How Much Turkey to Buy?

I consider the number of servings not quite the same as to how much to buy. The internet will say buy anywhere from 1/2 pound to 1 1/4 pound. In some ways, both are correct to me.

If I’m just addressing per serving, the 1/2 pound seems about right. That is a nice good-sized slice of turkey. But we all overeat turkey and want leftovers.

How to Thaw a Turkey Breast?

The preferred method is to thaw in a refrigerator. Place the unopened breast on a tray in the refrigerator for 1½ to 2 days, or until thawed.  If you have a breast over 8 pounds, it may take a bit longer.

That is the official recommendation, but it always seems to be a day longer for me. So plan ahead and do not open the sealed package.

To thaw faster, place the unopened breast in cold tap water for 3 to 5 hours. Change water every 30 minutes to keep the turkey in the safety zone which is less than 40 degrees.

What Temperature to Cook a Turkey Breast?

The best answer is 350 degrees. But 325 degrees can work, but it will take a bit longer and potentially can dry a little more.

You have two parts you want to cook, the meat and the skin. The skin needs to be exposed to a 350-degree oven for about 1 3/4 to 2 hours to brown well. That is about the cooking time for a 5 to 7# breast.

If your breast is bigger, the meat will not be done when the skin is nicely brown. All you need to do is a tent with foil when the skin is nice. An easy fix.

What Final Temperature Do You Need?

I stop right at 165. Some will stop at 160 and assume the breast will reach 165 during the rest. It probably will. I prefer to know I’m serving safe food. For more turkey safety points see my Thanksgiving Food Safety post.

All this should tell you that you must be able to check the internal temperature of the breast accurately. You and use many different options but you must have something.

I used my ThermaQ Blue from Thermoworks. I use it a lot for grilling with the two probes for surface and meat temperature. But it works great indoors cooking, also. See The Cooking for Two Shop if you are interested.

How Long to Cook a Turkey Breast?

16-20 minutes per pound is a great estimate at 350 degrees. But the real answer is as long as it takes to get to 165 degrees in the thickest part. Not very helpful for your timing.

So to write this, I cooked two turkey breast at 350 degrees. The 9+ pound breast took about 2 1/2 hours which was 16.5 minutes per pound and the second 5+ pound took 20 minutes per pound.

How About the Gravy?

Of course, you want gravy, but the most common way to make gravy uses a roux. For the 4 cups of gravy I’m suggesting, that would require 1/2 cup of fat. You just don’t have that here since there are almost no drippings with a turkey breast.

I can rarely find turkey broth in the store, so I usually use Penzeys turkey base, but chicken broth will work well.

Other Questions:

Butter vs. Oil on the skin of the turkey?

This is a “does it really matter” questions. The answer, maybe a little. Most recipes use butter. I feel mostly by default, and that is just “the way it is done.”

Moisture is the enemy of crispy so a good pat dry with paper towels and using oil and not butter which is 20% water. Clarified butter is another option.

Do I have to use a meat thermometer? Yes, or you will undercook (dangerous) or overcook (dried out).

How often should I baste? Basting is not really needed. I like to rotate the breast once during the roasting to account for any oven hot spots, and I brush it at the same time.

Can I stuff it? No, it is not safe. The stuffing would need to get to 165 degrees to be safe and the meat would overcook.

Other Turkey Recipes

Grilled Turkey Breast

Cider Brined, Herb Buttered Roasted Turkey – The Full Monty

How to Brine a Turkey

Other Recipes for a Complete Meal

Easy Sausage Stuffing

Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole

Green Bean Casserole Without Soup

See Thanksgiving Menu Planning Time for my complete holiday recommendations updated yearly.

Fully thaw the turkey breast before proceeding. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack set at the lower third in the oven. No convection needed here.

Remove any bags of things. Cut out the backbone if present. If a popup timer is present, pay it no attention but do not remove.

Break back the rib sections, so you have a flat bottom to set on a rack. You can skip this if you are using a V-rack.

Cut back any extra skin like the neck area. Pat dry with paper towels.

Smaller breast in a cake pan

Place a rack in an appropriate size pan. For a large 7 plus pound breast use a full roasting pan. For the smaller breast, a cake pan will do. Spray the rack with PAM. Place the breast on the rack and spread the rib sections to stabilize the breast.

Larger breast in full roasting pan

Give it a bush with vegetable oil or melted butter. You can give it a sprinkle of salt at this point.

Place in oven. Leave it alone for 1 hour then rotate 180 degrees and brush with oil or butter. Check the color at about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. If the skin is becoming too brown, tent lightly with foil while finishing roasting to prevent further browning.

Roast until an internal temperature of 165 in the thickest part. This will be between 16-20 minutes per pound usually. Variability is caused by the thickness of the breast, the starting internal temperature of the breast and your oven.

Remove from oven and tent. The internal temperature will rise 5-10 degrees.

Tent for about 15 minutes before carving.

While turkey is resting, whisk 2 cups of turkey or chicken broth with 1/2 cup of flour. Add 2 cups more of broth to the roasting pan and any drippings present, place over medium-high heat and bring to boil. Decrease the heat to medium and then slowly add the broth-flour mixture while continuously whisking. Add most of it and add more later if needed. Add salt to taste. Once thickened, cook an additional few minutes.

First Published March 25, 2018. Refreshed with additional information and updated photos over time.