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Lemon-Herb Turkey Breast Recipe is a moist, flavorful roast turkey breast recipe that’s so easy to make! Perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner!
It can be difficult to make a delicious roast turkey. Too often, baked turkeys end up dry and flavorless. And turkeys make enough to feed a small army.
All reasons why I love to make turkey breast instead!
This Lemon-Herb Turkey Breast recipe is one of the best recipes that I’ve tried. The turkey is incredibly juicy and has a nice lemon, herb flavor to it.
This recipe is also incredibly easy. It only takes about 5 minutes of prep, and then the turkey is ready to go into the oven, which is awesome when you have a lot of other food to make.
So, if you’re looking for a delicious, fuss-free turkey recipe, give this one a try!
How to Cook Roast Turkey Breast
For this turkey breast, you first make the lemon herb mixture by mixing garlic, dry mustard, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice together in a small bowl.
Gently pull the skin back from the breast. You don’t want to completely separate it. You just want to pull it back enough to rub about half of the lemon-herb mixture it underneath the skin onto the meat
Then, apply the remaining mixture to the outside of the turkey breast skin. This mixture helps to flavor the meat and keep it moist as it cooks.
How to Thaw Turkey Breast
How to Thaw Turkey BreastTo thaw a frozen turkey breast, place it in the fridge for a few days prior to cooking. This allows the turkey breast to thaw while maintaining a safe temperature.
What if the Turkey Skin Starts to Get Too Brown?
If the skin starts to brown too quickly, simply tent the turkey breast with aluminum foil and continue to cook until the meat reaches temperature.
Tips For Making Turkey Breast
- Herbs: This mix of herbs is commonly sold as a poultry blend. I try to find the poultry blend to avoid buying three separate packs of herbs.
- Salt: You can use 1/2 tablespoon of table salt in place of the kosher salt. Or use an equal amount of sea salt in place of the kosher salt.
- Chicken broth: You can use chicken stock in place of the chicken broth.
Recipes That Go Well With Turkey
I like to serve this turkey for Thanksgiving alongside traditional Thanksgiving dishes such as dinner rolls, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, and chocolate pecan pie.
If you’ve tried this lemon herb turkey breast recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
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4.75 from 8 votes
Lemon-Herb Turkey Breast Recipe
Author Kate @ I Heart Eating
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time 2 hours hours
Resting time 15 minutes minutes
Total Time 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
Easy turkey breast recipe
Ingredients
- 6-7 pound bone-in turkey breast
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 3 cloves
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves1
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt²
- 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup chicken broth3
- 1 lemon quartered
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. I spray the roasting pan rack with nonstick cooking spray.
Stir together garlic, mustard, chopped herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice until combined.
Gently pull back the skin from the meat and rub about 1/2-2/3 of the mixture directly on the meat. Spread the rest of the mixture evenly on the skin.
Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting pan, and place the quartered lemon into the cavity.
Roast the turkey for about 2 hours, or until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the breast.
If the skin starts to get too dark, tent some aluminum foil over it.
Remove from the oven, and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- This blend of herbs is commonly sold together as a poultry blend.
- Or 1/2 tablespoon of table salt. You can also substitute an equal amount of sea salt in place of the kosher salt.
- Or chicken stock.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 59g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 176mg | Sodium: 486mg | Potassium: 770mg | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 5.9mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 3.4mg
Did You Make This Recipe?
Share it with me on Instagram @i_heart_eating and follow on Youtube @katedean and Pinterest @katedean for more!
Originallly published 11/8/13. Updated with new photos and tips 11/14/19.
Slightly adapted from Food Network.com
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Created by Kate
Kate got her first cookbook when she was five years old, and she hasn't stopped cooking since then! Her delicious recipes have been featured on Food Network, MSN, Better Homes & Gardens, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, and more. When she's not cooking or baking, she can be found on her mini farm with her husband and her five kids.
Reader Interactions
Love this recipe?
Share your thoughts below and let’s chat! Make sure to connect with me on your favorite social platform below and show me what you made!
Michele says
Great recipe, this is my 2nd time making it. Both times I used the following substitutes that I usually have on hand:
– Italian seasoning instead of fresh herbs or poultry seasoning
– Dijon mustard instead of dry mustard
– Cut the lemon in quarters, squeeze the juice from 2 pieces into the dry ingredients, and put the other 2 pieces inside the cavity
Additions:
– Lemon pepper one tablespoon
– Zesty Italian Salad Dressing 2 tablespoons
Caution: I used 1 tablespoon of salt per the recipe, even though I usually don’t cook with salt. Unfortunately I didn’t see the comment about using less salt until after I put my turkey breast in the oven a few minutes ago. I don’t remember if I used salt the first time. Since this is the only questionable ingredient, I’m hoping that it still comes out okay.Reply
Kate says
Thank you!
Reply
Bernadette says
This was delicious! I used a turkey breast that had been in my freezer for at least a year, and it came out moist and flavorful. I might cut back on the salt a smigde or use unsalted butter when making gravy from the drippings. Otherwise, bravo!Reply
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
Reply
Michele says
Hello, as a follow-up regarding substituting table salt for kosher salt, my daughter is a chef and she mentioned that when using table salt, less salt is required. Only using half the amount of table salt is one of the recommendations in the link below. Thanks!Reply
Kate says
Hi! Yes, that’s correct. There’s a note directly underneath the recipe in the “Notes” section that mentions using half the amount of salt if using table salt. =)
Caroline says
Yum!Reply
Ruthie says
Oh my… Looks so wonderful! You’ve been featured!! Come grab a button and share again! Have an awesome weekend. xoxo~ Ruthie
Reply
Kate says
Thanks so much, Ruthie! =)
Reply
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
I make a whole turkey every year no matter how few of us there are. A breast would be plenty and easier I’m sure! This looks delicious, Kate. You are making me hungry for Thanksgiving! Thanks for sharing this with us at Saturday Night Fever!
Reply
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