Juicy Turkey Breast Recipe 🦃🍁 Learn how to make a juicy turkey breast in the oven! This is the perfect option when you don’t need a whole turkey, and the meat is juicy, moist, and tender inside with crispy skin outside. This EASY recipe uses dried herbs and spices to deliver big flavor with minimal effort on your part and you won’t have leftover turkey for days, either!
Easy Juicy Turkey Breast Recipe
- Sometimes you don’t need a whole turkey. Whether you have a smaller family, want to enjoy turkey beyond the holidays, or just want to avoid leftovers, this roasted turkey breast recipe is the perfect solution.
- Easier to cook than a full bird, turkey breasts roast up moist and juicy, especially when seasoned with a flavorful wet rub made of brown sugar, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, parsley, thyme, and sage. Don’t worry, it’s not sweet. Just perfectly savory with a subtle citrus note from lemon slices that also help the meat cook evenly.
- Whether for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a cozy winter dinner, this herb roasted turkey breast is a holiday-worthy main you can pull off even on a weeknight in just 90 minutes!
- If you’d rather use a different cooking method, try my easy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast for a hands-off option. Or, if you’re feeding a larger crowd and want to roast a whole bird, my Easy Oven Roasted Citrus Turkey is packed with fresh herbs, citrus flavor, and plenty of juicy, tender meat!
Ingredients for Oven Baked Turkey Breast
- Bone-in turkey breast: Use a fresh or properly thawed frozen turkey breast. Make sure to remove the packet of giblets from the cavity before roasting.
- Lemons: Fresh lemon juice adds bright citrus flavor, while lemon slices roast alongside the turkey for extra flavor.
- Olive oil: I use olive oil instead of butter for this recipe, but softened butter can be substituted if preferred.My other turkey recipes, such as Foolproof Roasted Turkey and Easy Oven Roasted Citrus Turkey, both use butter. So, I wanted to mix it up with this one
- Light or dark brown sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to balance the savory herbs and citrus flavors.
- Dried parsley, oregano, garlic powder, sage, thyme, kosher salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika: These pantry-friendly seasonings create a flavorful herb rub without needing fresh herbs. Smoked paprika adds a deeper, smoky flavor, but regular paprika works too.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Bake a Turkey Breast
- Arrange the lemon slices in the bottom of a large roasting pan, such as a 9×13-inch casserole dish, or a similar size. You don’t need a pan with a rack since you’re going to place lemon slices on the bottom, and they act as the ‘rack’.
- Remove the packet of giblets and neck from the cavity of the turkey breast. Pat the skin dry with a clean paper towel and place the turkey breast in the roasting pan, breast-side up.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and spices. Rub all over the turkey breast, including under the skin.
- Roast the turkey uncovered at 325ºF, basting occasionally with the pan juices. When the thickest part of the breast reaches an internal temperature of 155F-160F, as measured by a digital thermometer, remove it from the oven, and tent it with aluminum foil.
- You must let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving; at this point, the internal temperature should have reached 165ºF, and the turkey will be safe to eat, and the juices will have redistributed in the meat.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
What to Serve with Baked Turkey Breast
Juicy Baked Turkey Breast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 pound bone-in turkey breast, properly thawed from frozen or use fresh turkey (turkey breasts in the range of 4-6 lbs are fine; read blog post how to properly thaw a turkey, you’ll need 24-36 hours in the fridge)
- 1 medium lemon, sliced
- Juice from half of 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed (I used dark but light brown sugar is fine)
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or to taste
- Fresh herb sprigs and citrus slices, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- Arrange the main oven rack on the middle position in your oven and preheat the oven to 325F. Tip – If in doubt, go lower rather than higher with rack selection.
- Place lemons slices into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish or roasting pan. The slices are going to act like a roasting rack, so you don't need a roasting pan with a wire rack insert.
- Remove the thawed turkey from the packaging and remove the neck and any giblets packet from the inside of the turkey breast cavity. I discard them.
- Pat the turkey skin with paper towels to dry and place the turkey into your roasting pan on top of the lemon slices, breast side up.
- To a small bowl, add the the lemon juice, olive oil and all remaining ingredients (except the optional fresh garnishing items) and stir to combine.
- Rub the wet mixture both underneath the turkey skin (using caution not to tear it) and all over the outside of the turkey until evenly coated.
- Roast the turkey uncovered for 15 minutes per pound (for this 5 lb turkey = 75 mins), basting occasionally with the pan juices, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the turkey breast is 155 to 160F, as measured by a digital thermometer. Roasting Tips – The turkey is not quite at a safe temp to eat yet, so you must rest it, see next step. If at any time during baking the top is looking a bit too dark or looks to be burning (unlikely), you can drape a sheet of foil over the top of the roasting pan which will shield the exterior of the turkey from additional browning.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and place a piece of aluminum foil over the top to seal in the juices and allow the internal temp to come up to 165F, which is the safe temperature to consume it. Therefore, you should allow for about 15-20 minutes before carving and serving it.
- Optional – If you'd like to make gravy using the pan drippings while you're resting the turkey and waiting, go for it. Follow my Easy 15-Minute Turkey Gravy recipe.
- Slice the turkey and serve warm, or optionally place it on a serving platter and garnish with fresh herb sprigs (rosemary, thyme, sage, etc.) and citrus slices.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe FAQs
Roasting times will vary depending on the size of your turkey breast. Plan on baking a bone-in turkey breast for 15 minutes per pound, and pull it out of the oven when it reaches 155ºF. Let the carryover heat bring the temperature up to 165ºF as the turkey rests.
Technically yes, but bone-in turkey breasts are much more flavorful and remain juicier once baked. Plus, bone-in turkey breasts contain the whole breast (not just one side), meaning you’ll end up with more meat for the same amount of effort! Apart from all of that, it’s tricky to find boneless turkey breasts in my experience.
Both will work, but if you purchase a frozen turkey breast you need to allow plenty of time to thaw it before baking (info provided below).
Fresh turkey breasts are fairly easy to find around Thanksgiving (although I find they sell out quickly in San Diego where I live – definitely hit and miss). So if you can find one, you might as well purchase a fresh turkey breast and save yourself the hassle of thawing a frozen turkey breast. If you have a Trader Joe’s in your area, I have good luck there, even during u0022turkey offseasonu0022 months.
Plan for 24 to 36 hours of thawing per 4 pounds of turkey. Most frozen turkey breasts take 1 1/2 to 2 full days to thaw completely since they’re usually in the range of 4-6 lbs.
I suggest thawing the turkey breast in the fridge. NEVER thaw on the counter as that can lead to the development of bacteria and ultimately food poisoning.
If you forgot to thaw the turkey breast in the fridge (it happens!), submerge the packaged breast in ice water. It takes 30 to 45 minutes per pound to thaw a turkey breast this way, and you’ll have to change out the ice water regularly.
I wrote very extensively about thawing a whole turkey if you’re curious about that, too.
I aim for 1 pound of turkey per person (and some sources say 1 to 1.5 lbs per person) but it varies based on appetites and what else you’re serving. Remember that the turkey is just one of many dishes served on Thanksgiving or Christmas so the likelihood of anyone actually eating a full pound of turkey is slim. With all kinds of great sides like mashed potatoes, make-ahead mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and cranberries, many people will eat less than 1 lb of turkey.
If you need to free up some oven space this year, follow my Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe instead. That recipe also has instructions on how to crisp up the skin of the turkey breast since I know how much people love to pick off the crispy skin!
Please do! I have an Easy Turkey Gravy recipe that uses pan drippings.
For a more flavorful gravy, you can add some vegetables (carrots, onions, celery) plus 1 cup of turkey or vegetable broth to the bottom of the roasting pan while baking this turkey breast.
Have Leftover Turkey? I’ve Got Recipes!
More Thanksgiving Main Dishes:
View all of my Thanksgiving recipes here!
Easy Oven Roasted Citrus Turkey – 🍋🍊🦃 This EASY turkey recipe makes the JUICIEST and most FLAVORFUL roast turkey that everyone loves! The cavity is stuffed with aromatics including a lemon, an orange, fresh herbs, and the skin is coated in a citrus herb butter so it’s moist AND bursting with FLAVOR!
Slow Cooker Turkey Breast — Learn how to make a perfect turkey breast every time using your slow cooker! Making turkey breast in a Crockpot results in juicy, tender turkey every time and is nearly impossible to dry out!
Foolproof Oven Roasted Turkey — Learn how to make juicy, flavorful herb-roasted turkey that’s not dry! This turkey has all the flavor that grandma’s used to have, minus the hassle. No brining, no basting, and no stress!
Glazed Apple Spiral Ham – 🍏🍎🎊 If you’re looking for an EASY ham recipe to serve at your next holiday gathering, make this JUICY apple spiral ham with a spiced brown sugar glaze! Tender green apple slices are the perfect tart contrast to the salty ham that’s coated in a sweeter glaze!
Pineapple Glazed Ham — When you’re looking for a holiday ham or family celebration ham recipe, look no further than this one! This pineapple ham is so juicy and moist thanks to a dry spice rub made with brown sugar and citrus and then the most delectable pineapple glaze!
Glazed Pork Loin Roast — Pork loin is first coated in a FLAVOR-PACKED dry spice rub, then topped with a tangy brown sugar glaze before being roasted. EASY enough to make on busy weeknights, but IMPRESSIVE enough to serve to guests or make for the holidays!
Beef Tenderloin Roast with Garlic Herb Butter — An EASY yet IMPRESSIVE dish that’s ready in under an hour! Roasting beef tenderloin in the oven results in perfectly MOIST and TENDER meat every time, and the garlic herb butter adds tons of flavor without overwhelming the beef.
Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin — Tender and juicy boneless pork tenderloin is slow cooked with hearty vegetables for a complete and EASY meal! Reminiscent of a hearty and rustic recipe, yet fancy enough for a special dinner or holiday entertaining!
I have a pre cooked Turkey Breast from Costco. Will the Rub make any difference on the Turkey since all that needs to be done is to “warm it up”?
Would it be better to use a Glaze instead and what would be the best with a Citus taste?
If it’s already precooked, then yes, all you are doing is warming it up and I am sure they seasoned the turkey already. If you’re going to serve it with gravy, I wouldn’t do a glaze. Sounds like it could get a bit “too much” for personally. Maybe try some lemon pepper https://amzn.to/3CnaS75 or something that’s labeled as citrus https://amzn.to/4fGGUsU and that one does not have salt, the first does. You will need to be mindful of that too since Costco probably salted up the turkey breast quite a bit.
Love the prep work on getting the breast so juicy. I vertical roast my turkey breast and take it out at 162 degrees internal and let it rest up to 165 degrees.
Thank you and your method sounds perfect! It’s great pay very close attention to the temperature and know just when to pull it and then rest it. So important!