A delicious herb rub makes this THE BEST Oven Roasted Turkey Breast recipe! It's easy to make with a boneless turkey breast and so flavorful. Perfect for a small Thanksgiving meal, or anytime of the year for an easy weeknight dinner.
Line a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan with foil.
Place the turkey breast on the foil, skin side up, and slide 2 sage leaves, 2 bay leaves and 2 rosemary sprigs under the skin of the turkey breast. Make sure to leave the sprigs and leaves under the skin sticking out slightly for easy removal after the turkey breast has roasted in the oven.
Lift up the turkey breast and place 2 sage leaves, 2 bay leaves and 2 rosemary springs under the turkey breast.
Place the onion and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse until finely minced.
Add 2 sage leaves, ⅓ cup parsley, 3 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt to the food processor.
Pulse until the mixture becomes a paste.
Rub half of the paste mixture under the skin of the turkey breast and the other half on top and around the sides of the breast.
Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove the breast from the oven and baste with an additional 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Place the turkey breast back in the oven and cook for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until a thermometer placed inside the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F.
Remove from the oven and transfer the turkey breast to a cutting board for carving.
Let the turkey rest for 10-15 minutes, then reach under the skin of the turkey breast and remove the whole bay leaves and rosemary sprigs.
Slice the turkey breast using a sharp knife or electric knife.
Notes
Turkey breast – for this recipe I used a boneless turkey breast, but you can also use a bone-in turkey breast. See the section in the blog post above on “what type of turkey breast to use”, where I go into more detail about fresh vs. frozen and the benefits of bone-in vs. boneless turkey breasts.
If you do use a bone-in turkey breast, meat on the bone tends to cook slower, so you will probably need to add 10-15 minutes to the roasting time.
You can make this recipe without the skin. Use a sharp knife to remove the skin from the turkey breast before starting the recipe. Instead of sliding herbs under the skin and under the turkey breast, simply slide all of the herbs under the turkey breast. Rub the herb rub evenly over the breast before baking.
I do not recommend removing the skin after roasting the turkey, as you'll also be removing a lot of the delicious herb rub.
Leftover turkey will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. I always recommend storing it in an airtight container for the best flavor.
Using a 4 pound boneless turkey breast, this recipe will feed 8 people at 1/2 pound of turkey per person.