This post has been sponsored by Shady Brook Farms Turkey ®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Best Roast Turkey Breast Recipe
This year has been exceptionally strange and difficult, which lead to some adjustments to our traditional holiday plans. Although my love for Thanksgiving stems from the large gatherings we usually host, it truly comes from memories made with loved ones around the table. So this year, I created a Thanksgiving menu focused on our family of four, starting with this roast turkey breast recipe – and a Shady Brook Farms® Frozen Young Bone-In Breast Turkey was the perfect way to downsize from our traditional whole roast turkey.
It’s important to me to source clean, organic ingredients, especially while shopping for proteins. Shady Brook Farms Turkey ® sets themselves apart from the rest by working with family farms who are ethically raising turkey flocks to produce a more sustainable product. Food safety is also a number one priority, making sure each of their products is as safe and fresh as possible before reaching their customer’s homes.
Shady Brook Farms Turkey ® makes it easy to find poultry without growth promoting antibiotics, something that is extremely important to me when it comes to feeding my family. I hate wondering what’s in our food and where it came from, which is why I will continue to purchase their products. Here’s where you can find their turkey products at your local grocery store.
PrintThe Best Roast Turkey Breast Recipe
A stress free roast turkey breast recipe with a two-ingredient dry brine and delicious glaze that produces the juiciest thanksgiving turkey every time.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 115 minites
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 8
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- Shady Brook Farms® Frozen Young Turkey Breast, patted dry
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 bunch sage
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/4 red wine vinegar
- 2 tbs raw honey
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- zest of one orange
Instructions
- Add the salt and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix until the ingredients are evenly incorporated together. Rinse the turkey breast and pat dry before placing it onto a V-shape rack inside a roasting pan. Rub handfuls of the dry brine all over the inside and outside of the turkey breast. You may have some of the dry brine left over, but make sure the turkey breast is completely coated with the brine. Chill the turkey, uncovered in the roasting pan for at least 12 hours and up to two days.
- Remove turkey from wire rack. Rinse the roasting pan and the rack and place the turkey breast back onto the rack in the roaster. Let the turkey sit at room temperature 2–3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450° and and move a rack to the middle of the oven. Loosen the skin around the turkey breast with your fingers. Rub 4 tablespoons of the butter under skin, spreading it evenly on both sides. Coat the outside of the turkey breast with another 4 tablespoons of butter. Add a cup of water to the bottom of the roasting pan before placing it into the oven.
- Roast the turkey breast until the skin caramelizes and is golden brown, for about 30 minutes, rotating the pan at 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the rosemary, sage, garlic, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, remaining butter and orange zest in a small saucepan. Cook the glaze over medium heat until it simmers. Continue to cook for about five minutes until the glaze thickens. Turn the burner on its lowest setting to keep the glaze warm.
- After the skin on the turkey has crisped to a golden brown, reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Using a brush, coat the turkey in the glaze and continue to roast. After about 30 minutes, the glaze will caramelize with skin. At this point, add another layer of glaze to the turkey and continue to do so every 30 minutes. In small quantities, add more water to the bottom of the pan as needed. Continue to glaze and roast the turkey for about 75-85 minutes longer, depending on the weight of the bird.
- Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of breast. Once it reads 150° the turkey breast is cooked properly. The skin should be crisp and a dark golden brown. Let the turkey breast rest at least 30 minutes before carving.
Notes
The skin of the turkey caramelizes with the glaze as the turkey roasts. The color of the skin will darken, but it is not burning. Continuously glazing the turkey throughout the roasts deepens it’s color, and flavor.
Keywords: roast turkey breast, thanksgiving turkey
Brine For Turkey Recipe
I use a simple dry brine recipe that has always given me the juiciest turkey with minimal effort. Simply mix 1/2 cup kosher salt with about two tablespoons of brown sugar together and coat the entire turkey breast with it. Put the turkey in a roasting pan with the brine and chill for 12 hours, and up to two days before roasting.
Roast Turkey Breast Recipe
I’ve used this roast turkey breast recipe for the last few years and it has never failed me. Between the dry brine that keeps the bird juicy and the butter that makes the skin crispy – it is Thanksgiving perfection with little stress. The glaze is seasoned with all of my fall flavors and my family would not claim a Thanksgiving day without me making this recipe!
How to Cook Frozen Turkey Breast in Oven
I do keep an eye on the turkey while it’s in the oven, but I am usually preparing sides while it roasts. Every 30 minutes I will coat the turkey breast in the glaze. You should have enough glaze to take you through the entire roast. If you forget to add glaze at a 30 minute increment, don’t stress! This recipe really is fool proof, which is why it is my go-to for an important occasion like Thanksgiving.
I roast the turkey for 30 minutes at it’s highest heat of 450 degrees, just until the skin is golden brown. Then I reduce the heat to 300 degrees and roast for an additional 75-85 minutes, depending on how large the bird is. The internal temp of the thickest part of the turkey breast near the neck should be 150 degrees before it’s safe to eat. Something to remember: the skin will darken because of the initial 30 minute roast at the high temp for a quick crisp. Also, the color of the glaze itself is darker making the skin darken as well as it caramelizes and roasts. You’re not burning the bird, you’re only deepening the flavors!
I hope you find this recipe as easy and tasty as my family does. From our family to yours, I hope you have a wonderful, intimate Thanksgiving holiday.
If you’re looking for a healthy Thanksgiving side, check out this Fall Harvest Kale salad.
