This year, I’m doing Thanksgiving easy-style. While I have 30+ recipes for Thanksgiving that I’ve created over the years, This year, I want to spend more time out of the kitchen with my family and less time prepping and cooking. (Enter side dishes like roasted honeynut squash.) To top it all off? This roast turkey breast—the centerpiece of the holiday dinner.
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A boneless turkey breast is a great option for a smaller gathering—you don’t have to mess with carving around joints, you don’t have to mess with clean-up. It will save you so much time on Thanksgiving. You can brine the turkey if you want to, but I rarely do. Because a turkey breast is small, it takes on flavor a lot faster. It also cooks faster and cools down faster, meaning it won’t have as much time to dry out.
How much turkey breast to buy to serve 8 people?
A general rule of thumb is a half pound per person, which would be around 4 pounds of turkey breast for 8 people. Depending on the number of sides and how hungry everyone is, you will likely end up with some leftovers (which is what you want!)
Cutting Board | Knife | Dish Towel
Prep a turkey breast for Thanksgiving
This is a deboned turkey breast that I asked my butcher to it for roasting. Leave the tie on and rub avocado oil on the top (skin side), flip it over, and add olive oil to the bottom. I’m using my special seasoning blend, which has salt, pepper, some ground sage, garlic powder, and onion powder. Make sure there’s an even sprinkling across the top.
Now I have a roasting sheet with a cooling rack in it. That keeps the turkey breast elevated off the bottom and lets the dry heat encircle the bird so it cooks evenly. Let it sit at room temperature for an hour before you roast it. If it’s too cold, the meat can seize up and become tough.
The key to avoiding a dry turkey is to use a thermometer to check the temperature. I’m using my Meater Plus thermometer that can go into the oven. The thermometer goes it into the thickest part of the turkey breast.
How to properly cook a turkey breast
The roasting pan with the turkey goes into a 375-degree oven. When the roast turkey breast reaches 161-162 degrees internal temperature, I’ll take it out of the oven. That can take around 60-90 minutes. I set a timer for 30 minutes in, so I can check the exterior to see if it’s golden brown. Once you see that nice crust developing on the top, you can grab a large piece of aluminum foil and loosely fold it over the top to reflect the direct heat.
I don’t have to worry about it—I get to go hang out with my family instead of basting or rotating anything. The carry-over temperature will continue to rise. Let the roasted turkey breast rest until the temperature reduces at most to 130 degrees before you slice it. That retains the all-important moisture—no dry birds here! I leave the foil over loosely to cover it (not tight enough that it’s going to steam).
Once it’s rested and still warm, I slice thick slices of turkey with a sharp knife and fan the slices out on a festive platter.
Why this is the best turkey breast for Thanksgiving
Serving Platter | Serving Fork (similar) | Dish Towel
This roasted turkey breast has all the flavor of Thanksgiving and very little prep. No brine. No basting. It’s just a good, fall seasoning, the right oven temperature, and a proper rest time. There are just too many Thanksgiving recipes out there that are the “ultimate” this or that. You don’t have to over-complicate things! If you want to make your life easier this holiday season, this recipe delivers incredible flavor and texture for a no-fuss holiday turkey. It’s incredibly delicious, and I think your guests are going to love it.
