Herb Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe
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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!
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:
- I’m a food blogger.
- It’s pretty much like roasting a chicken which is no big deal.
- 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:
- Pop Up® Disposable Cooking Thermometers (thank you to them for sponsoring this post!) – they take the guesswork out.
- This recipe tastes delicious and yields a moist and flavorful turkey breast. It would be great with a whole turkey too.
- See #3 above. (But you won’t. Screw it up. It’s practically impossible to miss with this cooking thermometer.)
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!)
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?
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!
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
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.
**Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Volk Enterprises. All opinions are, as always, my own.
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
Gorgeous! And those slices are perfection!
G. Wagoner says
Really enjoyed the flavors. Left herbs& garlic to sit a day . The flavor was fantastic
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
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.
Tessa @ Handle the Heat says
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.
Cookin+Canuck says
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!
Liz+@+The+Lemon+Bowl says
Love the garlic and mustard in this – yes please!!
Meagan @ A Zesty Bite says
I need to find one of these pop up thermometers. This is so handy.
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says
Those pop ups are so cool! That rub looks really tasty! :)
sheila says
This looks so amazing!
Matt Robinson says
This looks perfect, LOVE how you flavored the turkey. Great pics:)
Rachel Gurk says
That’s a huge compliment coming from you! Thank you!
Julia says
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 :)
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Gorgeous! I love herb roasted turkey! Pinned!
denise says
yummy