawed completely before beginning this recipe. Using a turkey breast that's still frozen in the middle will change the cooking time and cause a dry end result.
Oh wow, this looks AMAZING! Talk about making good impressions on Thanksgiving! I hate dry turkey breast. Going to be using this for my own Thanksgiving turkey this year.
In the past I have had terrible luck with turkey breasts. This recipe is a winner. I used fresh sage and dried garlic because that’s what I had but the rest I followed exactly. Like you said make sure the turkey is dry and be sure to let it rest. Thank you!
This recipe was amazing, easy to prepare and most delicious to eat ! My turkey breast had a little skin on it but it cooks up nicely. We eat a lot of turkey breast so it was great to try a new recipe 😊
I was worried about cooking a turkey breast because I didn’t want to serve dry meat. I followed this recipe for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it so much they asked for it again at Christmas. It was a huge hit and will be my go-to from now on.
Looks like a great recipe for Thanksgiving coming up soon.. I received a 6 pound boneless skinless turkey breast from a friend the other day. I wonder if I should triple the recipe? And for how long in oven> Thanks so much. 🙂
I think just doubling it would be fine. As for baking time, you should bake it for at least 2-2.5h but I strongly suggest that you use a meat thermometer.
Delicious! The reason I did not give it 5 stars is that I have never in my life figured out how to smear room-temperature butter on any kind of meat, no matter how dry (although I admit I’ve never resorted to a blow dryer!), and there are no instructions on how to do that. Especially when it says, “every single inch.” I really don’t see how that can be done.
So I blopped it here and there, and ended up basting it every 15 minutes. It turned out to be a tasty, not-dried-out turkey breast. Yum! But I wouldn’t try the method again; I guess everybody is in on the technique but me (nobody else made any comments about it). If there were even pictures proving that this can be done I might be convinced, but I will try out other recipes next time.
I also had trouble getting the butter to stick to my turkey breast, the trick is to almost melt it and then using your hands spread it all over the meat. As the butter touches the meat or will solidify again producing a thick coating. My breast is in the oven as we speak so I’m looking forward to trying it. Should taste amazing
It’s hard to believe tomorrow is already October!! I’m excited to be in full-on fall mode again. It’s one of my favourite seasons for many reasons, not the least of which is all the delicious cold-weather cooking I love doing! This juicy boneless skinless turkey breast is one of my favourite mains to make, and it’s perfect for small holiday gatherings where you’re feeding 5 or 6 people!
There are so many benefits to roasting a boneless skinless turkey breast instead of a whole bird. Aside from the amount of time you’ll save yourself, you can also save space in your oven for all those other delicious holiday dishes you plan to make, like these Crispy Rosemary Garlic Roasted Potatoes or this Easy From-Scratch Green Bean Casserole. And since a turkey breast is so much smaller than a whole turkey, I’ve even made this delicious recipe on a weeknight. I slice up the meat for turkey sandwiches for lunches!
Looking for more delicious turkey recipes? Try my Easy Juicy Roast Turkey (whole turkey) or this Roast Turkey Breast with Cranberry Bacon Stuffing!
Making homemade gravy is SO easy! Follow my delicious homemade roast turkey gravy recipe HERE.
I hope you enjoy this boneless skinless turkey breast recipe as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite holiday side dish to serve with roast turkey? I’d love to know! 
Shannon Graham says
Oh wow, this looks AMAZING! Talk about making good impressions on Thanksgiving! I hate dry turkey breast. Going to be using this for my own Thanksgiving turkey this year.
The Busy Baker says
Thank you! Enjoy!! 🙂
Sara Welch says
What a beautiful dish for Thanksgiving! A recipe that is sure to impress!
The Busy Baker says
Thanks! It’s delicious too!! 🙂
Catalina says
What a great idea to use only the turkey breast! I should try it!
The Busy Baker says
Let me know how you like it! 🙂
Taylor says
This is so simple and has the best flavor! Yum!
The Busy Baker says
Glad you like this recipe!!
Allyson Zea says
This is perfect for the holidays! I can’t wait to try it!
The Busy Baker says
Thanks so much! Hope you love it as much as we do!
M says
In the past I have had terrible luck with turkey breasts. This recipe is a winner. I used fresh sage and dried garlic because that’s what I had but the rest I followed exactly. Like you said make sure the turkey is dry and be sure to let it rest. Thank you!
The Busy Baker says
Happy to hear that this delicious recipe is a winner!!😊
Deb says
This recipe was amazing, easy to prepare and most delicious to eat ! My turkey breast had a little skin on it but it cooks up nicely. We eat a lot of turkey breast so it was great to try a new recipe 😊
The Busy Baker says
Thanks so much Deb!!😊
Liz says
What can I use instead of butter to keep it dairy free – oil or an earth balance type dairy free butter? Thanks?
The Busy Baker says
You can use margarine or any other butter substitute that acts like butter when heated. Happy cooking ☺️
Norm Leblond says
We’re making this tonight and using a casserole dish – assume you cover it?
The Busy Baker says
No, it doesn’t need to be covered because it roasts at a low temperature. Happy cooking! ☺️
Linda says
Terrific recipe! I tried it with your gravy recipe and was thrilled with the results!
Thank you.
The Busy Baker says
You’re welcome Linda! Thank you!!
Kim says
I was worried about cooking a turkey breast because I didn’t want to serve dry meat. I followed this recipe for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it so much they asked for it again at Christmas. It was a huge hit and will be my go-to from now on.
The Busy Baker says
So happy to hear that Kim! Thanks so much!🙂
Kari says
I’m going to try this recipe tonight sounds super delicious I was wondering if you cover the turkey breast when it goes into the oven? Thank you!!!
Chrissie says
Covering it is not necessary! 🙂
The Busy Baker says
No, you don’t need to cover it, as it roasts at a low temperature!
Marian n says
This recipe is wonderful. Made it last night for dinner using a dairy free butter. It came out perfect, very moist. Will be my go to recipe.
Chrissie says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Tonny says
As promised very moist and tasty, the gravy is awesome! I served with roasted potatoes and asparagus and enjoyed every bite!
The Busy Baker says
Nice! Thanks for your feedback Tonny!
Ronny says
Looks like a great recipe for Thanksgiving coming up soon.. I received a 6 pound boneless skinless turkey breast from a friend the other day. I wonder if I should triple the recipe? And for how long in oven> Thanks so much. 🙂
The Busy Baker says
I think just doubling it would be fine. As for baking time, you should bake it for at least 2-2.5h but I strongly suggest that you use a meat thermometer.
Sandra Etemad says
Delicious! The reason I did not give it 5 stars is that I have never in my life figured out how to smear room-temperature butter on any kind of meat, no matter how dry (although I admit I’ve never resorted to a blow dryer!), and there are no instructions on how to do that. Especially when it says, “every single inch.” I really don’t see how that can be done.
So I blopped it here and there, and ended up basting it every 15 minutes. It turned out to be a tasty, not-dried-out turkey breast. Yum! But I wouldn’t try the method again; I guess everybody is in on the technique but me (nobody else made any comments about it). If there were even pictures proving that this can be done I might be convinced, but I will try out other recipes next time.
The Busy Baker says
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback! As for the butter, I just use my hands.
Seanna M Comstock says
I also had trouble getting the butter to stick to my turkey breast, the trick is to almost melt it and then using your hands spread it all over the meat. As the butter touches the meat or will solidify again producing a thick coating. My breast is in the oven as we speak so I’m looking forward to trying it. Should taste amazing
The Busy Baker says
Let us know how it turns out!