Easy, Moist and the Most Flavorful Roast Turkey Breast Recipe

I love a Thanksgiving dinner, but it is a lot of work. I always roast a turkey, make stuffing, mash potatoes, candy sweet potatoes and a vegetable. My daughter typically makes homemade cranberry sauce and we have side goodies (like black and green olives). Afterwards, we always have pumpkin pie.

Uhhhhhh, it’s 10:02 and I haven’t had breakfast yet….. I must be hungry, cuz that meal sounds great!!!

I love the leftovers the day after Thanksgiving. My favorite thing, the next day is a turkey breast sandwich with mayonnaise.

I’ve roasted lots and lots of turkeys. So, around the holidays, I get to enjoy the ease of eating leftover roast turkey. What I don’t do as often, is roast a turkey breast. Well, it’s late May and I want roast turkey, but don’t want to roast an entire turkey, (with all it’s time-consuming sides), I just want the turkey breast and a couple of simple sides. I want yummy but simple.

Hunting for Turkey and What to do if it’s Frozen

I went out of my humble abode, in search of turkey. There have been times when I looked for turkey breast in my local grocery store, but never found any. The day I went looking for turkey breasts (a few days ago), I hit the jackpot. They had about 10 frozen turkey breasts to choose from. I bought three. I put two in my freezer. The last I put in my refrigerator to thaw.

It takes 1½ to 2 days to thaw a turkey breast in a refrigerator. You can thaw it quicker (if need be), by putting the unopened roast in cool water, for 3 to 5 hours (until thawed). Using this method, you change the water every 30 minutes, to keep the turkey cold.

After the turkey breast is thawed, it’s time to roast it.

Ingredients (try to use organics whenever you can)

Unfortunately, I didn’t accomplish that at all, this time.

• 3 to 8-pound turkey breast
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (for the roasting dish and rack)
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (for the turkey breast seasoning paste)
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons rosemary
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (I prefer fine ground)

Prepping – The Oven, The Ingredients, The Dish and The Turkey

First, position your oven rack in a spot in the oven where it allows the turkey breast to cook as close to the center of the oven as possible.

Set the oven to 375°F (191°C), on bake.

Bring your ingredients out so they are ready for use.

Use an oven-safe baking/roasting dish. Place a wire rack on the bottom of the dish.

The rack should be placed with the wires horizontally, (the turkey should be placed vertically on the horizontally placed rack).

Put one tablespoon of grapeseed oil, into a small bowl. Apply the grapeseed oil to the inside bottom and inside walls of the dish and on the rack.

Remove the turkey breast packaging.

The turkey breast should be placed on the center of the rack vertically, with the breast and skin up. This placement helps to keep the turkey breast meat above the dish (to help keep it off of the bottom of the baking dish).

In a separate bowl, measure 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil.

Seasoning the Turkey Breast

Begin Adding the Seasonings in the Bowl with the Grapeseed Oil

Add 2 teaspoons rosemary.

Add 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning.

Add 2 teaspoons ground oregano.

Add 2 teaspoons salt.

Add 1 teaspoon ground thyme.

Add 1 teaspoon black pepper.

Add 1 teaspoon onion powder.

Add 1 teaspoon garlic powder.

Stir the ingredients thoroughly.

Pull the skin of the turkey, away from the meat, (don’t completely detach it though). Apply half of the paste you made, under the skin and the other half on top of the skin.

It’s Time to Roast the Turkey Breast

Put the dish in the oven, on your center rack and cook the turkey breast 13 minutes for every pound of turkey. I recommend you baste the turkey with its pan juices every 20 minutes until the turkey breast is done (for this bird, that was 4 bastings). This turkey breast is seven pounds, (7 x 13 = 91 minutes of cook time, minimum).

An hour and a half later…..

Check the turkey breast using a meat thermometer, but be careful that you do not touch the thermometer probe to a bone, the wire rack or the glass dish, as the temperature reading may be incorrect.

The turkey must be 165°F (73.9°C) for it to be considered fully cooked. I check the temperature in several places around the breast meat.

Once the turkey breast is at the correct temperature, take it out of the roasting dish and place it on a cutting board.

Rest the Roasted Turkey Breast

Now, about resting the turkey before carving. The reason you rest the meat is to allow the majority of the juices to remain in the meat when you cut it. Resting the turkey allows for that.

You are going to see all kinds of time recommendations online, for resting a roasted turkey breast. Some recommendations seem way too long, to the point of danger. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), recommends resting the turkey for 15 to 20 minutes. This should provide plenty of time, to allow the turkey to retain most of its moisture when you finally cut it.

Slicing the Roasted Turkey Breast

Use a serrated knife to slice off one of the two breasts (cut as close as you can to the rib bones).

Slice the turkey breast, diagonally.

The knife I used to cut this roast turkey breast is a “Russel International Brand” serrated knife. The link takes you to a knife that is very similar to mine. Some people will say use a serrated knife on roast turkey, others will say use a non-serrated knife on roast turkey. Those who say you should use a non-serrated knife, say that serrated knives tend to shred the meat. Frankly, if your meat isn’t dry (if it is juicy), you won’t likely shred the meat.

I prefer serrated knives for cutting through the skin and then the meat. Even though it wasn’t an expensive knife, it has served me well for many years.

The Meal Is Done

There are all kinds of sides you could make to go with your turkey breast. Today, I decided to have a baked potato with butter and a plant-based sour cream substitute. I also made steamed zucchini.

Now, it’s time to dish up the meal.

Bon appétit!!!!

As for me, I can’t wait till tomorrow for leftovers, because I want a turkey sandwich!

Dinnerware

“Blue Adelaide” 16-piece place setting, (square, white with dark blue floral plates)

“Black Adelaide” 16-piece place setting, (round, white with black floral plates)

“Dark Blue Adelaide” 16-piece place setting, (round, dark blue with white floral plates)

Other Things You Might Like To Learn About

A Comprehensive List of Kitchen Greats

Over time, I have been given and have bought lots and lots of kitchen appliances, gadgets and tools. If you would like to read about those items I found to be great (and a few not-so-great), click here.

A Recipe Book I Have Used for Years

When I was a young housewife, I was given a cookbook that I have used and used. It is “The Joy of Cooking”. This is a book you should add to your cooking must-haves.

Here is A Helpful Cleanup Hint

Remember I told you earlier about a way to easily clean CorningWare baking dishes? During cooking when splatter becomes baked onto CorningWare, it can be a nightmare to clean. Use “Cerama Bryte”.

You will also want to use a cleaning pad designed to be used with “Cerama Bryte”. Cooking splatters come off so easily this way.

After you have removed all of the splatters, rinse the baking dish thoroughly, ensuring all of the Cerama Bryte is gone. After this, put the dish into the dishwasher or wash the dish by hand (ensuring all of the cleaning product is rinsed away).

What WebMD and Healthline Have to Say About Various Spices

WebMD and Healthline are online sources of information about a multitude of health-related topics. I enjoy reading their articles. They have something to say about some of the spices I am working with today.

Here is WebMD’s article, “Health Benefits of Rosemary”.

Here is Healthline’s article, “6 Science-Based Health Benefits of Oregano”.

Here is Healthline’s article, “Salt: Is it Healthy or Unhealthy”?

Here is Healthline’s article, “Thyme: 12 Health Benefits and More”.

Here is Healthline’s article, “11 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Black Pepper”.

Here is Healthline’s article, “9 Impressive Health Benefits of Onions”.

Here is Healthline’s article, “11 Proven Health Benefits of Garlic”.

Please, Bookmark This Site

If you haven’t already done so, bookmark this site. The next time you are looking for a great recipe or you are looking for something fun to do, you’ll know where to go.

More Content

If you want to see what else this website has that you might enjoy reading about, click here to return to the home page.

If you only want to see more recipes, click here to see what I have for you to consider.

Under the “Subscribe” button (below), you will find my collection of stories and recipes in the order that they were published.

Spread the Word

Please tell family and friends about this website. There might be something they find that they would enjoy too.

Don’t Forget to Subscribe

Below the Subscribe button, you will find a collection of posts with a wide variety of topics. Just click on any title of any story that you feel you might enjoy reading.