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This juicy, perfectly seasoned boneless turkey breast takes simple ingredients and transforms them into a hearty, succulent turkey dinner. Oven roasted to perfection, it’s a healthy, easy-to-make dish the whole family will love!
We love cooking turkey in our house because it’s naturally more flavorful than chicken, yet with a few ingredients, it can take on a wide assortment of flavors.
No longer just for Thanksgiving, we use turkey in many dishes, like turkey wings, turkey sausage, air fryer turkey burgers, and most recently, this boneless turkey breast recipe.
It’s incredibly moist, juicy, and rich with aromatic garlic and herb flavor. I also love how effortless it is to make and how I can be in the kitchen for a few minutes and let the oven do most of the work.
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
- Garlic goodness. I’m obsessed with garlic, and luckily, this dish has just enough to add plenty of aromatic garlicky flavor.
- Perfect texture. The turkey turns out juicy and moist in the middle while getting a slight crust on the outside from roasting.
- Mostly hands-off cooking. Just like air fryer turkey breast, the prep time is kept to a minimum so you can tackle other tasks in the kitchen.
- Easy to customize. Similar to turkey tenderloin, I keep this recipe simple, so you can add spices, a fancy sauce, marinade, or whatever you prefer. I’ll be sure to list plenty of options later on.
What we love most about this recipe is that compared to bone-in turkey breast, it’s the most tender cut of the turkey. It takes well to the roasting method and makes for a fun alternative to chicken breast.
Ingredients needed
Besides the turkey itself and handful of pantry seasonings, there really isn’t anything else needed to make it. Here is everything you will need:
- Boneless turkey breast. Often called a boneless turkey breast roast, look for fresh, light pink meat. Note that they are slightly larger than chicken breasts. It may come in netting depending on where you get the turkey from.
- Garlic. Peeled and cut into matchsticks.
- Olive oil. For the crisp, golden crust. You can also use butter if that’s what you typically roast with.
- 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.
- Salt and black pepper. To taste.
How to roast boneless turkey breast
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prep the turkey: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and pat dry the turkey. Gently reposition the nest, as it’ll be easier to remove it later. Place the turkey roast into a large roasting pan or Dutch oven.
Step 2- Season the turkey: 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- Bake: Bake the turkey breast in the oven for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Step 4- Rest, slice, and serve: Remove the turkey from the oven and cover it with a tent of aluminum foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes before removing the netting, slicing, and serving with cranberry sauce.
What to serve with roasted boneless turkey breast
This turkey breast is seasoned simply, so it’s best paired with hearty and flavorful sides. For lighter side dishes, try sauteed vegetables like sauteed asparagus, sauteed brussels sprouts, and sauteed broccolini, or air fryer baked sweet potatoes. For more decadent pairings, try a cauliflower casserole or vegan scalloped potatoes.
Recipe tips and variations
- 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.
- 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 165F to know when it’s ready to come out of the oven.
- Switch up the spices. Play around with a combination of different spice blends, like taco seasoning, Italian seasoning, or blackened seasoning.
- Soak the turkey in 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.
- Add pan-roasted veggies. Toss in chopped root vegetables into the Dutch oven for a bonus side dish roasted potatoes and carrots simultaneously.
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 350F preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Cover the turkey breast with foil before reheating in the oven.
Leftover idea
Shred the leftover turkey meat and use it to make my famous turkey noodle soup. It’s hearty, healthy, and seriously satisfying.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! To grill the turkey, add the seasoned boneless breast directly onto a hot grill. Cook each side for 3-4 minutes or until the thickest part of the breast reaches an internal temperature of 165F.
Covering turkey breast while roasting is unnecessary as it isn’t being cooked at a high enough temperature to risk drying out, so long as you remove it from the oven when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F.
The exact amount of time will depend on the thickness of the turkey breasts. Larger breasts may require upwards of 2 hours to fully cook, while smaller breasts may finish cooking in an hour and a half. Check periodically using a meat thermometer.
Yes! Even though it’s a lean cut of meat, there will be some drippings left in the roasting pan. You can use this to form a simple turkey gravy.
More delicious turkey recipes to try
- Spatchcock turkey– The easiest and fastest way to roast a whole turkey.
- Turkey drumsticks– A fun alternative to chicken drumsticks.
- Air fryer turkey bacon– Ready in 6 minutes and SO crispy.
- Turkey pastrami– Never buy deli meat again.
- Ground turkey meatloaf– Lighter and healthier but without sacrificing flavor.
- Turkey cutlets. Think of this as an even tastier chicken Milanese.
Boneless Turkey Breast
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- 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.
- Bake the boneless turkey breast for 1 hour 40 minutes.
- 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.
