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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 316,127 times, 2 visits today)

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marilyn says

    November 20, 2024 at 2:27 pm

    Hi Can you put two 5 lb turkey breasts in one bag? Or do you have to cook them separately?

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 21, 2024 at 9:15 am

      Hi Marilyn! My mom always used separate bags for multiple turkey breasts, so that is what I recommend. I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  2. Mary says

    November 5, 2024 at 12:04 pm

    I’ve always cooked my turkeys and turkey breasts in a bag but lately my turkey breast doesn’t brown. And my husband loves crispy skin so I may try this year with no bag. Any suggestions??

    Reply
  3. Lana says

    June 17, 2024 at 1:44 pm

    5 stars
    I made this recipe for Father’s Day and it was delicious! However, I used an 8lb turkey breast. Also, I was a bit cautious with the seasoning amounts. I used just 1Tbs of garlic salt, and 1/2tsp each of onion powder and pepper. I did use 2tsp of paprika. I used 3Tbs of olive oil since the turkey breast was larger. For my taste, the seasoning was perfect! Family loved it too. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      June 23, 2024 at 7:16 am

      I am so glad you enjoyed it Lana!

      Reply
  4. Alan L. says

    December 24, 2023 at 9:26 pm

    Followed recipe to a tee, but end result looked nothing like pic here. Mine had no liquid or spreadable consistency at all. It
    literally looked like and had the consistency of heated stick chili. Was gritty as could be, and when attempting to spread on the skin or meat itself, it just fell off for the most part. Do you heat the ingredients once mixed with the olive oil to get what looks like BBQ sauce in the pic? Any advice would be appreciated. Would really like to try this again. Looks so good here!

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      December 26, 2023 at 3:44 pm

      Hey Alan! Sorry to hear that. I will provide a couple of tips, based on what info you provided. I did not heat anything. You could add a bit more oil (not much, little bit at a time), which would make the seasoning paste mixture more spreadable. The second thing I am hearing is that the seasoning fell off, or would not stick to the meat? If this is correct, try blotting the meat with paper towels before spreading the seasoning. Drier meat will make the seasoning stick much more effectively. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  5. Penny says

    November 22, 2023 at 9:32 am

    Hi – I am leaning towards using a cooking bag for my Turkey Breast this year (tomorrow!) It will still brown, right? Can I use a disposable foil roasting pan?

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 22, 2023 at 3:51 pm

      Hi Penny! Yes, ours always browns pretty. The only part that is not truly brown in whatever side it sitting in the juices. Disposable pan should work fine. Just be sure it is well supported when you transfer it (two hands, for example) so that it doesn’t collapse from the weight of the turkey. Enjoy! I hope it turns out delicious for you.

      Reply
      • Penny says

        November 23, 2023 at 1:53 pm

        4 stars
        Method was very easy. The turkey cooked and was delicious, but the skin did not brown very much at all. That was disappointing. Still very tasty and I suppose we shouldn’t eat the skin anyway.

        Reply
  6. Danita says

    November 19, 2023 at 1:24 pm

    What does the flour do? Anything other than thicken juices? Can I use cornstarch? We have gluten issues.

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 19, 2023 at 3:34 pm

      Cornstarch should work just fine. Enjoy!

      Reply
    • Nini2008 says

      November 21, 2023 at 1:54 pm

      5 stars
      It’s just so the bag doesn’t explode. Not sure if I eould use cornstarch.

      Reply
  7. Karen Maury says

    October 16, 2023 at 8:32 am

    5 stars
    Hi there!! I’m not a cook, but going to cook this Thanksgiving. I printed off your recipe for your mom’s Turkey in the bag. I am glad I found it. I need the bag to ensure my turkey is juicy. I would not attempt a turkey without the bag. Lol. Thank you so much!!! We non-cooks are out here!!

    Reply
  8. Rose says

    November 22, 2022 at 8:44 pm

    What does this mean, 3 in stalks of celery cut half?

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 23, 2022 at 10:04 am

      Hi Rose! You simply separate out 3 stalks from a bunch of celery. Then, in order to get them to fit in the cavity of the bird, cut them in half. So if the stalks are 10 inches for example, cut them in half to be 5 inch pieces. Enjoy!

      Reply
  9. Lori says

    November 17, 2022 at 11:44 am

    5 stars
    Tell your mom THANK YOU for the BEST turkey recipe according to my husband who could NOT STOP eating it!!!! I only wish I could find fresh turkey year round….I mean the turkeys are around all year so why can I only buy it around Thanksgiving???

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 22, 2022 at 11:07 am

      Yay Lori!! That makes me so happy to hear.❤️ Seems like growing up my mom would buy a couple extra turkey breasts to keep in our deep freezer for that exact reason.

      Reply
  10. Rebecca says

    November 5, 2022 at 3:21 pm

    After prepping it the night before do you take it right out of the fridge and put it in the oven, or let it warm up a little?

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 6, 2022 at 1:47 pm

      Hi Rebecca! Yes, we generally take it out of the fridge for a bit and let it take the chill off. I am not sure if it would make a difference, though. I do not see any issue with putting it right in.

      Reply
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Roasted turkey breast
Oven roasted turkey breast