The easiest way to prepare turkey on Thanksgiving day! This delicious foolproof Honey Maple Turkey Breast recipe will be the star of the show on Thanksgiving.
Hosting a smaller crowd for Thanksgiving? Not a fan of dark meat? Make this Honey Maple Turkey Breast instead of a full turkey.
A five-pound turkey breast will serve at least 6-8 people, and it is so much easier to prepare and serve (and store in your fridge). And don't worry, you can still make Thanksgiving gravy.
Preparing a whole turkey can be a complete headache. You have to make sure it defrosts in time - a process which can take 3-4 days.
It can be a challenge to keep the white meat moist while making sure the dark meat cooks all the way through. It takes hours to cook. It's not the easiest to carve.
Turkey breast cooks more quickly and carving it just requires cutting even slices of the meat. It takes some of the stress out of the holiday.
Another benefit to making turkey breast is that it takes up much less space in the oven, making it possible to cook (or reheat) side dishes while the turkey cooks.
Is it just me or is oven space always a major issue on Thanksgiving?
We loved this recipe. The turkey came out perfectly moist and the maple syrup and honey gave the gravy a sweetness that contrasted with the mustard and spices.
If you are expecting a big crowd on Thanksgiving, you might want to consider cooking a turkey breast in addition to a full bird.
You can probably fit the turkey breast in the oven alongside the full turkey while fitting two whole turkeys in one oven is probably impossible.
And since you can't have thanksgiving turkey without gravy, here is a link to a post showing you how to make Thanksgiving gravy from scratch. It's so easy, and I even made a video to show you step by step!
If you are looking for more Thanksgiving recipes - here are a few of my favorites:
Blue Cheese Potatoes Au Gratin
Pecan Pie with a Shortbread Crust
Or if you want to try another turkey breast recipe - make this spinach and mushroom stuffed turkey breast. Stuffing a turkey breast is an easy way to add an extra burst of flavor!
The Honey Maple Turkey Breast Recipe:
Honey Maple Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 Turkey Breast
- 2 tablespoons Butter at room temperature
- ½ cup Maple Syrup
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon Whole Grain Mustard
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Onion Salt
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 2-4 cups Chicken Broth
- For the Gravy:
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 tablespoon Flour
- ½ cup White Wine
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 325 degrees. Remove the turkey breast from its packaging and leave the string netting on, this holds the turkey breast together as it cooks.
- Place the turkey breast in the center of a roasting pan. Rub the butter all over the turkey breast. Then mix the maple syrup, honey, mustard, smoked paprika, onion salt, garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper together. Spread a thick layer of the maple syrup and spice mix on the turkey.
- Pour enough chicken broth in the bottom of the pan to coat it, this prevents any pan drippings from burning. This is important since you need the pan drippings to make gravy.
- Roast the turkey breast at 325 degrees. Baste the turkey with the maple syrup and spice mixture every 30 minutes, and add more chicken broth to the pan as necessary. Continue this process until the turkey breast reaches 165 degrees.
- Remove the turkey breast from the oven, and place it on a serving dish to rest while you prepare the gravy.
- Scrape all of the pan drippings into a glass container (like a mason jar).
- Melt the butter in a skillet and whisk in the flour. Then using a baster, suck up the pan drippings below the line of fat that rises to the top of the jar. Whisk all of these juices into the flour and butter. Whisk in the white wine. Bring to a simmer, and let the gravy thicken. Once thick, taste test and add salt and pepper if necessary. Strain the gravy to remove any lumps.
- Remove the string netting around the turkey breast. Slice the turkey breast and serve it with the gravy.
What to save this honey maple turkey breast recipe for later? Pin this image:
Helen Fern says
This looks so moist and succulent! Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner link up and don’t forget to leave a comment at the party – Next week’s features that also leave a comment get pinned, yummed and tweeted!
Beverly says
I love to make a turkey breast specially for myself and my husband. Pinned this recipe. it sounds so yummy.
Bev
Kit Graham says
Thanks for pinning!
Beverly Roderick says
Your honey maple turkey breast looks delicious. I haven't tried this combination of flavors, but now I want to. Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle. I'll be featuring this at tomorrow's party. Hope to see you there!
Debra Pashkowsky says
This looks amaze. My mouth is watering. I pinned it so I can try it.
HappyAndBlessedHome says
Love this! Pinned and am featuring at Family Fun Friday: http://www.happyandblessedhome.com/6-holiday-recipes-at-family-fun-friday/
Beck & Bulow says
I have never cooked a turkey before but due to covid restrictions, we had our own Thanksgiving this year at home. I used this recipe and oh my goodness – the turkey turned out perfectly! It was the absolute best turkey I’ve ever had! and please visit us: https://www.beckandbulow.com
Kit says
Thank you so much! I love hearing this!
Kelli says
Will never make turkey breast another way after trying this for Thanksgiving.
Kit says
So happy to hear this! Happy Holidays!
Shannon Ervin says
Would this turn out the same in a slow cooker??
Kit says
I haven't tested it out but I think it would! I would give it about 4 hours on low.
Jocelyn says
I rarely leave reviews but I always read them before making a recipe. I didn't see many reviews that actually made this, but I did AND MY WHOLE FAMILY LOVED IT!
I thought I had bought a boneless turkey breast but turns out I didn't. I had an 8 lb turkey breast with the back and wings. I still followed the recipe directions except I baked it at 350 (following the directions on the turkey itself) for 30 minutes at a time. At 1 1/2 hours I took it out because I had to leave for a while (made this earlier in the day) and I put foil over it and warmed it back up at 350 for 20 minutes and it was absolutely perfect. I think it was done at 1 1/2 hours or nearly done based on the temperature.
I doubled the glaze because of my turkey size and when I basted it I continued to pour the remainder of the glaze over it until it was gone and then I used the juice at the bottom of the pan after that. My turkey came with a gravy packet so I made that instead of using the recipe here and used 1/4 cup of the turkey drippings and glaze that was at the bottom of the pan. So so good! Will be making this often.
Kit says
Thank you so so much!