Juicy Roasted Turkey Breast with Garlic Herb Butter
This juicy roasted turkey breast is coated in garlic herb butter with sage, rosemary, thyme, and lemon zest, with most of it tucked under the skin. It roasts on a bed of onions and broth until the skin is golden and crisp, making it a beautiful centerpiece for a smaller Thanksgiving.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 203.01kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 bone-in skin-on turkey breast, 4–6 pounds, fully thawed
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 garlic cloves finely minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion cut into thick wedges
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken or turkey broth plus more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Arrange the onion wedges in a small roasting pan and pour in the broth. Set a roasting rack over the onions, if you have one.1 cup low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
- In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper until combined.½ cup unsalted butter, 4 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon fresh sage, 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Pat the turkey breast thoroughly dry with paper towels. Gently loosen the skin with your fingers, keeping it attached around the edges. Spread about two-thirds of the butter underneath the skin directly over the meat. Rub the remaining butter over the outside. Press on the outside of the skin with your palm to spread it evenly. Rub the remaining butter over the outside.1 bone-in
- Place the turkey breast skin-side up on the rack or onion wedges. Roast uncovered for approximately 1½–2½ hours, beginning to check the temperature after 1½ hours. If the skin browns before the turkey is cooked, loosely tent it with foil. Add more broth if the pan begins to dry out.1 large yellow onion
- Remove the turkey when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, without touching bone, registers 165°F. Check both sides if using a whole double breast.
- Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and loosely tent with foil. Rest for 20 minutes. Remove the breast meat from the bone, then slice across the grain. Serve with the pan juices or gravy.
Notes
- Pat the skin completely dry, because dry skin is what gets golden and crisp.
- Put two-thirds of the butter under the skin, since butter on the meat keeps the breast juicy.
- Make sure the turkey is fully thawed, or the outside will overcook before the center is done.
- Cook times vary by size, so use a thermometer and pull the turkey at 165°F.
- Keep the probe away from the bone and check both sides of a double breast.
- Tent with foil loosely if the skin browns early, because tight foil will steam the skin soft.
- Use low-sodium broth so the pan juices don't turn too salty as they reduce.
- Rest the turkey for 20 minutes before slicing so the juices stay in the meat.
- If using salted butter or Morton kosher salt, reduce the salt to 1½ teaspoons.
- If the skin is still pale near the end, raise the oven to 400°F for the last 10-15 minutes.
- No fresh herbs? Use 1 teaspoon dried sage, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, and ½ teaspoon dried thyme, and crush the rosemary so it softens into the butter.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 203.01kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.36g | Protein: 7.23g | Fat: 18.23g | Saturated Fat: 10.68g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.98g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.1g | Trans Fat: 0.65g | Cholesterol: 60.16mg | Sodium: 805.82mg | Potassium: 181.51mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 0.88g | Vitamin A: 508.69IU | Vitamin C: 3.48mg | Calcium: 30.34mg | Iron: 0.59mg
