Oven-Roasted Garlic Herb Turkey Breast

This juicy oven-roasted turkey breast is flavored with garlic butter and fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage. It cooks with your favorite root vegetables, so the flavor and juices soak into them, too. It makes a great meal or Thanksgiving dinner for two.

Every year I like to experiment with flavors, but when it comes to turkey, my family is pretty rigid. They like garlic, butter, and fresh herb flavors best. One of the things I like most about this turkey breast recipe is that it gives you all these traditional flavors in a much smaller amount. This oven-roasted turkey breast is perfect for small celebrations

This turkey breast surprised me. I have never bought a boneless turkey breast, and did not expect what I found when I took it out of the packaging. The meat was encased in a strong elastic mesh. Once I was able to cut it free, I saw the shape was not easy to work with, and the skin was barely attached. I like to load flavored butter under the skin, so that wasn’t going to work for this recipe. To work around this, I tucked the meat into an oval and rubbed the butter mixture all over the turkey breast, all the way around it, and under the little bit of skin that was there.

The turkey breast bakes pretty quickly when it is boneless, so you will need to baste it at the 15-minute mark if you plan to make gravy.

Serve this roasted garlic herb turkey breast with Gluten Free Texas Toast Stuffing, Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Apple Sauce, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon. For meal planning, see all of my Gluten Free Thanksgiving Recipes.

If you prefer using your air fryer, try this Air Fryer Roasted Turkey Breast recipe.

Ingredient Notes and Easy Swaps:

For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.

• Turkey Breast – For this recipe, I used a Butterball boneless turkey breast, which was labeled gluten-free. If you use a bone-in turkey breast, the bake time will be longer.
• Butter – I used salted butter, but either will work.
• Garlic – Freshly minced garlic works best and has the best flavor.
• Fresh Herbs – Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. I didn’t test using dried herbs.
• Orange Zest – Any variety of orange is fine. I used a Cara Cara orange to zest since that is what I had on hand.
• Chicken Broth – For basting and making the gravy.
• Root Vegetables – I used rutabagas and sweet potatoes. Regular potatoes and parsnips also taste good mixed in.

How to Make a Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast (Step-By-Step)

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. If your turkey breast came in elastic netting, use kitchen shears to remove it from the turkey breast.

Step 1: In a small microwave-safe bowl, partially melt the butter for 35 seconds. Chop the fresh herbs and add them, along with the minced garlic, salt, and orange zest.

Step 2: Grease a cast iron skillet or baking dish. Rub the butter herb mixture under any skin still attached and over all exposed meat. This way, the butter keeps the outside from drying out instead of only flavoring the skin.

Step 3: Wash, cut, and arrange the root vegetables around the turkey breast in the skillet. Add 1/2 cup of chicken or turkey broth to the skillet if you are making gravy.

Step 4: Bake the turkey and veggies for 15 minutes. Baste the turkey with the second 1/2 cup of chicken or turkey broth. This will cook into the pan drippings. Bake another 18-25 minutes depending on the size of your turkey breast and whether it is boneless or bone-in. (Mine was boneless, 24 ounces, and cooked in 35 minutes.)

👀 Sandi Says: Bone-in turkey breast can take between 1 1/2 and 2 hours to roast.

Step 5: Use a digital thermometer to check the turkey’s internal temperature. It should reach 165ºF when fully cooked. I let the turkey rest on a platter for 10 minutes before slicing, and it was juicy and delicious.

If you want to use your pan drippings to make the gravy, follow my Gluten Free Gravy recipe.

Serve with these sides:

Need more Thanksgiving menu inspiration? Here are some more tasty sides we enjoy making:

• Gluten Free Traditional Stuffing with Sausage
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Thyme
• Gluten Free Dinner Rolls (Air Fryer or Oven-Baked)
• Pan-Fried Sweet Potatoes with Honey and Leeks