Lemon, Garlic and Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

A roasted boneless turkey breast is juicy and tender, with lemon, garlic and herbs flavoring it all the way through.

Lemon, Garlic and Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

This roasted turkey breast is such a wonderful recipe to enjoy for the holidays, but is also a wonderful way to enjoy turkey all year long too, and much simpler to prepare.

There are several reasons why you should prepare a turkey breast. First of all, if you prefer the white meat to the dark. Second of all, if you have a small gathering for Thanksgiving or another dinner when you don’t want to make a 15-pound bird. And lastly, if you have a really large gathering and having more meat would be a good idea, but you don’t want to make 2 birds. Roasting a turkey breast is much easier and takes less time than roasting a whole turkey.

I used a lemon, garlic and herb butter to rub all over the turkey to give it lots of flavor. The butter seeped into the turkey as it roasted and made it really juicy. Even the leftover turkey is really tender and packed with flavor. The lemon, garlic, and the assortment of fresh herbs really penetrated into all of the meat, since I marinated it overnight and the flavors complement each other really well. I would suggest making this for any other holiday when you’re having company and any day of the week for your family, not just on Thanksgiving. 

Video of How to Roast a Turkey Breast With Lemon, Garlic and Herb Butter:

Ingredients: 

  • boneless turkey breast (about 3 lbs), you can buy a boneless turkey breast roast with the bone already removed, or buy a turkey breast with the rib bones and remove the bones yourself. Watch the video to show detailed instructions on how to remove the turkey breast bone. 
    • I used a boneless turkey breast, but you can also use a bone-in turkey breast and it will work just as well. I think the boneless option looks a little neater, since it’s tied up like a roast, and it’s a bit easier to serve since you won’t have to cut the bone off.
  • softened butter – the butter needs to be softened to room temperature for you to be able to mix the flavored butter easily
  • garlic – the garlic will be sautéed until it is golden brown before adding to the butter
  • fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, etc.
  • lemon zest and lemon juice
  • salt, ground black pepper
Ingredients for Roasted Turkey Breast

How To Make a Roasted Turkey Breast

  1. Remove the turkey breast bone, if needed. (I show the detailed instructions on how to remove the breast bone in the video of this recipe.)
    • Use a knife to careful cut the breast meat from the breast meat. Take care to keep the two breast halves together and the skin intact. 
  2. Season the turkey breast with salt and ground black pepper on all sides.
  3. Make the flavored butter.
    • In a skillet, melt about 1/2 Tablespoon of butter and cook the garlic on low heat just until it becomes fragrant and slightly golden. Set aside to cool slightly. 
    • Combine the softened butter with the sautéed garlic, the fresh herbs, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt and ground black pepper to taste. Mix until smooth.
  4. Rub the garlic herb butter all over the underside of the turkey and under the skin. Depending on the size of the turkey breast you are using, you might have some butter left over. 
  5. Tie the turkey breast up like a roast.
    • Use kitchen twine to tie around the turkey to keep it in a neater package and so that it cooks more evenly. Tie the twine as tight as you can.
    • If you have any butter left over, rub the remaining herb butter mixture on top of the turkey breast.
    • For best results, leave the turkey to marinate overnight, but you can also roast it immediately.
  6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  7. Roast the turkey breast.
    • Place the turkey on a rimmed baking sheet or baking pan and cook until the turkey reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant-read thermometer.
    • A 3 lb boneless turkey breast will take approximately 1 hour to roast. Allow the turkey to rest for about 10 minutes before removing the kitchen twine and slicing it to serve.
How to make a roasted turkey breast tutorial

Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

How to prep a boneless turkey breast:

Butterfly the turkey, by cutting into the thickest portion of the turkey breast, keeping the knife 1/2 inch above the cutting board and stopping 1/2 inch from the edge of the breast. Open it like a book. Pound the turkey breast gently to get an even thickness. You will then roll up the turkey breast before tying it up with kitchen twine.

How to roast a bone-in turkey breast:

Season the turkey breast on both sides with salt and pepper. Rub the lemon herb butter under the skin and on top of the skin. You will not need to use kitchen twine for the bone in turkey. Continue with the rest of the recipe as directed.

Roasted Turkey Breast with lemon, garlic and herb butter

What To Serve With the Roasted Turkey Breast:

Print

Lemon, Garlic and Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

A roasted boneless turkey breast is juicy, delicious and simple to prepare. This recipe gets a lot of flavor from the lemon, garlic and herb marinade and the flavored butter. 

  • Author: Olga’s Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Entree

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 boneless turkey breast (about 3 lbs)
  • 6 Tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
  • 46 garlic cloves, minced
  • 12 Tablespoons minced fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, etc.
  • 1/21 teaspoon lemon zest and 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • salt, ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Season the turkey breast with salt and ground black pepper on all sides.
  2. Meanwhile, melt 1/2 Tablespoon of butter in a skillet and cook the minced garlic in it for about 30 seconds to a minute, just until it becomes fragrant and starts to turn lightly golden.
  3. Put the garlic into a medium bowl and add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and the minced fresh herbs. Mix to combine.
  4. Rub the garlic herb butter all over the underside of the turkey and under the skin. Use kitchen twine to tie around the turkey to keep it in a neater package and so that it cooks more evenly. Rub the remaining herb butter mixture on top of the turkey breast. For best results, leave the turkey to marinate overnight, but you can also roast it immediately.
  5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the turkey on a rimmed baking sheet or baking pan and cook until the turkey reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant-read thermometer. (A 3 lbs boneless turkey breast will take approximately 1 hour to roast.)
  6. Allow the turkey to rest for about 10 minutes before removing the kitchen twine and slicing it to serve.

Notes

*You can also butterfly the turkey, by cutting into the thickest portion of the turkey breast, keeping the knife 1/2 inch above the cutting board and stopping 1/2 inch from the edge of the breast. Open it like a book. Pound the turkey breast gently to get an even thickness. You will then roll up the turkey breast before tying it up with kitchen twine.

*You can also use a bone-in turkey breast for this recipe. Season the turkey breast on both sides with salt and pepper. Rub the lemon herb butter under the skin and on top of the skin. You will not need to use kitchen twine for the bone in turkey. Continue with the rest of the recipe as directed.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

This recipe was originally published on November 18, 2017. I have added a video to make it even more easy to follow the recipe and clarified the instructions, although the recipe is still the same. 

13 Comments

    • olgak7

      Since the turkey breast is being marinated overnight, the garlic is a lot harsher than if you were to cook it right away. I think the flavor of the garlic becomes much better when it’s cooked first and in turn, the turkey tastes much better. If you prefer, you don’t have to cook it, Nelya. In my opinion, it tastes better this way. I’ve tried it both ways.

  • Alesya

    I really want to try making the turkey breast this year rather then the whole turkey. The recipe is very easy to understand so thank you for that. I do have a question about the marinade you used.

        • olgak7

          I’m not sure what you mean, Alesya. Everything is described in the recipe.
          I seasoned it on all sides with salt and pepper, then made a lemon, garlic and herb butter that I rubbed the turkey all over with. The salt, pepper and all the seasonings, herbs and lemon are what the turkey is marinating in. I hope that clarifies it. I didn’t do anything that I didn’t talk wbout in the recipe.

          • Alesya

            I thought you meant that you marinated it over night like a traditional turkey. I am so sorry for that. When I think of marinade I think of leaving the meat for a while to soak in all the flavors.

          • Alesya

            Oh my goodness. I just went back and reared the recipe. I can’t believe I missed a whole sentence of the directions. Guess that’s what happens when you multi task. I do apologize

  • Darya

    Made this today for our small Thanksgiving dinner. Used 6 lbs bone in breast (that was the only option in my local store). Made sure it “marinated” in butter overnight. Followed the recipe for the butter rub (used the same herbs Olga recommended, also put one rosemary twine and small piece of lemon into the bone cavity, figured it wouldn’t hurt). Roasted for roughly 2 hours, but had to cover the top in foil after about 1 hour, the browning was pretty fast. It came out excellent – the flavor is great, the meat is soft and juicy, probably the best turkey I had in a while. And I made it! 🙂

  • Carol Ann

    I had wanted to roast a turkey breast for easter, but was unable to obtain it so had to buy a small turkey.
    Thank you for your recipe, Olga. I will be using it in the future. It looks positively scrumptious!

Leave a Comment

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.