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Juicy roast turkey breast with garlic, lemon and herb butter. You get a proper turkey dinner without having to cook a whole bird, and it’s ready in about 2 hours.
Nicky’s Notes
I wanted to share a turkey recipe for anyone who doesn’t want to cook a whole bird. If you’re not feeding a big crowd at Thanksgiving or Christmas, or turkey is just one of the meats on the table, a whole bird can feel like a big job (and a lot of leftovers). A bone-in turkey breast is so much less overwhelming, and you still get a proper roast turkey on the table.
The worry with turkey breast is always dry meat, because it’s so lean. So I do two things. I push some of the garlic butter right under the skin, where it melts into the meat as it cooks. And I roast it over stock with foil tented over the top, so it gently steams for most of the cooking time.
The foil only comes off at the end, and that’s when the skin crisps up. Don’t throw away what’s left in the tray either. That buttery stock is the start of a really good gravy!
What makes it so good:
- Less time and effort. A 2.5kg (5.5lb) breast takes about 2 hours, and once the foil is on you can leave it alone. No brining and no basting.
- Saves space. It fits easily in the fridge beforehand, and leaves plenty of room in the oven for the roast potatoes and sides.
- Just right for smaller gatherings. You get plenty for a smaller table without eating turkey for a week.
- Perfect if you prefer white meat. It’s all breast, so everyone gets the slices they actually want.
- Easy to carve. No giblets and no legs to deal with, just neat slices straight off the bone.
- Juicy, not dry. The butter under the skin and the stock steaming under the foil keep the meat moist, then the last 25 minutes uncovered gives you golden skin.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for Roast Turkey Breast
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
A few notes on the key ingredients, including what to look for if you’re in the US:
- Turkey breast: I use half a bone-in turkey breast with the skin on, about 2.5kg (5.5lbs). In the US this is often sold as a split turkey breast. In the UK, look for a turkey breast joint on the bone. Keep the skin on, as it protects the meat and holds the butter in place.
- Salted butter: Make sure it’s properly soft so it mixes easily with the garlic and herbs and spreads without tearing the skin. I use salted butter here, plus a little extra salt on the skin.
- Chicken stock: Chicken broth in the US. Shop-bought is fine, or use my homemade chicken stock. It goes in the tray to create steam under the foil.
- A meat thermometer: Not essential, but it takes all the guesswork out of knowing when the turkey is done.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Spread garlic herb butter under and over the skin of a bone-in turkey breast, then season. Roast over chicken stock under a foil tent at 170C fan/190C/375F/gas 5 for 1 hour 35 minutes.
Uncover for a final 25 minutes, then rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Recipe Tips
- Seal the foil but keep it off the skin. Any gaps let the steam escape, and foil resting on the turkey can stick to it and pull the skin off when you lift it.
- Take it out at 70C/158F. Turkey breast goes from juicy to dry quite quickly. It carries on cooking while it rests, so there’s no need to leave it in longer.
How long to cook turkey breast
Allow 40 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes (or 18 minutes per lb plus 20 minutes). Keep it tented in foil for all but the last 25 minutes.
| Turkey breast weight | Total cooking time | Covered in foil | Uncovered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5kg (3.3lbs) | 1 hour 20 minutes | 55 minutes | 25 minutes |
| 2kg (4.4lbs) | 1 hour 40 minutes | 1 hour 15 minutes | 25 minutes |
| 2.5kg (5.5lbs) | 2 hours | 1 hour 35 minutes | 25 minutes |
| 3kg (6.6lbs) | 2 hours 20 minutes | 1 hour 55 minutes | 25 minutes |
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItMake ahead and Leftovers Guide
- Make the butter ahead: You can make the garlic herb butter up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Take it out early on the day so it’s soft enough to spread.
- Leftovers: Cool any leftover turkey quickly, then cover and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze sliced turkey for up to 3 months. Defrost it overnight in the fridge.
- To reheat, put the slices in a dish with a splash of stock, cover with foil and heat at 160C fan/180C/350F/gas 4 until piping hot all the way through. The stock stops the meat drying out.
*** See ideas for turkey leftovers below the recipe card 👇 ***
Roast Turkey Breast Recipe
Ingredients
- Half bone-in turkey breast (split turkey breast in USA) skin on – weighing about 2.5kg/5.5lbs
- 120 g (1 stick or 1/2 cup) salted butter, softened
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 tsp lemon zest (zest of 1/2 lemon)
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 240 ml (1 cup) chicken stock
Instructions
- Remove the turkey breast from the fridge 30-45 minutes before you want to cook it.Half bone-in turkey breast (split turkey breast in USA)
- Preheat the oven to 170C fan/190C/375F/gas 5.
- Pat the turkey breast dry using paper kitchen towels.
- Place the butter, garlic, lemon zest, thyme and parsley in a bowl and mix together.120 g (1 stick or 1/2 cup) salted butter, softened, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp lemon zest (zest of 1/2 lemon), ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp dried parsley
- Loosen the skin of the turkey at the top of the breast to make a pocket about 2.5cm (1 inch) deep.
- Add quarter of the butter mixture into the pocket and squash it down flat.
- Spread the rest of the butter mixture on the outside of the turkey breast, all over the skin and sides, then sprinkle on the salt and pepper.½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- Place on a trivet in a large baking tray (at least 2.5cm (1 inch) deep). Pour the stock into the base of the tray.240 ml (1 cup) chicken stock
- Brush or spray some foil with a little oil, then tent the foil over the turkey and the tray so there are no gaps. Try not to let the foil touch the turkey – this will allow steam to circulate around the turkey as it’s cooking. You will probably need to connect a couple of large pieces of foil together so it will fit – just roll and then scrunch the edges of the pieces of foil together so they stay connected.
- Cook for 1 hour 35 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for a final 25 minutes.
- Transfer to a warm plate and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Notes
Why take it out at 70C/158F and not 165F?
The temperature keeps rising while the turkey rests, up to around 72 to 74C (161 to 165F).In the UK, the Food Standards Agency advises that the middle should reach 70C for at least 2 minutes, which resting easily covers.
In the US, the USDA recommends 165F. If you’d prefer to follow that, leave it in the oven a little longer until your thermometer reads 165F, and expect the meat to be slightly firmer. Nutritional information is approximate, based on this recipe serving 8 people.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
🍽️ What to serve it with
🍲 Leftover turkey recipes
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