Follow these simple instructions, and you’ll be rewarded with a perfectly roasted, incredibly flavorful turkey breast that will impress everyone at your table.

1. Preheat Your Oven and Prepare the Turkey Breast: Start by preheating your oven to 375°F (190°C). This temperature is ideal for roasting turkey breast, ensuring it cooks through evenly while developing a beautiful golden-brown skin. While the oven is preheating, take your turkey breast out of the refrigerator and pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels. This crucial step removes excess moisture from the skin, which is key to achieving crispy, golden-brown skin during roasting. Place the turkey breast in a roasting pan. If you have a roasting rack, placing the turkey on a rack within the pan will allow for better air circulation and even cooking, but it’s not absolutely necessary.
2. Prepare the Aromatic Herb Butter: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter, chopped fresh rosemary, chopped fresh thyme, chopped fresh sage, chopped fresh parsley, minced garlic, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper. Use a fork or a spatula to thoroughly mix all the ingredients until they are evenly distributed and the butter is smooth and well-combined. The softened butter makes it easy to incorporate all the herbs and seasonings, creating a fragrant and flavorful herb butter.
3. Season the Turkey Breast: Lightly drizzle the turkey breast with olive oil. This helps the herb butter adhere to the turkey and promotes even browning. Using your hands, generously spread the herb butter all over the turkey breast, ensuring you coat every surface, including under the skin if possible (gently loosen the skin with your fingers and push some herb butter underneath for extra flavor). Massage the herb butter into the turkey, ensuring even coverage. This herb butter coating is what infuses the turkey with incredible flavor and helps keep it moist during roasting.
4. Roast the Turkey Breast: Place the roasting pan with the herb-buttered turkey breast in the preheated oven. Roast for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the turkey breast registers 165°F (74°C). The cooking time will vary depending on the size and type of turkey breast (bone-in will take slightly longer than boneless). It’s essential to use a meat thermometer to ensure the turkey is cooked to a safe internal temperature and is perfectly juicy.
5. Rest the Turkey Breast: Once the turkey breast reaches 165°F (74°C), remove it from the oven and tent it loosely with aluminum foil. Let the turkey breast rest for at least 15-20 minutes before carving. Resting is crucial because it allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a more tender and flavorful turkey. During resting, the internal temperature of the turkey will continue to rise slightly.
6. Carve and Serve: After resting, transfer the turkey breast to a cutting board. If you used a bone-in breast, carve the meat off the bone. For both bone-in and boneless breasts, slice the turkey against the grain for maximum tenderness. Arrange the slices on a serving platter and garnish with fresh herbs, if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy your perfectly roasted herb butter turkey breast! Don’t forget to scrape up any pan drippings for extra flavor to spoon over the turkey or use as a base for gravy.