Easy, Moist and the Most Flavorful Roast Turkey Breast


I love a Thanksgiving dinner, but it is a lot of work. I always roast a turkey, make stuffing, mash potatoes, candy sweet potatoes, I make 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.

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 Dish and the Turkey

First, position your oven rack, to allow the turkey breast to cook, close to the center of the oven.

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

Bring your ingredients out, so they are ready for use.

All of the needed spices
Oil
I use grapeseed oil instead of many other food grade oil options out there.

Get an oven safe roasting dish.

I really love this CorningWare Simply Lite, 3 quart, (2.85 liter), dish. It is so useful and it comes with a great, domed, sealable lid.
You can bake cookies and pile them high thanks, to the domed lid.
I bake single layer cakes in it, frost the cake and then close the lid for freshness.
You can bake main courses or side dishes in it, (for example; tuna casserole, baked macaroni and cheese, scalloped potatoes, candied yams or green bean casserole).
I cut up fresh fruit, (like cantaloupe or watermelon). I put the fruit in, close the lid, put it in my fridge and have fresh fruit ready for when I want it.
Today, I’ll roast my turkey breast in it.

Place a wire rack on the bottom of a baking/roasting dish, (no lid needed for this recipe).

This is my CorningWare dish. Inside it, I have placed a stainless steel rack.

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.

Applying the grapeseed oil

Remove the turkey breast packaging and rinse the breast off under cool water.

In this case, I used a Jennie-O brand Turkey Breast.

The turkey breast should be placed on the center of the rack vertically, with the 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).

I will be calling this a turkey breast, but it is actually 2 breasts, (a left and a right).

In a separate bowl, measure 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil.

I put the grapeseed oil, into a bowl to make a paste for the turkey breast.

Seasoning the Turkey Breast

The order of adding the seasonings into the bowl, doesn’t matter, just make sure you add them all.

Add 2 teaspoons rosemary.

Rosemary is a rich source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.

Add 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning.

I like the look of the Spice Island brand bottles. They fit in my seasoning rack nicely, but, this one isn’t organic. Organic seasonings would be ideal.

Add 2 teaspoons ground oregano.

Level your measurements as best as you can.

Add 2 teaspoons salt.

All too often, I’ve heard people say salt is bad for your health.
Did you know, iodized salt helps promote healthy hydration levels, creates a balance of electrolytes, helps create the hormones that regulate blood pressure and heart rate?
Not only that, but it helps to burn excess fat deposits that could lead to heart disease.
Some people need to be careful though, as they may have been advised by a medical professional to restrict their salt intake.

Add 1 teaspoons ground thyme.

Thyme is full of vitamin C for immune support, potassium for healthy cells and magnesium for bone development and blood clotting.

Add 1 teaspoons black pepper.

I like fine ground black pepper. I feel it disperses in whatever you put it into, better.

Add 1 teaspoons onion powder.

Onions have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects, linked to lower blood sugar levels, a reduced risk of cancer and improved bone health.

Add 1 teaspoons garlic powder.

Garlic has so much going for it, you’ve got to read what Healthline says about it, click here to read, “11 Proven Health Benefits of Garlic“.

Stir the ingredients thoroughly.

You think it looks yucky in the bowl, wait till you see it on and under the turkey skin.

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.

See, I told you.

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 it’s pan juices, every 20 minutes, until it 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 170°F, (77°C) for it to be considered fully cooked. I check the temperature, several places around the breast meat.

It came out beautifully browned.

Take the turkey breast out of the dish and place it on a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to slice off one of the 2 breasts, (cut as close as you can to the rib bones).

The cutting board is Royal brand. It is made of bamboo. You may not know that bamboo is a hard wood. Bamboo is not a tree, but a grass. Even though it is a grass, it is harder than oak. Bamboo will grow to maturity, ready for harvest, in 3 to 5 years. Oak matures in 20 to 30 years. It makes more sense to harvest bamboo than oak for the sake of cutting boards. When you are done cutting food, make sure to wash the cutting board with hot soapy water, then stand it to dry. Periodically, it is good to treat the surface of the wood with food grade mineral oil.

Slice the turkey breast, diagonally.

The knife is Russel International brand. Even though it wasn’t an expensive knife, it has served me well for many years.

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!!!!

The crystal napkin rings were a gift from my children.
The flatware is Oneida. The pattern is called Reyna.
The plate is my 222 Fifth, the pattern is Blue Adelaide.

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