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Roasted Turkey Breast with Apricot-Herb Butter

Courtesy Moriah Brooke
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Chef notes

The thought of cooking a Thanksgiving turkey has been known to cause a great deal of stress for nearly every American home cook. That’s likely because the roasted bird has a reputation of lacking flavor and turning dry quickly. However, it doesn’t have to be such an intimidating cooking project. Getting the perfect turkey on your holiday dinner table is simpler than you think with the use of turkey breasts, rather than the whole bird! You don't need to preciously baste the bird every 30 minutes. Instead, all you need is a bone-in turkey breast seasoned with a heavy sprinkle of salt and pepper and a sweet and savory compound butter.

This foolproof recipe starts with making the homemade apricot-herb compound butter. While compound butter might sound scary, it’s actually nothing but herbs and spices that are stirred into softened butter for flavor. This version features a delicious combination of grated garlic, hot paprika, chopped sage leaves, tarragon, thyme, ground mustard and apricot jam. The result is a butter that’s wonderfully savory and a touch spicy but also sweet and tart, thanks to the apricot jam. Slathering this compound butter all over the turkey breast allows it to soak up flavor as it roasts while the fat from the butter and the sugar in the jam helps the skin crisp and turn golden-brown. 

The final touch after removing the bird from the oven is to spoon the pan juices that have formed over the turkey and brush a few tablespoons of apricot jam on top. It’s a small flourish that ensures this roasted turkey stands out among all the rest.

Ingredients

  • 1 (6½- to 7-pound) whole bone-in turkey breast
  • kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
  • 8 cloves garlic, grated
  • 2 teaspoons hot paprika
  • 1/4 cup chopped sage leaves
  • 3 tablespoons chopped tarragon leaves
  • 3 tablespoons thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon ground mustard
  • 1 (13-ounce) jar apricot jam, reserve 2 tablespoons
Fulfilled by

Preparation

1.

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

2.

Place the turkey breast, skin-side up, in a roasting pan, or if necessary, directly on a baking tray. Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel and season it evenly with salt and pepper.

3.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the softened butter, grated garlic, paprika, chopped sage leaves, tarragon, thyme, ground mustard and apricot jam. Once the ingredients have been mixed thoroughly, evenly coat the turkey breast with the butter.

4.

Place the turkey into the oven and bake for 1¾ to 2 hours, or until the thickest part of the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 F and is golden-brown. If the turkey begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover the turkey with foil and continue cooking.

5.

Once finished cooking, remove from the oven, spoon the pan juices over the turkey, and brush on the remaining apricot jam. Allow the turkey to rest for 20 minutes before slicing.