How to Roast a Turkey Breast in 5 Easy Steps + 10 Turkey Leftover Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to cook a turkey breast at 325 or 350? ›

For the best roast turkey breast, roast at 325℉. You'll get juicy meat and crispy skin with an incredible flavor. If you need to cook it a little faster, you can raise the temp to 350 degrees and cook for about 15-18 minutes per pound.

The United States Department of Agriculture advises to cook a whole turkey breast side up during the entire cooking time. Turning over a large, hot bird can be dangerous and it's very easy to tear the skin, making the finished product less attractive.

Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is 20 minutes per pound of turkey breast at 350°F. A lower temperature would increase your cooking time and a higher temperature will cook the meat faster.

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

Place your turkey on a wire rack and then place the rack in a roasting pan. Pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of the roasting pan. This will prevent the drippings from burning on the bottom of the pan. If using a flat rack (use a V-rack if you have one), you will notice the turkey will tilt to one side or the other.

It doesn't matter if you're roasting, frying, or smoking your turkey, there's no need to give it a rinse unless you've brined it (more on that below). Cooking the turkey kills any bacteria, but washing a turkey before you cook it opens the door to dangerous cross contamination.

In a shallow pan, place the roast in its original packaging in a convection oven preheated to 325 degrees F. Cook the roast for approximately 3 hours or 15 minutes per pound.

By using a V-rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, not only do you fully expose the legs, you also leave plenty of room for hot air to travel around the entire surface of the turkey, maximizing the amount of crisp skin you can get out of it.

Before it goes in the oven, the turkey should be at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge (1 hr for a whole turkey, or 30 mins for a cut) before cooking.

Should turkey be smoked breast side up or down? ›

Smoking the Turkey Breast

Once the smoker is clicking along at around 225-240 degrees F, place the turkey directly on the grate breast side up. At around the 3 hour mark, insert a digital probe meat thermometer into the breast of the turkey to begin monitoring the internal temperture.

Start in a hot heated oven at 450 degrees F, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F just before you put the turkey in the oven. The initial high heat will help brown the skin, then the lower heat will help cook the turkey breast on the inside without drying it out.

We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. We've done the math for you — check out the chart below to determine both turkey cook times and estimated servings (with leftovers!).

The Right Way to Take the Temperature of Your Turkey

The government recommends cooking turkey breast to 165°F (74°C). I prefer my turkey breast at 150°F (66°F), at which point it is far, far juicier (especially if you dry brine it!).

Roasting the bird slowly, at a lower temperature is the best way to achieve tender meat. You should still prep the bird with butter, salt, and pepper, as described above (or dry-brine it). To cook, set your oven to 325°F and roast for 3½ to 4 hours for a 12- to 14-pound bird.

Preparation & Cooking Instructions

Remove thawed roast from the plastic overwrap bag, do not remove the net. In a shallow pan, place the roast in a convection oven preheated to 325 degrees F. Cook the roast for approximately 2.5 hours or 15 minutes per pound.