I vividly remember almost 10 years ago when Keith and I hosted our first Thanksgiving dinner. To say it was a complete debacle might be a bit of an over-exaggeration, but not by much! We had just moved into our farmhouse, we were kid-free and still learning our way around a kitchen, and I was suddenly faced with the daunting prospect of preparing an elaborate holiday meal for a group. I had never cooked for more than two of us, I wasn’t used to juggling multiple side dishes, and I had certainly never roasted a turkey. The mounting pressure was enough to make me break out in a cold sweat!
Fortunately, Keith’s family members were our guinea pigs. His mom transported at least half of the side dishes for a two hour car ride from her own kitchen, and his younger brothers enthusiastically gobbled up anything that we served — no complaints! But I laugh when I look back at that evening…
We were too intimidated to roast a large turkey because we had NO CLUE what that would entail, and all I could think of was the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation when the whole bird goes up in smoke. That would be me…no doubt!
Instead, we put a small turkey in the slow cooker and another small turkey in Keith’s countertop rotisserie oven. Not exactly the classic American Thanksgiving bird, but it was the best that we could do at the time! And my dessert that year involved some sort of pumpkin ice cream pie with a gingersnap cookie crust. Except we really just ended up eating bowls of ice cream because my cookie crust melted and burned into the pie plate in a caramelized mess so that we couldn’t even scrape off the charred sugar with a knife. The whole plate just went right in the trash! Bless my in-laws for eating their meals anyway — and with smiles on their faces!
Needless to say, I’m a little bit more comfortable in the kitchen these days. But you know what? Â I still stick with simple and easy recipes — even for special holidays!
If you’re like me and you want to keep Thanksgiving stress-free and delicious this year, then a Maple-Glazed Roasted Turkey Breast is the way to go. I learned from my mom that the white turkey meat is always our favorite, so cooking a breast (and not messing around with the rest of the bird) is a quicker and easier option. And with just a few minutes of prep, you can pop a turkey in the oven that roasts for a couple of hours and comes out perfectly every time. The maple-butter basting sauce is To.Die.For.!
This turkey gives you the crispy, golden skin that epitomizes a holiday meal, while keeping the meat inside tender and juicy. My kids seriously devoured this dish (and fought over the remaining scraps when the dinner was over). It’s so simple and so good, that it has become one of our favorite Sunday suppers during the cool weather months — no special holiday required! The leftovers work well in sandwiches all week or freeze nicely for casseroles or other recipes later on. It’s a winner, winner Turkey Dinner that will make you feel like the ultimate hostess…in just 15 minutes!
Easy Maple-Glazed Roasted Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 7-8 lb. whole turkey breast, fresh or frozen and thawed
- 1/2 apple chopped into two pieces
- ½ lemon
- ½ onion
- 1 stalk celery halved
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup 1 stick butter
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Rinse the turkey breast with cold water. Pat dry.
- Stuff turkey cavity with apple, lemon, onion, celery, rosemary, and thyme. Sprinkle salt inside the cavity.
- Place the turkey in a large shallow roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. Don’t skip the aluminum foil (it makes clean up quick and easy)!
- TO PREPARE THE GLAZE: In a small saucepan, melt butter with maple syrup over low heat. Pour maple butter glaze over turkey to coat.
- Add 1 cup water to bottom of pan.
- Roast the turkey breast for 2 – 2 ½ hours, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 175-180 degrees F. Baste with pan juices every 30 minutes.
- If any part of the turkey browns too quickly while cooking, just tent lightly with aluminum foil.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and place on a large cutting board. Tent the turkey with foil and allow it to rest for about 20 minutes before carving.
So glad you survived your first Thanksgiving years ago! And I always think of that scene in Christmas Vacation, too! This turkey breast definitely looks like the way to go. Love the maple glaze and how easy it is, Blair!
Hah! Thanks, Gayle! That movie is such a classic!
Wow, Blair, I saw this on FB and had to come see more. Absolutely beautiful! People can get intimidated by turkey and I can see why as it seems to have a mind of it’s own when you’re cooking the whole bird. I’m never quite sure what’s going to happen during the cooking process and it doesn’t help that everyone is opening the oven door every 15 minutes to ‘check’ on it, lol.
A delicious glaze and the best looking turkey breast I’ve seen!
Thank you, Robyn! You’re so kind!
O my God. This has to be the best receipe I’ve tried. I used chicken breast instead of turkey. I can’t wait to try turkey. I’m sure it will be just as delicious. I LOVE maple syrup.
Thanks, Colleen! I’ve always used it with turkey, but I love the idea of trying it with a chicken. Thanks for letting me know!
This looks INCREDIBLE! We are planning on celebrating Thanksgiving with some friends this year and I think I’ll have to make this recipe to really wow them 😉
Definitely, Kristy! It would be perfect!
Can this be cooked in a crock pot instead of the oven?
Hi, Linda! I haven’t tried that method, so I’m not really sure. I found this other recipe for a slow cooker turkey breast that you might want to check out: http://www.recipetineats.com/juicy-slow-cooker-turkey-breast/
She uses a smaller turkey breast because the size that I used would probably not fit in the Crock Pot. She also gets the skin crispy by sticking it under the broiler at the end. You could use a glaze like mine but try her method? Just an idea!
Can you use this recipe on a whole turkey?
Hi, Norma! Definitely! You’ll have to adjust the cooking time for a whole turkey, and you’ll probably want to make more of the glaze (double the recipe to be safe). Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi Blair,
I was not able to find a frozen turkey breast can I still do it on a pre cooked turkey breast?
Hi Andy! Yes, that should work fine! Have a great holiday!
The recipe is simple but the pictures are so gorgeous. I might try this glaze for Christmas ham.
Thanks, Sharon. That sounds like a great idea!
HI I was wondering,do you have this recipe for a while turkey??
Hey, Katie! A wild turkey? No, I haven’t used it for a wild turkey. Sorry!
Is it possible to use a boneless turkey breast? How would I adjust the recipe if so?
Hi, Casey! Yes, you can definitely use a boneless turkey breast. I would keep the glaze the same, but just adjust the cooking time and temp. When I checked a poultry guide, the instructions said to roast the boneless breast at 325° F for 16 – 19 minutes per pound. So just adjust the timing based on the size of your turkey breast. Baste with the glaze just as I explain in my recipe, and follow all other instructions the same (tent with foil, allow to rest, etc.). Hope that helps! 🙂
This looks so delicious. I am thinking about hosting “Friendsgiving” this year and a smaller, more manageable bird would alleviate so much stress. I think I would want to use two boneless turkey breasts. Do you know how (if?) to change up the time when you double a recipe?
Hi, Bri! That’s great — I’m so glad that you might give this recipe a try for Thanksgiving!
If you double the recipe, the cooking time should remain about the same. The size of the turkey is what affects the cooking time, so if you use a bigger (or smaller) turkey breast you’ll need to adjust the cooking time a bit. But if you use two turkey breasts that are about the same size as mine, the cooking instructions should be the same. Hope that helps, and enjoy!