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    Urban Bliss Life » All Recipes » Main Dish Recipes » Citrus Herb Turkey Breast

    Published: November 20, 2020 / Updated: November 18, 2023 by Marlynn Jayme Schotland · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Citrus Herb Turkey Breast

    2680 shares
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Citrus Herb Turkey Breast with text overlay
    Citrus Herb Turkey Breast with text overlay
    Citrus Herb Turkey Breast with text overlay

    Citrus Herb Turkey Breast is a flavorful, easy dish for Thanksgiving dinner, a Christmas celebration, or an every day dinner party. This is a great alternative to roasting a whole turkey if you're hosting a smaller Thanksgiving gathering.

    sliced Citrus Herb Turkey Breast with herbs and lemon slices on white platter.

    Thanksgiving is, indeed, looking a little different this year.

    Normally, we'd be heading to my parents' house where we would normally enjoy a huge feast along with my brother and his family, and other relatives. This year, we're planning a nice small celebration at home, just me, my husband, our two teenagers, and our dog.

    If you'll be paring down your Thanksgiving feast this year too, consider making a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey.

    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
    • 🦃 Ingredients
    • ✅ Step-by-step instructions
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs
    • 🍽 What to serve with turkey breast
    • 🥂 Best wine pairing
    • ⏲ Kitchen tools and equipment
    • 🍖 More holiday main course recipes
    • Roasted Citrus and Herb Turkey Breast

    ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

    angled photo of sliced Citrus Herb Turkey Breast on white platter.

    Making a turkey breast costs less money and requires considerably less time than roasting an entire turkey. And, you get the best of the main event anyway: the tender, juicy meat from the center of the turkey.

    There's less prep time and less clean up, so you can spend more time enjoying your food and your guests!

    🦃 Ingredients

    turkey breast ingredients on baking sheet against blue backdrop.

    Here's what you need to make the juiciest, most delicious boneless turkey breast:

    One boneless turkey - I prefer the skin on, but you can make this recipe with boneless, skinless turkey breast as well.

    Unsalted butter - if you use salted butter, simply reduce the amount of salt you sprinkle over the turkey.

    Garlic - because every savory recipe is better with garlic.

    Lemons - you will need both the zest and the juice of one lemon.

    Parsley - adds a nice brightness and brings out the citrus.

    Sage & thyme - both of these herbs are poultry BFFs. They add a rich savory herbal note.

    White wine - always use a wine that you actually enjoy drinking. The flavor of the wine carries through to whatever you are cooking

    ✅ Step-by-step instructions

    turkey breast with butter and herbs on a sheet tray ready to bake.

    Making a roast turkey breast is faster and easier than roasting an entire turkey.

    • Start by mixing together melted butter, lemon zest, herbs, and garlic.
    • Spread the herb butter mix evenly over the outside of the turkey breast.
    • Pour wine evenly over turkey breast, then pour lemon juice over turkey breast.
    • Season with salt and pepper. Then bake!

    👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

    sliced Citrus Herb Turkey Breast with herbs and lemon slices on platter with mashed potatoes.
    How many people does a turkey breast feed?

    If you buy a 4 or 5-pound turkey breast, it will feed between 4 to 6 people, easily. This, of course, depends on how much each guest likes to eat per serving.

    The last time we made this recipe for the four of us, we still had enough for leftovers!

    How long does it take to thaw a boneless turkey?

    From FoodSafety.gov: You can thaw turkey in a refrigerator for approximately 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds.

    Allow about 30 minutes per pound for cold water thawing, changing the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed. A turkey thawed in cold water should be cooked immediately.

    How do you brine a boneless turkey breast?

    Boil water in a large stockpot. Add salt, garlic, lemon, and herbs. Add the turkey. Or, if turkey is too large for a stockpot, place into a brining bag. Place stockpot or brining bag with turkey & brine into the refrigerator and refrigerate overnight.

    My favorite brine is super simple:
    -10 - 12 cups water
    -⅔ cup kosher salt
    -3 -5 garlic cloves,
    -2 lemons, sliced
    -2 oranges, sliced
    -2 tablespoons sage leaves
    -1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
    -1 tablespoon thyme leaves

    Do you cook turkey breast with the netting?

    I always take the netting off before cooking a boneless turkey breast. You can see the indentations the netting left in the raw turkey breast in the photo above.

    However, I do know some people who prefer to leave the netting on. Some say that it helps keep the turkey retain its shape. Which is different from keeping the turkey in shape – which is good, because who wants a fit, skinny turkey? ;)

    🍽 What to serve with turkey breast

    green beans with bacon with bottle of wine.

    Allllllll the sides!

    First, make a fun Turkey Charcuterie Board to kick off the dinner.

    This citrus herb turkey breast begs to be enjoyed with all of the classic Thanksgiving side dishes, such as:

    • Green Beans with Bacon
    • Wild Rice Dressing
    • Roasted Brussels Sprouts
    • Creamy Confetti Corn
    • Mushrooms Marsala
    • Scalloped Potatoes

    Got turkey leftovers? Make Crockpot Turkey Tetrazzini or Turkey Pesto Sandwiches!

    🥂 Best wine pairing

    glass of white wine next to a chicken or turkey.

    With turkey, you have your choice: you can pair it with a white wine or a red wine.

    In the red wine department: An Oregon Pinot Noir pairs beautifully with poultry. The lighter-styled red wine usually has nice acidity that drinks divinely with a roast turkey breast.

    If it's a white wine you're after, go for a Chardonnay. Find one with crisp acidity and mild oak to bring out the flavors of the turkey.

    ⏲ Kitchen tools and equipment

    Ready to make this Citrus Herb Turkey Breast recipe? Here's what you'll need:

    • Meat thermometer - to be cooked, the center of the turkey breast needs to read at least 155°F.
    • Pastry brush - to spread the herb butter mix evenly over the outside of the turkey breast.
    • Medium bowl

    🍖 More holiday main course recipes

    • Crockpot Turkey Tetrazzini
      Crockpot Turkey Tetrazzini
    • Small Thanksgiving Dinner at home
      Small Thanksgiving Dinner at Home
    • spatchcock turkey cooked
      How to Spatchcock a Turkey
    • garlic rosemary sirloin tip roast with potatoes on a platter.
      One-Pan Garlic Rosemary Sirloin Tip Roast and Potatoes

    Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!

    citrus herb turkey breast.

    Roasted Citrus and Herb Turkey Breast

    5 from 2 votes
    Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 40 minutes mins
    Resting Time: 15 minutes mins
    Total Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Recipe by Marlynn Schotland
    Boneless turkey breast shines with bright citrus and savory herbs. Perfect for a small Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, or a beautiful dinner at home.
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 210kcal
    PRINT PIN RATE 🤍 SAVESaved!

    Ingredients

    • 1 boneless turkey breast (4-5 pounds), skin on
    • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    • 1 teaspoon thyme, finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon sage, finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • ¾ cup dry white wine
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • kosher salt and pepper
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400°F.
    • In a medium bowl, mix together melted butter, lemon zest, herbs, and garlic. Using your hands or a pastry brush, spread the herb butter mix evenly over the outside of the turkey breast.
    • Pour wine evenly over turkey breast, then pour lemon juice over turkey breast.
    • Season with salt and pepper. Bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, until the center of the turkey breast reads 155°F on a meat thermometer. Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes, allowing the internal temperature to rise to 160°F, before slicing.

    Video

    Notes

    Storage: Allow the turkey to cool to room temperature, then store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three or four days. 
    Cooking tip: it's important to use a meat thermometer and take the turkey out of the oven when the thermometer reachers 155°F. Letting it rest outside of the oven for 10-15 minutes will allow the turkey to continue cooking to reach 165°F without overcooking it. Overcooking the turkey breast may result in dry, tough meat. Do not slice the turkey until about 15 minutes after it has had a chance to rest out of the oven, otherwise juices will run out and you also run the risk of dry turkey breast. 
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a star rating and comment! Then snap a pic of your dish and share it on social media. Tag @UrbanBlissLife and #UrbanBlissLife!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 270mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 219IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Melisa says

        April 15, 2022 at 10:49 am

        Is the picture exact? Why does each slice look like it was browned separately? If you slice the breast out of the oven, I don’t think it would look like that. I love how it looks and want to make it exact.

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          April 15, 2022 at 10:58 am

          5 stars
          For that last round of recipe testing + photos I let it rest 10-15 minutes then sliced it, poured a little bit of the juices over the slices, and photographed it as you see here. If you slice into yours after letting it rest and you want it to have a little browning on each slice, you can always place slices under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown a bit, or give the slices a quick sear on a hot pan on the stove for 1-2 minutes.

      2. Eva Wade says

        September 01, 2021 at 12:08 pm

        Do you cover the turkey breast when cooking it? Also, can I substitute broth in place of the wine?

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          September 02, 2021 at 11:03 am

          I don't cover it, but if you have a larger turkey breast or if your oven tends to run hotter than most (my old one did!), you could try covering it. And you can absolutely substitute broth in place of wine. If you try it, please let me know how it goes! :)

      5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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      Marlynn Jayme Schotland 2021 profile pic

      Hi! If you're looking for easy, fast, delicious family-friendly recipes, wine pairings, and travel tips, you've come to the right place! I'm Marlynn - a cookbook author, writer, photographer, and mom of two teenagers + a lovable lab retriever. I hold a WSET 2 with Distinction in wine, and am a member of Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).

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