Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Roast Turkey Breast with Garlic Herb Butter Recipe
You’ll be the speak of your vacation gatherings with this Garlic Herb Butter Roast Turkey Breast! With herb butter smeared beneath the pores and skin so it drips down and bastes the turkey whereas it roasts, the pores and skin is loaded with flavour whereas the flesh is fantastically juicy. That is epic!
Now out there: the Sluggish Cooker model of this recipe with a Garlic Butter Gravy!
Roast turkey breast
The phrase “This aspect dish recipe is so good, it can steal the present!” is thrown round all an excessive amount of, and I’m responsible of it myself. However for these of you chargeable for the principle occasion – here’s a turkey in opposition to which no aspect, irrespective of how epic, stands an opportunity.
That herby garlic butter….. that juicy turkey breast – WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THE PART IN THE VIDEO WHERE I SHOW YOU HOW JUICY IT IS!!!! Sorry for shouting, however I used to be so excited to have the ability to seize that snippet!
There aren’t any phrases adequate sufficient to explain to you the way good that is. I don’t even know the place to start, however am going to have a great crack at it.
The story begins with a garlic herb butter. Think about your best garlic bread expertise. Bear in mind the way it oozes out of the delicate bread once you chunk into it? That salty, buttery, garlicky deliciousness.
Now, think about that smeared very generously beneath the pores and skin of a turkey.
Think about what that herby garlicky butter is doing to the turkey, whereas it’s roasting away. All kinds of excellent issues. It’s dripping down the turkey, very slowly as a result of it’s beneath the pores and skin, basting that turkey, infusing it with ridiculous quantities of flavour.
Sure, you could get your fingers soiled. Finest hand moisturiser ever.
And as that butter drips ever so slowly down the turkey, a few of it results in the pan, mingling with the turkey juices. Baste, baste, baste away, for further buttery goodness.
Common readers know I’m a fairly versatile laid again form of cook dinner. So once I put my foot down, you realize there’s a cause for it.
I’m placing my foot down and saying – if you’re chargeable for the principle occasion and are roasting turkey, it doesn’t matter what recipe you might be utilizing – get a meat thermometer!!
No excuses. Particularly fellow Aussies. Turkey is a annually indulgence for a lot of, and it isn’t low cost, so a meat thermometer is a small funding to make sure your turkey comes out as juicy as mine (wait till you see it!!!). El cheapo is okay – mine is that this $6 one from Ebay. Get one NOW!
Ahh, these pan juices! The proper sauce. No have to fuss round with gravy when you’ve a prepared made sauce that tastes this good! That’s the rationale why I roast the turkey on a mattress of garlic and herbs – to infuse the pan juices with further flavour so it may be used because the sauce.
Leftover turkey was by no means so good!
And with all that speak about this Garlic Herb Butter Roasted Turkey, piping scorching recent out of the oven, I haven’t even began on the day after…
Leftover turkey was by no means so good. Now, I’m no meals scientist. However I swear, one thing occurred to that turkey in a single day and the flesh turned nearly “cured” so it really has a texture just like the turkey deli slices. It’s a bit laborious to seize it in images, however I’ve tried – see how the slices are clean? There’s no query – it’s the very best leftover turkey I’ve had. You’ll be able to eat it chilly, straight out of the fridge, and also you’d by no means describe it as dry.
Pile it onto heat rolls slathered with the garlic butter… since you saved the leftover butter sauce, the considered throwing it out by no means crossed your thoughts – and to actually take it excessive, add some cheese (I’m a fan of provolone and Swiss).
In any other case, for just a few different takes on utilizing up leftover turkey, strive White Turkey Enchilada Soup, Garlic Bread Leftover Turkey Pot Pie or Muffulettas!
A turkey so good, it makes you wish to cry. Effectively, it makes me wish to cry. 😂
What to serve with turkey
Turkey breast is most of the time a centrepiece for vacation feasting reminiscent of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Listed below are some conventional and a few of my private favorite aspect dish solutions!
Just a few aspect dish solutions
Or have a flick thru these recipe collections of aspect dishes to search out precisely what you’re after!
Facet dish recipes
Your roast turkey breast would be the speak of the city
There’s no denying it – the prep is a bit fiddly and also you do have to get in there together with your fingers to ensure the herb & garlic butter will get into all these cracks and crevices. When you’ve by no means massaged butter into meat earlier than, you’re lacking out – and you must rectify that instantly!
And simply suppose how fantastically moisturised your fingers will probably be after you make this, to not point out how you may be showered with compliments by all these lucky sufficient to get a few of your Well-known Garlic Herb Butter Roasted Turkey which will probably be remembered for years to come back. 🙂
That’s what I’m right here for. To make you appear to be a star! 😂 – Johnsat x
Watch how you can make it
Ingredients
- 2.5 – 3 kg / 5-6 lb single turkey breast , skin on, bone in (Note 1), NOT BRINED
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- Small bunch of fresh herbs – 4 rosemary sprigs , 8 sprigs sage, 10 thyme sprigs
- 12 garlic cloves , smashed with side of knife (see video)
- 150 g / 5 oz (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 tsp table salt or 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 large garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp finely chopped sage , fresh
- 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary , fresh
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves , fresh
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves , fresh
Instructions
- Remove fridge chill: Take turkey out of the fridge 45 minutes before cooking (or 30 minutes if it's super hot where you are).
- Preheat oven to 200C / 390F (all oven types). Put rack in the lower middle position. (Note 3)
- Place garlic and bunch of herbs in the middle of a baking dish. (Note 4)
- Butter: Mix Butter ingredients together.
- Loosen skin: Use an upside teaspoon to help loosen the skin from the turkey flesh (easiest to go under the paper thin layer under the surface skin). Video helpful here.
- Smear butter under skin: Use about 2/3 of the butter, and smear it under the skin on the top half of the breast. Best to smear using hands under the skin (not on surface), to ensure it spreads as evenly as possible.
- Turn turkey upside down. Reserve about 2 tbsp butter for the surface, smear the rest on the underside.
- Place turkey in pan on the herbs, skin side up. Now smear skin with remaining butter – you don’t want much on the skin because the herb bits burn.
- STOP HERE for make ahead option – the turkey can be left like this for up to 24 hours. Remove from fridge 45 minutes before serving then proceed.
- Sprinkle top and sides of breast with salt and pepper all over. Place turkey in oven, turn DOWN to 180C/350F.
- Roast for 1 hr 30 minutes, basting all over every 30 minutes. (Note 5)
- COOK TIME / INTERNAL TEMPERATURE: The turkey is cooked when the meat thermometer inserted at the thickest part is 74C/165F. I check in several places. Allow 15 minutes per 500g/1 lb of turkey. My 2.8 kg / 5.5lb bone in turkey took 1 hr 40 minutes.
- COVER turkey with foil when it becomes golden to your taste, at any point during the cook time (1 hr 15 minutes for me).
- Rest – Remove turkey from pan and place on serving plate. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
- The pan will have melted butter and roasting juices. Remove herbs and garlic, squeezing out juices. Pour sauce into jug, serve with turkey.
- Gravy option – see Note 11. I personally love using the butter, but I understand if you feel the need for gravy!
Notes
1. TURKEY: Single breast, bone in, is the most popular turkey breast cut here in Australia. You can also use a 2 – 2.5kg / 4-5lb single breast with no bone. This can also be with a whole bone in turkey breast (called “buffe” or “crown” here in Australia, see photos in this turkey recipe). If your turkey is larger, use the scaler (hover mouse over Servings) to adjust the ingredients.
BRINED TURKEY: Frozen packaged turkey sold in the freezer section of supermarkets is often brined (if ingredients include salt, it’s brined). This recipe will be too salty if you use brined turkey, so reduce the salt in the butter to 3/4 tsp.
THAW TURKEY: You must must MUST thaw turkey properly before cooking it. Thaw in the refrigerator in a large bowl/tray 24 hours for every 2 – 2.5kg / 4 – 5 kg. Or for a quick thaw, use cold tap water (not warm or hot) and allow 30 minutes for every 500g/1lb of turkey, changing the water every 30 minutes. Ensure the turkey is submerged.
Do not even think about microwave thawing it – trust me, I’ve been there, tried that, suffered dry turkey. And cooking a partly frozen turkey is a no-no too.
2. COOK TIME: Rely on your thermometer, because so many variables will affect the cook time – the accuracy of your oven, the coldness of your turkey, how often you open/close the oven, how much heat escapes every time you do that etc etc!
3. RACK POSITION: Put the rack just below the middle so the turkey itself is in the middle of the oven. If the turkey is too high, the top can brown too fast, especially in standard ovens.
4. Choose a baking dish or ovenproof skillet the breast will fit in comfortably without loads of space around it.
5. BASTING: Use a large spoon and scoop up the pan juices, pour it all over the turkey. Do this about 8 – 10 times, then return to oven.
6. BUTTER SAUCE: Taste the sauce for saltiness (depends how much salt came off skin). Too salty: Add melted unsalted butter OR lemon juice (a bit at a time) if you want lemon flavour. Key is to taste test as you go. Not salty enough: Add salt. Not enough Sauce: Add butter and salt.
You will not need loads of sauce, it’s rich . You’ll need about 2 tsp per serving. See video to see how much there is – remember there are turkey juices combined with the butter, it’s not just butter.
7. SERVINGS: Turkey should be sliced fairly thinly for optimal experience! Start carving at the fat end of the breast which is juicier (it’s inevitable the thin end will be a bit overcooked). Ensure every slice has a bit of skin OR some of the underside (it is seriously loaded with flavour in this turkey!).
Because it’s sliced thinly, and assuming plenty of sides, I think that 300g / 10 oz UNCOOKED weight is sufficient per person. The drumstick/wing/bone you see in mine and the bone in a whole double breast weighs about 400g/14oz. So to serve 8 people, I would use 8 x 300g / 10 oz = 2.4kg / 5 lb, plus 400g/14oz bone = approx 2.8kg / 5.8 lb.
8. LEFTOVERS ARE EPIC: Keep leftover turkey whole. The salt under the skin seems to sort of cure the turkey so the next day, it slices like deli meat, rather than being dry leftover turkey. Make sure you save the butter and pan juices too! See photo in post for the leftover turkey cheese sandwich with garlic butter. It’s a brioche roll that I lightly toasted. I piled turkey on a plate and topped with provolone cheese, microwaved it briefly to melt the cheese. Dollop some butter / turkey juice “jelly” onto the bottom of the bun, pile on turkey cheese, dolloped more butter then put the top on. It’s so crazy good!!!
9 . SLOW COOKER version now available! See Garlic Herb Slow Cooker Turkey Breast.
10. GRAVY: If you really want a gravy, this is how to do it (it will be a browned butter gravy, super delicious): Scrape the pan juices into a large saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer then add 1/4 cup of plain flour. Mix into a slurry and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in 1 cup of chicken broth, whisking as you go. When it heats up, it will thicken, if it’s too thick, add water (depends on how much juices were in pan). To darken gravy colour, use dark soy sauce – just 1/2 tsp at a time (see note above for rationale). Lastly, season with salt & pepper to taste.
11. DRIED HERBS SUBSTITUTE – If you don’t have fresh herbs, for the butter use 1 tsp each of sage, rosemary and thyme. Don’t bother with dried parsley, it tastes of nothing. Ignore the step regarding placing herbs in the pan underneath the breast.
12. Nutrition per serving assuming all pan juices butter are consumed which they probably won’t be.
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