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Home » Food » Recipes » Main Dishes » Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (Bone In turkey breast)

Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (Bone In turkey breast)

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Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought it would be a great time to share our family’s favorite oven roasted turkey breast recipe.

Our family's favorite oven roasted turkey breast. We have this every Thanksgiving. | APinchOfHealthy.com

This is my mom’s recipe, and she has used this method for many, many years. It is just tradition for us to make it this way!

Note: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. See my full affiliate disclosure policy here.

This recipe uses a bone in turkey breast, which is all white meat. The boneless turkey breast varieties will have a different cook time and different texture. We prefer the bone in turkey breast, which you can find at most grocery stores – WalMart, Publix, etc.

This works for a smaller group to medium crowd, especially with all the side dishes! For the years we hosted a large crowd, my mom would make two of these bone in turkey breasts, rather than a whole bird.

And side note: if you are wanting to make turkey for an even smaller crowd, check out my air fryer turkey breast tenderloin recipe.

Heads up: Be sure and give your frozen turkey breast plenty of time to thaw. For a Thursday meal, I would take mine out of the freezer on Sunday morning, and let it thaw in the refrigerator. 

How to make oven roasted turkey breast

First, gather your ingredients. For tastiest results, always use the best quality ingredients you have access to.

Ingredients

To make this oven-roasted turkey breast recipe recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

  • 1 bone-in turkey breast, about 6 pounds
  • 1 oven bag with included closure/ bag tie
  • garlic salt (or you can sub half garlic powder, half salt)
  • black pepper
  • paprika
  • onion powder
  • olive oil
  • all purpose flour
  • celery
  • onion

Feel free to include any of your favorite fresh herbs. That being said, we make this exact recipe listed as is every Thanksgiving and love it!

Why turkey breast?

Why use a turkey breast versus a whole entire turkey? I really like the simplicity of turkey breast. You don’t have to worry about trying to cook the dark meat enough while not drying out the white meat, which is the case cooking a whole bird. There is no basting in this method either, so no fuss!

Plus, there are a LOT of other things needing your attention on Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving is basically the kitchen olympics at our house. The simpler, the better! This simple recipe is the easiest way to make juicy turkey breast.

And don’t worry, this recipe is so very tasty, full of flavor, tender and yielding juicy meat. You are not sacrificing any taste to get that simplicity!

Our family's favorite oven roasted turkey breast. We have this every Thanksgiving. | APinchOfHealthy.com

Prepping and seasoning

Rinse the turkey breast, remove any giblets from the cavity, and pat dry with paper towels. It a small bowl or ramekin, mix all the spices and the oil, and stir to combine.

mixing seasoning and oil in a small glass bowl


Rub that mixture all over the turkey, inside the cavity as well as outside for maximum flavor. I even go up under the skin of the turkey breast with mine. Use your hands to gently pull the skin away from the meat a little, as you go up under it with the spice and oil mixture. Place the onion and celery in the cavity.

Take the flour, and add it to the oven bag. Use your hands to clamp the opening (so that flour doesn’t go everywhere!), and shake the bag to distribute the flour.

Place the bag in your roasting pan, and open it up.
Place the turkey breast in it. Note: We sit ours right in the bag. There will be drippings that the turkey is sitting in after it is cooked. We love that! If you don’t want your turkey sitting in its drippings, add some extra celery and onion, and sit the turkey breast on top of that. Use the included bag tie to close the bag.


Use scissors to cut three small holes in the top of the bag to let steam release. (NOTE: My mom always does all of the steps up to this point the night before Thanksgiving, and puts the bag with the seasoned turkey in the refrigerator overnight. It saves tons of time, but is not required. I tested all steps done the day of, and it was still great!)

What temperature to cook turkey breast in the oven

We prefer a slow roasted turkey breast type situation. Here is our cooking process. Place the pan in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F, and make sure that the oven bag is not touching the top or sides of the oven. Adjust your shelves if you need to!

How long to cook turkey breast in the oven

Cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, which turns out to be about 2 hours and 15 minutes for my 6 pound bone-in turkey breast. This is a general rule of thumb, and you should adjust if your turkey breast is significantly bigger or smaller than this.

Feel free to use and instant-read thermometer, if you want to make sure.

Rest

Let the turkey rest at least 30 minutes before carving. This helps to redistribute the juices, and it makes it taste amazing!

We usually let ours rest anywhere from an hour to 1.5 hours while we cook all of our side items in the oven. It will still be warm after this long, so no worries.

Carve on a cutting board with a sharp knife and enjoy! And don’t forget the cranberry sauce.

Our family's favorite oven roasted turkey breast. We have this every Thanksgiving. | APinchOfHealthy.com

Roasting turkey in an oven bag

Sure, there are a few of you out there who will not like the fact that this recipe uses an oven bag.

Our family's favorite oven roasted turkey breast. We have this every Thanksgiving. | APinchOfHealthy.com

I get it, and I almost did not publish this recipe because of it. But I decided to keep it real and share it anyway!

#NotPerfect #Tradition

This post explains the pros and cons of oven bags in a funny advice column format. I am not trying to convince you of anything, though.

My view: Maybe they’re not ideal, but we literally use them once or twice a year. Once at Thanksgiving and usually again at Christmas.

They make the turkey golden brown beautifully, while keeping it juicy without any basting. So I am okay with the risks since I am not using them all the time.

As an added bonus, it collects the pan drippings, which are great for making homemade gravy.

Maybe I’ll tweak mom’s recipe and play with the different cooking methods to make it apart from oven bags later on.

But for now, I just want to forever document my mom’s original tried and true method. It’s like our little family tradition, and it results in some really juicy, delicious turkey!

Storage and leftovers

Store leftovers in a covered container or sealable storage bag.

How long is cooked turkey in the fridge? 3 to 4 days is a safe bet, and my family has gone slightly longer than that.

Be sure and check out my leftover turkey recipes here.

Tools Used to Make This Recipe

Note: These are Amazon affiliate links.

  • Oven bag – I use the Reynold’s ones (not sponsored). And yes, we use the ones for 8 to 24 pounds, even though a turkey breast is only around 6 pounds.
  • Roasting pan. The one I am using is technically a lasagna pan, but it works great!
  • Knife for carving

Pin and share this recipe

Did you try our family’s oven roasted turkey breast recipe? Give it a star rating. Pin it and share it if it looks good to you. And be sure and stay connected on social media!

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Our family's favorite oven roasted turkey breast. We have this every Thanksgiving. | APinchOfHealthy.com
4.83 from 28 votes
Print

Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (Bone In)

This oven roasted turkey breast is my mom’s recipe, and she has used this method for many, many years. It is just tradition for us to make it this way!

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword oven roasted turkey breast
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 184 kcal
Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

  • 1 in bone- turkey breast about 6 pounds
  • 1 oven bag with included closure/ bag tie
  • 2 Tablespoons garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2.5 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon flour all purpose
  • 3 in stalks of celery cut half
  • 1 onion quartered

Instructions

  1. Rinse the turkey breast, remove any giblets from the cavity, and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. It a small bowl or ramekin, mix all the spices and the oil, and stir to combine.
  3. Rub that mixture all over the turkey, inside the cavity as well as outside for maximum flavor. I even go up under the skin of the turkey breast with mine. Use your hands to gently pull the skin away from the meat a little, as you go up under it with the spice and oil mixture.

  4. Place the onion and celery in the cavity.
  5. Take the flour, and add it to the oven bag.
  6. Use your hands to clamp the opening (so that flour doesn’t go everywhere!), and shake the bag to distribute the flour.
  7. Place the bag in your roasting pan, and open it up.
  8. Place the turkey breast in it. Note: We sit ours right in the bag. There will be drippings that the turkey is sitting in after it is cooked. We love that! If you don’t want your turkey sitting in its drippings, add some extra celery and onion, and sit the turkey breast on top of that.
  9. Use the included bag tie to close the bag.
  10. Use scissors to cut three small holes in the top of the bag to let steam release. (NOTE: My mom always does all of the steps up to this point the night before Thanksgiving, and puts the bag with the seasoned turkey in the refrigerator overnight. It saves tons of time, but is not required. I tested all steps done the day of, and it was still great!)
  11. Place the pan in a preheated oven at 325 degrees, and make sure that the oven bag is not touching the top or sides of the oven. Adjust your shelves if you need to!
  12. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 2 hours and 15 minutes for mine.
  13. Let rest at least 30 minutes before carving. We usually let ours rest anywhere from an hour to 1.5 hours while we cook all of our side items in the oven.
  14. Carve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Be sure and give your turkey plenty of time to thaw. For a Thursday meal, I would take mine out of the freezer on Sunday morning, and let it thaw in the refrigerator. 

Nutrition Facts
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (Bone In)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 184 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Cholesterol 77mg26%
Sodium 1691mg74%
Potassium 370mg11%
Carbohydrates 2g1%
Protein 31g62%
Vitamin A 225IU5%
Vitamin C 0.8mg1%
Calcium 23mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post originally appeared on A Pinch of Healthy 11/9/2017.

(Visited 316,204 times, 1 visits today)

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary Beth says

    April 18, 2022 at 4:53 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious!! I made three turkey breasts for Easter using this method. So tender and flavorful! I will admit I wasn’t crazy about the texture of the skin, so I pulled it off. Then I put some fresh oregano bunches around it to distract that there was no skin! Ultimate compliment was my 19 year old niece claimed the leftovers! Thank you for the great recipe and easy directions!

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      April 19, 2022 at 1:04 pm

      Yay Mary Beth! I am so happy to hear this.❤️

      Reply
  2. Alleyjazz says

    January 2, 2022 at 4:18 pm

    5 stars
    This was super delicious!

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      January 3, 2022 at 9:48 am

      I am so glad you enjoyed it!🙌🏻

      Reply
  3. Caroline Landon says

    November 26, 2021 at 2:45 pm

    Do you remove the turkey from the bag while it is resting, or leave it in until it’s time to carve?

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 30, 2021 at 7:17 am

      Hi Caroline! I leave it in the bag until it is time to carve.👌🏻

      Reply
  4. Paula says

    November 24, 2021 at 6:26 am

    I don’t have much experience with cooking turkey but this sounds easy and delicious so I’m going to give it a try!!! Do you have any suggestions for doing this the day before and reheating the next day?

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 24, 2021 at 2:12 pm

      Hi Paula! I suggest seasoning it the night before and letting it hang out in the fridge (in the oven bag and everything, right ready to go). Cook it the day of, and do the timeline math to make it come out of the oven about an hour before you plan to eat. That is what we do every year, and it works out great. I hope you enjoy it. Happy Thanksgiving!

      Reply
  5. Kevin Smith says

    November 23, 2021 at 6:33 am

    I’ve seen some posting on putting the breast skin side down with the cavity upwards. What do you suggest?

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 23, 2021 at 8:48 am

      Hi Kevin! I suggest it as written, with the breast meat facing upward. Reason being: what’s below it sits in the juices and will not get crisp skin. I hope you enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving!

      Reply
  6. Audrey says

    November 13, 2021 at 12:35 pm

    This sounds delicious, I’m trying it for our turkey this year. Mine always turned out so dry. Thanks for the tip with the bag.

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 17, 2021 at 7:13 am

      I hope you enjoy it Audrey!❤️

      Reply
  7. Donna Grubb says

    April 1, 2021 at 8:26 am

    Can this recipe done with stuffing the turday breast? Thank you for your help.

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      April 4, 2021 at 4:41 pm

      I have not done it that way before, so I cannot say for sure.

      Reply
    • Shannon says

      November 22, 2022 at 11:24 am

      5 stars
      Yes you can use stuffing.. but I do suggest taking it out after resting the turkey breast and putting it in the oven to keep warm(and to dry out since it will be sitting in the juices) my mom always made one dressing(stuffing) that she put in the turkey and one that she didn’t, just in case people didn’t like wet stuffing.

      Reply
  8. hope pietrzyk says

    January 2, 2021 at 9:48 am

    Can I use the turkey oven bags to cook frozen turkey breast 6 lbs without defrosting?

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      January 11, 2021 at 9:57 am

      Hi Hope! I would never recommend doing this recipe without thawing the meat first.

      Reply
  9. Angela D says

    January 1, 2021 at 10:11 am

    5 stars
    I just wanna say this is the perfect recipe. I used it at Thanksgiving and was asked to do it again for New Year s. Perfect tender juicy breast. Thank you for giving me a new holiday tradition. Oh and the color is beautiful. Yummilicious

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      January 11, 2021 at 9:58 am

      Amazing to hear, Angela🙌🏻

      Reply
  10. Jessie O’Donnell says

    December 20, 2020 at 8:15 pm

    Plan to cook this for Christmas. I Especially like that I can prepare everything the night before.
    By the way my oven bags have been in my pantry for years and box is open. Should I buy new ones?

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      December 23, 2020 at 3:03 pm

      The bags should still work fine. Hope you enjoy it, and Merry Christmas!

      Reply
    • Alison Thetford says

      December 24, 2020 at 6:32 am

      We had it on Thanksgiving. Excellent and enough juice to make a delicious gravy!

      Reply
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Roasted turkey breast
Oven roasted turkey breast