Roast Turkey Breast with Herbs

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: how to roast a turkey breast, roast turkey recipe, Thanksgiving turkey recipe

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 2 15

Brining: 12

Total Time: 14 35

Servings:

Calories: 381kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Roast Turkey Breast with Herbs is so juicy and deeply flavorful. Brining the breast is not 100% necessary, but we do find it make the meat significantly juicier and flavorful.

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Equipment

Brine bag
Roasting pan with rack
Instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

For the Brine

8 cups apple cider chilled
¾ cup salt
¼ cup allspice ground
4 bay leaves
8 cup water
1 6 lb turkey breast whole

For Roasting the Turkey Breast

3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tbsp sage fresh, chopped
1 tbsp rosemary fresh, chopped
1 tbsp thyme fresh, chopped
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice usually from 1 lemon
2 cup turkey stock or chicken stock, plus more for basting
1 cup white wine

Instructions

Brine the Bird (Start 12 to 24 hours in advance)

Add 2 cups of the apple cider to a medium-sized saucepan. Stir in the salt, allspice, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Stir frequently and simmer for 15 minutes.
8 cups apple cider, ¾ cup salt, ¼ cup allspice, 4 bay leaves
In a pot, add the remaining chilled apple cider, all of the water, and the simmered salt mixture.
8 cup water
Line a vessel just large enough to hold the turkey breast with a brine bag. Place the turkey breast in the bag and then carefully pour in the brine liquid and twist the top of the bag and secure with twine or a knot. Try to make sure the turkey breast is fully submerged. Placing a heavy object on top can help. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or preferably, overnight.
1 6 lb turkey breast

Roast the Turkey Breast

Preheat your oven to 325°F.
Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a rack in a roasting pan.
Make the paste by adding the garlic, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, oil, and lemon juice to a small bowl. Stir to form a paste.
3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp dry mustard, 1 tbsp sage, 1 tbsp rosemary, 1 tbsp thyme, 2 tsp Kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice
Use your fingers to gently pull the skin away from the top of the turkey breast. Rub about three-quarters of the paste into the meat under the skin. Rub the rest all over the top of the turkey breast.
Add the turkey (or chicken) stock and wine into the pan.
2 cup turkey stock, 1 cup white wine
Roast until an internal temperature of 160 to 165°F is reached, anywhere from 1½ to 2½ hours. You'll want to add small pieces of foil to the top of the turkey breast if starting to brown too much. Add more stock (increments of ½ cup) if starting to evaporate. We recommend basting the turkey breast occasionally (every 30 minutes), if possible.
Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes. Pour the au jus sauce into a gravy boat. Carve and serve with sauce on the side.

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you like the video, please subscribe to your YouTube channel.

Brining is great if you can get the bird in the brine 12 to 24 hours in advance. However, if 3 to 4 hours will make the meat juicier, too.

Be sure to keep an eye on the breast as it is roasting. It will start to brown typically near the top area of the breast, near the neck. Add pieces of foil to areas that are getting a little too brown. Near the end of the roasting, you may need to cover the entire breast in foil.

You'll need a little extra stock (either turkey or chicken) for adding to the pan during the roasting sauce. You want to maintain around 2 cups of liquid in the bottom of the pan.

The cooked turkey makes amazing leftovers and will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week and freezes beautifully for up to 2 months.

Nutrition