Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Garlic Butter and White Wine Pan Sauce

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast is absolutely the way to go when cooking for a small group on Thanksgiving! My Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Garlic Butter and White Wine Pan Sauce is packed with flavor and is totally moist. It will hold its own against all of your fabulous Thanksgiving sides! Read on to see how I make it!

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Garlic Butter and White Wine Pan Sauce

Thanksgiving dinner confession time–my least favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal is the turkey. There, I said it. I mean, the turkey is fine, but put it up against buttery mashed potatoes, sausage studded stuffing, crispy roasted brussels sprouts, and I feel like there really is no comparison–I’m headed straight for the sides. All of the sides are giving me the come hither look and turkey is just sort of…there.

That was until I learned the joy of cooking a turkey breast, and not a full turkey, for Thanksgiving. Roasting a turkey breast is my little Thanksgiving secret that you are now in on! It is so easy, and so flavorful. Turkey breast cooks much faster than a whole turkey. And it’s easier to get an accurate temperature reading so you don’t overcook it. That makes the turkey breast both moist and totally enticing.

The only down side is no wings or legs. I guess I’ll just have to use it as an excuse to book a trip to Disneyland and get one of those dinosaur turkey legs they have there. See…it’s win/win!

A turkey breast is perfect for a smaller celebration and is the absolute right choice for my Romantic Thanksgiving Dinner Menu. No need to take up all that fridge and oven space with a full turkey. I’ve been known, even with bigger Thanksgiving celebrations to just make multiple turkey breasts. They’re so easy and everyone is happy!

My Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Garlic Butter and White Wine Pan Sauce is truly packed with flavor. The turkey is smothered with a compound butter that’s chock full of all the Thanksgiving herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage. And the garlic in the butter is truly delicious.

Two hours in the oven, and my turkey is moist, aromatic, and ready to hold its own on the Thanksgiving table! It’s just enough time to pull off the rest of the meal and be ready to serve.

Use the drippings to make a quick pan sauce which is bubbling with all of those same Thanksgiving flavors. Then, serve the turkey with a bit of white wine sauce on top, which will up the flavor and moistness level. Turkey breast for the win!

This Herb Roasted Turkey Breast is so flavorful and makes for absolutely excellent sandwiches the next day! Here’s how I make it:

How I Make My Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Making my Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Garlic Butter and White Wine Pan Sauce is one of those set it and forget it situations. Especially when you’re cooking for a smaller group, this type of simple and elegant recipe is exactly what you need to keep everything low stress.

First things first, be sure to defrost that bird! I always find it takes longer to defrost a frozen turkey in the fridge than I think it will. No way do I want to pull that turkey out of the fridge on Thanksgiving morning and realize I’m dealing with a still frozen bird. I try to move the turkey to the fridge at least a few days in advance. For this 5lb turkey breast, I started defrosting it three days in advance! Better safe than sorry–trust me, I’ve learned this one the hard way.

Preheat the oven and take the turkey out of its packaging. Once the turkey is out of the wrapping and in your roasting pan, use a paper towel to pat it dry. You want this bird to ROAST and develop crispy skin, not steam!

Then, I make a compound butter of unsalted butter mixed together with minced garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme. The butter needs to be really softened without being melted, so give yourself time with this as well (another lesson I’ve received the hard way).

Now it’s time to give that turkey the massage she paid for! Rub a bit of the butter underneath the skin. And then massage the rest on the outside of the bird. Season with salt and pepper all over.

Pour chicken stock and white wine in the bottom of the pan. Chicken stock is the magic maker on Thanksgiving, so keep it nearby. While the turkey is roasting, I like to keep an eye on the moisture in the pan beneath. Add more chicken stock as the turkey roasts, if things start looking dry.

After two hours, check the internal temperature of your bird. You’re looking for the bird to be 165º. Once you’re there, pull the turkey out of the oven and tent it with aluminum foil while you make the pan sauce. Pour the pan juices into a small pan and heat over medium heat. Feel free to add some more chicken stock or white wine here if necessary.

That’s it! You’re ready to make an entrance holding the turkey on your serving platter! I hope you’ll enjoy this Herb Roasted Turkey Breast recipe as much as my family does!

Romance Recipe Pairing

Jane and Dan at the End of The World by Colleen Oakley is my pairing for the Herb Roasted Turkey Breast. In this book, Jane and Dan’s marriage comes under the microscope during a hostage situation at one of the best restaurants in the world. It’s funny and unique with both romance and action–a perfect combo with my herby, garlicky turkey breast!