If frozen, thaw fully cooked turkey breast in the refrigerator overnight or 2 days, then let it come to room temperature for an hour.
Note: I am using a 4 POUND FULLY COOKED OVEN ROASTED BONELESS SKINLESS TURKEY BREAST Members Mark from Sam’s Club. The packaging comes with warming instructions. Follow the warming instructions provided by the manufacturer. The only tweak I did, I removed the cover for 20 minutes while baking. This was baked for 15 minutes per pound so 4 pounds times 15 minutes = 60 minutes or 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place turkey in a roasting pan. Note: If using cast iron, brush it with 1 tablespoon oil before putting the turkey.
Seasoning mixture - Combine garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. If making the gravy, reserve ¼ teaspoon.
Herb mixture – Combine rosemary, thyme and sage in another small bowl. If making the gravy, reserve ½ teaspoon. Note: Some herb mixture will fall off on the pan.
Brush turkey breast with melted butter. Note: There will be leftover butter that you can combine with herb mixture or add to gravy.
Apply seasonings then herb mixture on the underside of turkey. Place turkey on roasting pan (not on top of rack).
Sprinkle half of the remaining seasonings on top and side of turkey breast then with your hand, PAT (don’t rub) the remaining herb mixture onto the turkey then sprinkle the remaining seasoning. Note: Don’t put the seasonings all at once, it will be harder to apply the herbs. If you have a hard time applying the herbs, add the remaining melted butter with it.
Cover roasting pan with heavy duty foil. Bake for 40 minutes covered then remove cover and continue baking for another 20 minutes. Don’t discard foil.
Remove turkey from oven, cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a serving platter . Use a sharp knife to carve turkey. Slice it thin or thick depending on your preference. I usually do ½ inch thick.
If not making gravy, drizzle some drippings on the turkey slices.The drippings might be salty to your taste so don’t drizzle a lot.
Make Turkey Gravy
Transfer drippings and scrape out all the brown bits from roasting pan to a sauce pan. If you used a cast iron or Dutch oven, no need to transfer to a sauce pan.
Add chicken or turkey stock, white wine, reserved seasonings and herbs to sauce pan and bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Note: I have 1 long rosemary sprig leftover which I added to broth.
Meanwhile, make cornstarch slurry. In a small container, add cornstarch and dilute it with 2 tablespoons of simmering broth.
Stir broth mixture constantly while pouring cornstarch mixture. Continue stirring until broth thickens.
Transfer to sauce dish.
Notes
If cooking RAW or FRESH BONELESS TURKEY BREAST, use a digital meat thermometer and internal temperature should reach 160 degrees F before removing from oven. Cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes. It will continue cooking and internal temperature will reach around 170 degrees F. Thermometer is inserted at the center of the thickest area of turkey breast.
It is NOT recommended to leave raw turkey in room temperature for over 2 hours.
Store leftover turkey in an airtight container up to 3 days in the refrigerator otherwise store in the freezer up to 2 months in a vacuumed food saver (best option) or wrap it in a heavy duty foil then place it in a zip lock bag. It is best to slice and store in portions.
Reheating leftover turkey - This turkey recipe is good even when cold. If stored in the freezer, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Eat as is or warm in the oven or microwave. Let it sit in room temperature for about 10 minutes. Heat turkey in the oven at 300 degrees F covered with foil for about 15 to 20 minutes or until warm. If using the microwave, cover plate with damp paper towel and warm for 1 ½ to 2 minutes. A damp paper towel will keep moisture in.
For more tips and frequently asked questions, refer to the post above.
For turkey food safety, click the link for FDA, and USDA .