Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast
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My juicy, perfectly seasoned boneless turkey breast takes simple ingredients and transforms them into a hearty, succulent turkey dinner. It’s SO quick to make and my family’s favorite Thanksgiving main!
The easiest way to cook boneless turkey breast
No longer just for Thanksgiving, I use turkey in many dishes, and my boneless turkey breast recipe is a firm favorite.
It’s incredibly moist, juicy, and rich with aromatic garlic and herb flavor. I tested this recipe multiple times to ensure it’s both foolproof and requires minimal prep work. The best part? Thanks to the high heat roasting method, it cooks quickly without drying out.
I purposely keep the turkey simple, so you can customize it with spices, a fancy sauce, marinade- whatever you like. I’ll be sure to list plenty of options later on.
If you don’t feel like roasting a turkey, you can try my sous vide turkey breast or air fryer turkey breast.
Key Ingredients
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
- Skinless boneless turkey breast. Often called a boneless turkey breast roast or split roast turkey breast, look for fresh, light pink meat. They usually come in either whole breast, a mix of breast and thigh, or just thighs. They also should come in netting.
- Garlic. Peeled and cut into matchsticks. Compared to minced or whole garlic, this shape yields the best flavor.
- Olive oil. For the crisp, golden crust. You can also use butter, but I found no difference in recipe testing.
- Dried thyme. For subtle aromatics, thyme pairs perfectly with turkey. When roasting meat, I prefer dried herbs over fresh ones because the latter burn much more quickly.
- Kosher salt and black pepper. To taste.
How to cook a boneless turkey breast
Step 1- Prep the turkey: Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel and place it into a large roasting pan or Dutch oven.
Step 2- Season: Using a paring knife, cut small slits in the turkey and slide the garlic matchsticks into the flesh. Rub the turkey with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and thyme.
Step 3- Roast the turkey breast in the oven for 1 hour, covering with foil after 15 minutes. Once the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“This was delicious turkey. Made it today for dinner, followed the directions, but added 25 extra minutes because it was a 3 lb turkey breast. My boyfriend took one bite and said it’s the best turkey he’s ever had in his life… It’s so moist! Our 13-year-old said it was terrific, too. Will be making this regularly and in place of a full turkey for Thanksgiving.” – Cassandra
Recipe tips and variations
As a culinary school grad, I’ve learned pro tips for successfully roasting lean proteins like boneless turkey:
- Know when the turkey is fully cooked. As succulent as turkey breast is, it can become tough and chewy if overcooked. Look for an internal temperature of 165°F to know when it’s ready to come out of the oven (for my 2-pound turkey, I start checking around the 50-minute mark).
- Don’t remove the netting/casing. This is so important! It’s there to hold the boneless turkey breast together while it roasts. If you rake it off, it will fall apart. The netting is heat-safe (up to at least 500°F), so it’s perfectly safe to cook with.
- Don’t skip the resting. Resting is a must when it comes to getting juicy meat, as this lets the juices redistribute so they don’t leak out when the meat is sliced. Also, to the above note, you can remove the turkey from the oven once it reaches 160°F, provided you rest it first.
- Switch up the spices. The beauty of lean poultry is how easy it is to change up the flavor. Add Italian seasoning, cozy spices like cumin and garam marsala, or any herbs you like.
- Soak the turkey in a marinade. Skip the seasoning altogether and soak the turkey in this 4-ingredient chicken marinade (it’s usually for chicken but works perfectly for turkey, too!) for 30 minutes before roasting.
Frequently asked questions
The exact amount of time will depend on the thickness of the boneless turkey breast. For a 2-pound turkey breast, it usually takes me less than an hour. Of course, larger turkey breasts will take longer. It’s important to remember to cover the turkey with foil about 15 minutes into roasting to prevent any scorching or over-cooking of the top. Again (sorry for sounding like a broken record!), do check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer (look for 165°F).
I have two secrets to the juiciest turkey ever! Firstly, roast at a high temperature for a reduced cooking time. The second, as I’ve already said in the post, is to rest the meat for 20 minutes before serving. The juices redistribute throughout, and you’ll never have to worry about a dry turkey.
No, I don’t recommend roasting a boneless turkey breast from frozen. I tested it several times (just to be sure), and it never turned out as flavorful or as juicy. For the best results, thaw the frozen turkey overnight in the fridge, then prep and roast it as normal.
Yes, you can. I didn’t share my method using skin-on turkey because it is much harder to find but here is how. If your boneless breast has the skin on, roast it with the skin intact. It helps keep the meat extra juicy and moist. Because we’re cooking at a high temperature, the skin will turn out golden and crispy. You can enjoy it or just discard it, if you prefer.
Storage instructions
To store: Keep the leftover turkey breast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
To freeze: Store cooled leftovers in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow frozen leftovers to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat: Reheat in the microwave or a 350°F preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Cover the turkey breast with foil before reheating in the oven.
If you tried this Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast recipe, please leave a star rating and comment. It helps others thinking of making this.
Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast
Video
Ingredients
- 1 boneless turkey breast around 1 1/2-2 pounds, split roast turkey breast * See notes
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220C/450F.
- Pat dry the turkey and gently reposition the nest, as it will be easier to remove it later.
- Place the turkey roast into the large baking dish, roasting pan, or Dutch oven. Using a paring knife, make small slits in the turkey, and slide in garlic matchsticks into the holes. Rub the turkey with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Roast the boneless turkey breast for 15 minutes, loosely cover with foil, and continue baking for another 45 minutes, or until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165F.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and cover it with a lid or tent with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes before removing the netting and carving into slices.
Notes
- My recipe is written based on a 2-pound boneless turkey breast. If your turkey is larger, you’ll need to cook it a little longer to reach 165°F. From testing, I found that it works out to be an extra 15-20 minutes per pound.
- If you use frozen turkey breast, you must thaw it completely beforehand. Please do not roast from frozen.
- If you use skin-on boneless turkey breast, keep the skin intact. When adding the dry rub, ensure you push right under the skin. Cook as instructed, and discard it once cooked (or enjoy it- it’s up to you!).
- Save the drippings! Just because this isn’t a whole bird does NOT mean there are no drippings left! Save them in the roasting pan and transform them into a gravy. To make the gravy, combine 2 tablespoons of butter with flour in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk until a roux is formed then add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of drippings. Simmer until thick.
- Leftovers. Keep in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days. You can also freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
This turkey breast is seasoned simply, so it’s best paired with hearty and flavorful sides. These are some of my family’s favorite pairings:
This was delicious turkey. Made it today for dinner, followed the directions but added 25 extra minutes because it was a 3 lb turkey breast. My boyfriend took one bite and said it’s the best turkey he’s ever had in his life… it’s soo moist! Our 13 y.o. said it was really good too. Will be making this regularly and in place of a full turkey for Thanksgiving.
Christmas is soon now, so I want to ask my parents to prepare this for lunch. I will copy paste to them link.