Tender, juicy turkey with a savory garlic & lemon-infused herb butter that is easy to make and so delicious.This savory turkey breast recipe takes just 10 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to roast in the oven. Have all the traditional roast turkey flavor in a fraction of the time it takes to make a whole turkey.It's the perfect holiday dinner recipe to make for a small family Thanksgiving. And delicious served along with traditional Thanksgiving side dish recipes like our green bean casserole, and creamy mashed potatoes and gravy.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Total Time55 minutesmins
Course: Main Meals
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Bone In Turkey Breast, Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe, Simple Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, Simple Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe
Wet Brine (Optional Step). Soak the raw breast for 30 minutes in a large bowl in cold, salty water. This will ensure extra tender & juicy meat. See note below for details.
2 lbs turkey breast
Make Herb Butter. Mix together room temperature (softened) butter, fresh or dried herbs, garlic, and lemon zest. This can be done easily with a fork, a hand mixer, or mini food processor. Note: Remember to zest the lemon before slicing it!
Prep Turkey. Dry the meat off with some paper towels. Then set it in a cast iron skillet or baking pan. Cover the skin with the herb butter and add sliced lemons to the pan.
1 lemon
Bake for 45 Minutes. Place the skillet in the oven on the middle rack. Set the timer for 30 minutes. Check to see if skin is browning evenly. If necessary, turn the small baking dish to ensure even browning. Continue cooking for 15 minutes or so until the internal temperature reads 165°F. See note on meat thermometer.
Rest and Slice. Remove the cooked turkey from the oven and let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Serve. Serve the juicy meat with a quick pan gravy made from the drippings.
Notes
Ingredient Notes
turkey breast - This simple recipe works with bone-in turkey breast or boneless turkey breast.
butter - Helps makes tasty, crispy skin. Substitution Suggestion - May substitute olive oil for butter.
dried herbs - Use traditional dried herbs for turkey, such as, rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, and oregano. Substitution Suggestion - For extra flavor, substitute a few sprigs of fresh herbs for dried.
kosher salt - Kosher salt has a courser grain than regular table salt. For this recipe, we used Morton's Kosher Salt. If using table salt, decrease the amount of salt by half.
ground black pepper
lemon - Enhances flavor and provides moisture. Be sure to zest the lemon with a microplane before slicing it for this recipe.
Pro Tips for Extra Tender & Juicy Meat
Wet Brine. (Optional) For extra tender & juicy turkey, place the raw meat in a large bowl and cover it with cold water and ¼ cup of salt. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and let it soak for 30 minutes. Remove the meat from the brine and dry it off with paper towels before prepping it for the oven.Choose the Correct Size Pan. Prep this savory turkey recipe in a cast iron skillet or a small baking dish.
Choose a pan that is just big enough to fit the meat and does not leave too much extra room. If the pan is too large, the juices released during cooking will spread out over the bottom of the pan and evaporate, leaving the meat dry and very little pan juices left for making gravy.
You want all the juices kept up close to the turkey where they can keep it moist.
Using A Meat Thermometer
Check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer that has been inserted into the thickest part of the breast. It is ready to be removed from the oven when the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.