Easy Slow Roasted Bone-In Turkey Breast
Extra White Meat Turkey For Sandwiches
If you’ve ever struggled with dry turkey breasts, my method for slow roasting at a steady temperature gives you perfectly tender slices, and the thermometer technique ensures you never overcook it. The tricks to this Easy Slow Roasted Bone-In Turkey Breast are simple: seasoned butter tucked under the skin, a generous coating of herbs and spices, and a bed of apples and onions that not only keeps everything moist but also creates the most delicious pan juices.
I love using a bone-in turkey breast because it stays incredibly juicy, cooks more evenly, and is so much easier to manage than a whole bird. This recipe is written for one 6 pound breast, but you can easily roast two or even three at once as long as you have a deep enough pan.
Smaller breasts always cook better and stay juicier than one oversized one so it’s a great alternative for smaller holidays, Sunday dinners, or anytime you want the comfort of turkey without committing to the entire bird.
Once you try it, you’ll understand why this slow roasted method has become one of my most requested holiday dishes.
Hosting Thanksgiving In Our New House
This year was my first time hosting Thanksgiving in our new home, and honestly, it was the first time I had hosted in probably ten years or more. The last time I hosted Thanksgiving was the year after we lost Mr. Tipsy’s mom in May.
I was overwhelmed, sad, and if we’re being totally transparent, absolutely over served by my own pantry drinks.
Our cousin Joann basically saved the day by helping me get the turkey cooked with very clear instructions. I have that Turkey Recipe here on The Tipsy Housewife.
The food turned out fine, but the cleanup was a disaster that my mom ended up handling while I was passed out on the couch.
That has never happened again, and it certainly wasn’t going to happen during our first Thanksgiving in this new home.
Why I Made A Whole Turkey & Two Breasts This Year
Originally I planned to make just a whole turkey, but here’s the truth: I don’t like turkey. I never get excited about it.
I do enjoy the dark meat, but wrestling a giant bird on a holiday is not my idea of a good time, especially when most of my friends and family prefer the breast meat anyway.
So instead I decided to roast two bone-in turkey breasts the day before Thanksgiving. That way I would not be overly stressed about the whole bird on the big day.
This ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for holiday cooking because:
- No wrestling a giant bird
- More white meat for everyone
- Faster cook time
- Easier cleanup
- Stress-free reheating the next day
I roasted the two breasts the day before, let them cool like the recipe card states, sliced them, and placed the slices in a shallow baking dish with a couple cups of turkey broth. Then I covered the dish and stored it in the fridge.
I already felt relief that I did not have to worry about something going wrong with Old Tom Turkey the next day.
How I Reheated This Turkey Breast Meat
About an hour before dinner, I placed the sliced turkey breasts and broth into my slow cooker and set it to warm. It gently reheated and stayed incredibly juicy.
It was also easy to serve from the buffet with the rest of the food.
No slow cooker?
You can also reheat the turkey covered in the oven, and here’s how:
- Place sliced turkey and broth into a baking dish.
- Cover tightly with foil.
- Set the oven to 350°
- When the oven reaches temperature, heat the turkey for ten more minutes. It will have been slowly warming up as the oven heats. This prevents drying out.
The Real Secret To Juicy Breasts
If you’ve ever struggled with dry turkey, here’s the reason: people cook bone-in meat to the finished temperature instead of pulling it early.
Turkey breast is done at around 160ºF, but bone-in meat keeps cooking another 10–15 degrees as it rests. So if you’re cooking to 160–165ºF in the oven, by the time it rests it’s already overcooked.
That’s why I always:
- Pull bone-in meat early
- Cover it and let it rest in the warmest part of the kitchen
- Let the juices redistribute before slicing
Game-changer. I truly have never gotten so many compliments on a turkey before.
Everyone commented on how juicy it was. In fact, we never even cut into the whole turkey I made because people were only eating the white meat from the turkey breasts!
Later when I was cleaning up and organizing the leftovers, I was able to take my time and carve the whole bird for leftover.
A great way to prep for leftovers is to make a secondary “to-go” buffet. I buy to go containers on Amazon or you can get them at Costco and Walmart.
They have lids and are microwave safe.
I carved the big turkey, condensed all the food, and then made everyone pack themselves up food to go. This made a clean up a breeze.
Most of the food was gone and then we were able to tackle the dishes. Pro tip: pack your own leftovers before calling people to the second pack up buffet.
Why I’ll Probably Only Make Turkey Breasts From Now On
After seeing how well this turned out, I may never go back to making a whole turkey unless I need the “big Tom Turkey moment” for presentation. Turkey breasts are:
- Faster
- Easier
- Juicier
- Way less stressful
Plus, you can often find bone-in turkey breasts on sale after Thanksgiving. They freeze beautifully, and you can roast them later for, quick dinners, sandwich meat, soups, and casseroles.
And don’t forget the drippings! Freeze them for gravy or use them for my Make Ahead Turkey Gravy method.
Easy Slow Roasted Bone-In Turkey Breast Recipe
This Easy Slow Roasted Bone-In Turkey Breast is my foolproof method for juicy, flavorful turkey every single time. The slow roasting, seasoned butter under the skin, and apple onion keep the meat tender and never dry. Perfect for small holiday gatherings or weeknight meals when you want all the comfort of a full turkey dinner without the fuss or for extra white meat turkey on a holiday.
Ingredients
- 1 6 lb bone-in turkey breast (room temperature, let sit out 1–2 hours before seasoning)
- 8 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 2 teaspoons celery salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup turkey or chicken broth
- 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and rough-chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 large sweet red apple, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Light-tasting oil for rubbing (vegetable or avocado)
Instructions
- Remove turkey breast from packaging and pat dry.
- Let the turkey breast sit out 1 to 2 hours so it’s no longer ice cold. This ensures even cooking and a juicy outcome.
- Rub the whole turkey breast lightly with vegetable or avocado oil.
- Season the chopped onion and apple with a pinch of all the seasonings (poultry seasoning, celery salt, onion powder, garlic powder, sage, paprika, and peppers).
- Toss lightly so everything is coated.
- Place the turkey breast into a deep covered roaster.
- Stuff as much of the seasoned onion and apple as you can into the cavity of the turkey breast.
- Scatter the remaining onion and apple around the turkey in the bottom of the pan.
- Slice the butter into 1/2 inch thick pads.
- Season the butter pads with a little of the seasoning blend.
- Gently lift the turkey skin and slide the seasoned butter pads underneath.
- Season the outside of the turkey breast with the remaining seasonings, using the largest amount on the top (the breast meat).
- Pour 1 cup broth into the bottom of the roaster.
- Cover the roaster with its lid.
- Roast in a 350°F oven for approximately 15 minutes per pound.
- For a 6 lb breast, start checking around 1 hour 45 minutes.
- When you believe you have 30 minutes left, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast.
- Pull the turkey out at 145° to 150°F, it will continue to rise 10 to 15 degrees while resting. This prevents it from drying out. Most people wait until 160°F in the oven, but by the time it rests, it hits 170 to 175°F, which is where turkey dries out.
- Remove turkey from the oven, keep it covered, and let it rest 20 minutes on a warm part of the stove
- Carefully remove the breast meat from the bone and slice. Notes:
- You can roast two turkey breasts at once in the same roaster, just be sure the pan is very deep to handle the juices.
- If you need to feed more people, it is ALWAYS better to cook two or three smaller turkey breasts rather than one very large one. Smaller breasts cook more evenly and stay much juicier.
- If cooking multiple breasts, the total time may increase slightly, but the 15 minutes per pound and thermometer method still apply.
- Always rely on your thermometer, every oven cooks differently. Remember not to open your oven door repeatedly while roasting as this adds cook time. I only open the oven once to check the temperature.