Season a turkey breast at about a teaspoon of poultry seasoning per pound, and put half of it under the skin, directly on the meat. Do it the day before, leave it uncovered in the fridge, and roast at 350°F until the thickest part reads 165°F. A breast has less fat and far less time than a whole bird, so the seasoning has to start closer to the meat.
That is the short answer. Below is how much to buy, how to get under the skin without tearing it, and what to do if someone at your table is watching the salt.
Why a breast is not just a smaller turkey
A whole bird is forgiving: legs and thighs full of fat, hours in the oven, and all that time for salt to work its way in. A breast has none of that. It is lean, it is done in 90 minutes or so, and it dries out while you are answering the door. Three things follow from that:
- Season under the skin. Seasoning sitting on top of the skin flavors the skin. On a breast, that is most of your seasoning doing the least work.
- Do it the day before. Twelve to twenty-four hours is enough for salt to travel into a breast. A whole turkey needs longer; a breast does not.
- Pull it early. A breast goes from juicy to chalky in about ten degrees. The thermometer is not optional here.
How much seasoning for a turkey breast
A teaspoon per pound of raw weight, split half under the skin and half on top. That is lighter than a brisket rub and heavier than you would season a chicken cutlet.
| Breast weight | Seasoning |
|---|---|
| 3 lb boneless | 1 tablespoon |
| 5 lb bone-in | 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons |
| 7 lb bone-in | 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon |
We use Anything With Wings, our organic poultry seasoning — no MSG, no fillers, no anti-caking agents, USDA Certified Organic, gluten free and kosher. It comes as a 2.6 oz glass jar at $9.49 or a 5 oz resealable pouch at $13.49. For one breast the jar is plenty; if you are also doing wings or a chicken on Sunday, buy the pouch.
If you are feeding a crowd and want it decided for you, the Anything With Wings Thanksgiving Turkey Bundle is two 5 oz pouches for $25 — which also clears our free shipping threshold of $25.
Getting it under the skin
This is the whole trick, and it takes two minutes.
- Pat the breast completely dry. Paper towels, top, bottom and the ends. Wet skin will not crisp and wet skin will not hold seasoning.
- Loosen the skin with your fingers. Start at the wide end and slide your hand between skin and meat. Go slowly at the edges, where it tears — a small tear is cosmetic, not fatal.
- Put half the seasoning in there. Spoon it onto the meat and spread it with your fingertips from the outside, through the skin, like smoothing a sheet.
- Season the outside with the rest. Sprinkle from high up, then press it on with a flat palm instead of rubbing in circles.
- Uncovered in the fridge, on a rack, 12 to 24 hours. The salt moves in and the skin dries out. Dry skin is the only reliable path to crisp skin.
- Out of the fridge 45 minutes before it goes in. Not to warm it up, just to take the hard chill off so it cooks evenly.
You do not need oil or butter for browning — a salted blend pulls a little moisture to the surface and that is what browns. A thin smear of softened butter under the skin alongside the seasoning is still a good idea.
Roasting it
350°F, uncovered, on a rack. Roughly 20 minutes per pound bone-in, 15 boneless — use that to plan dinner, not to decide doneness.
Pull it at 165°F in the thickest part, away from bone. It will climb a few more degrees while it rests. If the skin is browning faster than the inside is cooking, tent the top loosely with foil and keep going.
Rest it 20 minutes before slicing, loosely covered. Lean meat sliced straight out of the oven loses its juice onto the board.
A supermarket boneless roast in netting has little or no skin, so season it heavily on all sides the night before and leave the netting on while it roasts. Pull it at 165°F too.
Slice across the grain, about a quarter inch thick. Carve the whole breast off the bone in one piece first, then slice it on the board — it is far easier than carving in the air over a platter.
If someone at the table is watching salt
Season the breast with a salt-free blend and let people salt their own slice. Zilch. Nada. None. is our organic all-purpose blend with no salt at all — garlic, onion, herbs and pepper — in a 1.9 oz jar at $9.49 or a 5 oz pouch at $13.49. Without salt there is no overnight seasoning effect, so skip the overnight rest and season just before roasting instead.
Two related pieces: do you need salt to dry brine a turkey, and how to season gravy — a breast throws fewer drippings than a whole bird.
Questions we get
Can I season a turkey breast the morning of? Yes, and it will be good. Two hours is enough for the outside; it is the overnight rest that gets salt into the middle and dries the skin. If you only have the morning, season it, leave it uncovered in the fridge until you roast, and skip the butter.
Do I need to brine a turkey breast in water first? No. A wet brine and a salted seasoning blend do the same job twice, and a breast that has been both brined and rubbed is usually too salty. Pick one. We pick the rub, because it also builds the crust.
How much turkey breast per person? About three quarters of a pound of raw bone-in breast per person, or half a pound boneless. If the breast is the only meat on the table, round up — nobody has ever complained about turkey sandwiches on Friday.
If you cook a whole bird too, that is written up separately: how do you season a turkey.
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