Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast is perfect for smaller celebrations or even a weeknight meal. It is simple to prepare, without the fuss of a full turkey — learn how to cook a boneless turkey breast!
Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels and place on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Chances are your boneless turkey breast is wrapped with netting; keep the netting on.
In a small bowl, stir together the kosher salt, paprika, and Herbes de Provence. Sprinkle the salt mixture over the turkey, patting it on to evenly coat the meat on all sides. Discard any unused salt.
Chill the turkey in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 1 hour, or overnight (see notes).
Preheat the oven to 450°F with a rack placed in the center of the oven. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, while the oven comes to temperature.
Spray the turkey breast with olive oil and place in the oven to roast for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 350°F, and continue roasting for another 30 minutes to an hour, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the turkey breast reaches 160°F. Depending on the shape of your boneless turkey breast, roasting times may vary, so be sure to check the temperature periodically towards then end of roasting.
Remove the turkey breast from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before discarding the net and slicing.
Notes
Netting:
Typically, boneless turkey breasts are sold with netting. Be sure to keep the netting on, since this helps keep the shape of the turkey.
If you happened to purchased the boneless turkey breast from your butcher without any netting, feel free to sprinkle some of the salt mixture between the skin and the meat before trussing.
Kosher salt:
The quality of your salt really makes a difference. In all my recipes, my first choice is Diamond Crystal (affiliate link) salt. Because of its crystal structure, it’s not as salty as table salt, or even other kosher salt brands.
If you choose to use a different style or brand of salt, please make adjustments and use less salt.
Dry Brining:
Allowing the turkey to rest in the refrigerator with the salt rub is a process known as dry-brining, which is typically done for around 6 hours to overnight. I find that 1 hour of dry brining is just fine, especially for smaller turkey breasts, which saves time and space in the refrigerator.
If you wish to skip the dry brining process, that is fine too - just season the meat right before you place it in the oven. However, there is a benefit to allowing the turkey to sit uncovered in the refrigerator - this time airs and dries out the skin of the turkey, resulting in a crispy skin.
Roasting room temperature turkey:
Like with any meat, giving the turkey time to sit at room temperature before placing in the oven helps get the chill off, resulting in more evenly cooked meat.
Roasting time:
Roasting time can vary, depending on the size and shape of your boneless turkey breast. Some are squat and thick, while others are thinner and more oblong. Keep this in mind and check your turkey with a thermometer.
Resting turkey after roasting:
As tempting as it is, give your turkey some time to rest at room temperature before carving. Not only does the turkey continue cooking for a few minutes as it rests, the juices also get reabsorbed into the meat - this is critical for juicy, succulent meat staying in the turkey and not all over your cutting board.