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Home Recipes by Type Main Dish Turkey

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe

4.70
/5
3 hrs 35 mins
15 Comments
Jump to Recipe
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 11/19/2014Updated: 06/14/2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This herb roasted turkey breast is a delicious and flavorful idea for Thanksgiving dinner. Great for smaller families or people who don't like dark meat! Get the recipe on RachelCooks.com!

Herb roasted turkey breast is a delicious and flavorful idea for Thanksgiving dinner. Great for smaller families or people who don’t like dark meat!

This herb roasted turkey breast is a delicious and flavorful idea for Thanksgiving dinner. Great for smaller families or people who don't like dark meat! Get the Recipe on RachelCooks.com!

Overhead of white oval platter containing sliced turkey breast, garnished with fresh herbs, on red and white checked cloth.

I’m going to be honest with you all. The thought of cooking a whole turkey kind of scares me. I don’t know why…I should be okay with it for a number of reasons:

  1. I’m a food blogger.
  2. It’s pretty much like roasting a chicken which is no big deal.
  3. Everyone expects it to be dry so it’s no biggie if you screw it up.

But there’s good news for those of us who shake in our boots at the thought of cooking a turkey:

  1. Pop Up® Disposable Cooking Thermometers (thank you to them for sponsoring this post!) – they take the guesswork out.
  2. This recipe tastes delicious and yields a moist and flavorful turkey breast. It would be great with a whole turkey too.
  3. See #3 above. (But you won’t. Screw it up. It’s practically impossible to miss with this cooking thermometer.)

Photo collage of two photos showing partial image of turkey breast in pan with pop up button, one photo pre-cooked, the other is the finished turkey, with timer button popped out.

About this herb roasted turkey breast

Here’s the thing about this turkey recipe. The hardest part is chopping up all the herbs. And that’s not even hard, it just takes a few minutes and turns your cutting board green.

Once you rub that delicious herb/mustard/olive oil mixture all over this turkey breast, all that’s left to do is pour some Chardonnay in the bottom of the pan, stick the thermometer in and bake it. 

Then you have approximately 3 hours to do other things. Such as drink the rest of the Chardonnay. Or you know, make side dishes. Keep reading for lots of side dish recipes.

This herb roasted turkey breast recipe works wonderfully with a full sized turkey too, or a smaller breast. Adjust the herb mixture according to the size of your turkey or turkey breast. 

And  remember, cooking time is merely a guideline. Internal temperature is the only sure-fire way to know if meat is cooked properly. Take the guesswork out and buy products with the Pop Up®! (Besides, it is kind of fun waiting for it to pop up!)

Partial overhead of oval platter containing sliced turkey breast.

Because the Pop Up® is within +/- 2 degrees of accuracy, it offers consistent results and meat and poultry won’t dry out. Traditional and digital thermometers are only within 5 degrees of accuracy. Which is good if you’re a chicken about turkey. See what I did there?

Close up of turkey breast garnished with fresh herbs.

If you’d like to try a different cooking method, make Instant Pot turkey breast. Yes, you heard right, you can use your pressure cooker to cook turkey breast. In fact, you can cook it even if the turkey breast is frozen! This might save the day for you if you’ve forgotten to thaw your turkey and it turns out great, tender and juicy!

Another of my favorite ways to prepare turkey, and this one is perfect for smaller get-togethers, is a sheet pan Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, dressing, potatoes, and veggies are roasted in one pan in the oven. Doesn’t get much better than that! 

 

Thanksgiving side dishes

You need some side dishes with that turkey, right?!?! And don’t forget the pie. I love cranberry pecan pie! Try:

 

  • slow cooker stuffing (the best!)
  • green bean casserole (no canned soup!)
  • twice-baked sweet potatoes
  • sautéed parsnips with white wine and thyme
  • orange cranberry sauce with cardamom
  • easy apple cinnamon cranberry sauce
  • crockpot cheesy potatoes
  • sweet potato bread pudding with marshmallow topping
  • scalloped sweet potatoes with gruyere and bacon
  • butternut squash mash with smoked paprika

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Overhead of sliced turkey breast on white oval platter garnished with fresh herbs.
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

4.70 from 13 votes
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 3 hrs 15 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs 35 mins
14 servings
Print Rate Recipe
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This herb roasted turkey breast is a delicious and flavorful idea for Thanksgiving dinner. Great for smaller families or people who don’t like dark meat!

Ingredients

  • 7 lb. whole bone-in turkey breast (a bit larger or smaller is fine but may affect cooking time)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup dry white wine such as Chardonnay

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.
  • In a small bowl, combine the garlic, mustard, rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil. It will look like a paste. Gently smear half of the paste under the skin of the meat. Rub the rest on top of the skin. Add the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.
  • Roast the turkey for 2½ to 3¼ hours, until the skin is golden brown. Use a 180° Pop Up® Disposable Cooking Thermometer to check that meat has reached an internal temperature of at least 180°F. The red portion of the sensor will pop up when this happens. If the skin is browning too quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the turkey breast.
  • When it reaches 180°F, cover loosely with aluminum foil at let rest at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving with pan juices or gravy.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 8oz., Calories: 339kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 49g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 132mg, Sodium: 787mg, Potassium: 29mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 0.2g, Vitamin A: 120IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 0.3mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
Did You Make This?Be sure to upload a photo & tag me at @RachelCooksBlog. I love seeing what you made!
Share A Photo! Tag on Insta Rate It
You can find Pop Up® Disposable Cooking Thermometers with your favorite turkey brands at grocery stores and butchers nationwide. You can also find Volk Enterprises on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube. Also — if turkey prep is still making you a little nervous, here are videos on how to use the thermometers as well as general turkey prep tips!

**Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Volk Enterprises. All opinions are, as always, my own.

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  1. Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says

    November 21, 2014 at 7:28 am

    Gorgeous! And those slices are perfection!

    Reply
    • G. Wagoner says

      November 24, 2021 at 11:14 pm

      5 stars
      Really enjoyed the flavors. Left herbs& garlic to sit a day . The flavor was fantastic

      Reply
      • Rachel Gurk says

        November 28, 2021 at 9:49 am

        So glad you enjoyed this recipe!

        Reply
  2. Carol at Wild Goose Tea says

    November 20, 2014 at 7:43 pm

    I am eating turkey at other people’s houses. But I decided I am going to
    make a turkey breast for at home. This is a great recipe because the meat would be pre flavored for other turkey leftover meals. Excellent.

    Reply
  3. Tessa @ Handle the Heat says

    November 20, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    I so agree that thermometers are a MUST with Thanksgiving turkey – nothing worse than dry meat! I need to pick up one of these pop-up thermometers. I looove the flavors in this, I can practically taste them with my imagination.

    Reply
  4. Cookin+Canuck says

    November 20, 2014 at 10:16 am

    I love the idea of pouring some Chardonnay in the bottom of the pan. What a great way to impart extra flavor into the turkey!

    Reply
  5. Liz+@+The+Lemon+Bowl says

    November 20, 2014 at 8:07 am

    Love the garlic and mustard in this – yes please!!

    Reply
  6. Meagan @ A Zesty Bite says

    November 19, 2014 at 2:44 pm

    I need to find one of these pop up thermometers. This is so handy.

    Reply
  7. Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says

    November 19, 2014 at 2:42 pm

    Those pop ups are so cool! That rub looks really tasty! :)

    Reply
  8. sheila says

    November 19, 2014 at 11:22 am

    This looks so amazing!

    Reply
  9. Matt Robinson says

    November 19, 2014 at 11:00 am

    This looks perfect, LOVE how you flavored the turkey. Great pics:)

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      November 19, 2014 at 9:12 pm

      That’s a huge compliment coming from you! Thank you!

      Reply
  10. Julia says

    November 19, 2014 at 10:16 am

    Your bird looks peeeerfect!! Love all the herb flavors and the fact that it’s cooked to perfection. I’ll have to get a hold of the pop up thermometers for my own Thanksgiving feast. Nothing like kitchen tools taking the guesswork out of food prep :)

    Reply
  11. Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

    November 19, 2014 at 9:29 am

    Gorgeous! I love herb roasted turkey! Pinned!

    Reply
  12. denise says

    November 19, 2014 at 8:13 am

    yummy

    Reply

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