Herb & Garlic Oven Roasted Turkey Breast

I’ll never forget the year that I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time. Planning the entire menu was daunting, having enough space for everything in the oven was another challenge, and we haven’t even talked turkey yet.

My worst fear was that the turkey would be dry, of course. I had help and it turned out just fine, and after years of experience hosting the holidays, cooking the turkey has even become fun for me.

I know side dishes and dessert are holiday favorites for most people, but the turkey is my favorite part.

Typically I make my spatchcock turkey because it cooks much more quickly and evenly, but when I’m going with a traditional presentation, my orange rosemary oven roasted turkey is my go-to.

Most of the people in my family prefer breast meat, so it goes quickly. I normally make this Herb and Garlic Oven Roasted Turkey Breast in addition to a large bird so that we have plenty of leftovers for sandwiches and my turkey wild rice soup.

Like my boneless turkey breast roast, this roast turkey breast is also perfect for smaller holiday gatherings and even weeknight dinners. I for one enjoy it much more often than a couple of times a year. 🙂

Why you’ll love this recipe

• This oven roasted turkey breast is everything you love about roast turkey without the hassle. It’s juicy and flavorful with the crispiest skin ever.
• It’s dry brined so there’s no messy liquid to deal with and it may be brined up to 3 days prior to cooking. Simply salt and refrigerate!
• This recipe is great for smaller holiday gatherings or a special weeknight dinner.
• It’s so easy to make and takes about 10-15 minutes of prep.

Recipe ingredients

This roast turkey breast recipe is so easy that you’ll find yourself making turkey more often than the holidays! There are just a few ingredients that can be customized to your liking.

• Turkey breast. I always use Diestel organic turkey breast because it’s sustainably and humanely raised, and it has amazing flavor. Pro tip: For best results, use bone in turkey breast with the skin on as it adds flavor and helps prevent the meat from becoming dry. This recipe is based on a full breast, but if you prefer to cook a half breast for a smaller amount of turkey, it will cook much more quickly.
• Salt. I use kosher salt for my dry brine, which is in larger grains than regular table salt. If you don’t have kosher salt on hand, decrease the amount of salt by half.
• Herbs and garlic. I love using fresh herbs, but dried may be used if that’s all you have on hand. One tablespoon of fresh herbs may be subbed with 1 teaspoon dried herbs. If you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, use about a teaspoon of garlic powder.

See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.

How to make this recipe

This oven roasted turkey breast recipe is much more manageable with all the flavor and juiciness of a big bird.

There are two parts to this recipe — dry brining the turkey breast, then roasting it with herbs, garlic and oil.

Pro tip: For best results, use bone in turkey breast with the skin on as it adds flavor and helps prevent the meat from becoming dry.

See the recipe card below for full instructions.

Dry brine the turkey breast

Many turkey breast recipes include slathering butter over the breast meat to keep it juicy, but I prefer to achieve tender, juicy turkey breast by using an easy dry brine.

The good news is that there’s no messy liquid involved in a dry brine — all you need is salt.  The salt draws out the juices in the meat, then it’s absorbed into the meat. 

The dry brine acts as a wet brine by breaking down the tough muscle proteins, which results in a juicier more flavorful turkey.

1. Loosen the skin over the turkey breast using your hand, being careful not to tear it.
2. Season the entire turkey breast with the kosher salt, even underneath the skin. Place the turkey on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the refrigerator uncovered for 1-3 days.
3. The skin of the turkey breast will look dry and that’s ok! The moisture has been removed and absorbed into the turkey breast. Remove the dry brine turkey breast from the refrigerator 1-2 hours before you plan to roast it to ensure that it cooks evenly.

Roast the turkey breast

Once the turkey breast has come to room temperature, it’s time to preheat the oven and roast it!

I like roasting it at a higher temperature of 400 degrees to get the skin nice and brown, then I decrease the heat to 350 degrees and roast it covered loosely with foil until it’s done.

1. Place the garlic, chopped herbs, oil and pepper in a small bowl and stir well to combine.
2. Rub the top and bottom of the turkey breast with the herb and garlic mixture, as well as under the skin.
3. Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes until browned, then decrease the temperature to 350 degrees and cover the turkey loosely with foil. Roast until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for about 15 minutes.

Recipe FAQs

Recipe notes

• Pro tip: For best results, use bone in turkey breast with the skin on as it adds flavor and helps prevent the meat from becoming dry.
• Cooking time will vary based on the actual size of your turkey.  Plan on 15-20 minutes per pound.
• I use kosher salt for my dry brine, which is in larger grains than regular table salt. If you don’t have kosher salt on hand, decrease the amount of salt by half.
• The skin of the dry brine turkey breast will look dry and that’s ok! The moisture has been removed and absorbed into the turkey breast.
• Be sure to save the turkey carcass to make my homemade turkey stock! The stock is essential to an amazing, flavorful turkey gravy.