Don’t need a whole turkey? Try this Roasted Turkey Breast for your small holiday gathering!
Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? I’m not this year; I only have to show up, probably with an appetizer or salad that travels well, and enjoy the fruits of someone else’s labor.
If you are hosting, how many people are you having? I’ve hosted Thanksgivings with crowds both large and small, and the menu definitely is impacted by the size of the group.
If you’re having a small crowd, what do you do? Roast an entire turkey and then have way more turkey than you could ever eat?
I propose you try this Butter and Herb Roasted Turkey Breast instead. You’ll end up with a much more manageable amount of turkey.
There are some definite advantages of a Roasted Turkey Breast vs. the whole bird. You don’t have to worry about cooking dark and white meat correctly because it’s all white meat. Look how juicy it turned out!
The turkey breast, also, of course, cooks quicker than a whole bird, which can be an advantage as well.
Butter, fresh herbs, and lemon juice impart incredible flavor in this Roasted Turkey Breast. 
The prep here is really easy. You just have to create a quick paste to rub on your turkey breast and then it’s ready to be roasted. I didn’t do any brining and it still turned out moist and flavorful. 
Whether you’re planning a small gathering for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year, this Butter and Herb Roasted Turkey Breast should have a place on the menu.
One more thing before I get to the recipe. I have two more recipes you may want to include in your Thanksgiving feast, including the best dinner rolls EVER (no joke) and a cute dessert idea the kids will love. Make sure to check back as they will both be published before Thanksgiving.
PrintButter and Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
This Butter and Herb Roasted Turkey breast is moist, flavorful, and perfect for your small holiday gathering!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 whole bone-in turkey breast, 6 1/2-7 pounds
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup dry white wine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Place the turkey, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, melted butter, and lemon juice. It should form a paste that isn’t super thick.
- Gently pull the skin up from the breast, and use your fingers to spread half of the paste under the skin onto the meat. Spread the remaining paste onto the skin.
- Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Roast the turkey for 1 3/4-2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- When the turkey is done, allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the juices from the pan. Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe lightly adapted from here.
Need more Thanksgiving recipes? Here are a few ideas!
Homemade Cranberry Sauce (choose from 4 different variations)
Green Bean Casserole from Scratch (Vegan and Gluten-Free recipe)
Sweet Potato Casserole (My FAVORITE!!)
If you make this Butter and Herb Roasted Turkey recipe, or any Happy Healthy Mama recipe, I would LOVE to see it! Please take a pic and share it on Instagram or the Happy Healthy Mama Facebook page and tag me @happyhealthymama ?
Also, if you try it, would you mind rating the recipe? It’s VERY helpful for me and other readers if the recipes have ratings and reviews. I appreciate you!
If you’d like to save this recipe for later, here’s an image to save to your Pinterest recipe board!
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