Juicy herb-roast turkey breast rubbed with lemon, garlic and fresh herbs with a crisp exterior and tender, juicy interior, served atop caramelized tray-roasted potatoes and root vegetables.
Crisp-Herbed Turkey Breast Over Caramelized Tray Vegetables
A bright, garlicky herb rub and high-heat roast give a single turkey breast a crisp exterior and juicy interior while a bed of potatoes and root vegetables caramelizes in the pan.
This Sabbath-friendly sheet-pan roast is the kind of dinner that looks and smells like effort but comes together with straightforward steps. A lemony, Dijon-forward herb rub—olive oil whisked with minced garlic, chopped rosemary, thyme and sage, lemon zest and juice, kosher salt and black pepper—is pressed into the turkey breast so every bite carries fragrant, savory lift. Roasting at 425°F crisps the exterior and seals in juices, so the meat stays tender even after a longer oven time.
Beneath the bird, halved baby potatoes, thick-cut carrots, wedges of yellow onion and chunks of celery soak up rendered juices and brown at the edges, building a mix of silky interiors and caramelized crispness. The mustard and lemon in the rub cut through the richness, while the trio of herbs keeps the flavor bright and unmistakably savory; a splash of low-sodium chicken broth added to the pan at the end makes an easy, lightly seasoned jus to spoon over the vegetables.
The recipe’s timing is practical—about 20 minutes prep and roughly 75 minutes in the oven—so it’s realistic for a weeknight or a relaxed holiday when you want more time at the table and less at the stove. Make the herb mixture and rub the breast up to a day ahead and keep it chilled, or prep the vegetables in advance to save hands-on time on roast day.
Sam Rivera’s clear, kosher-focused approach keeps ingredient choices simple and substitution-friendly while delivering big, layered flavors: bright lemon and pungent garlic, herbaceous rosemary and sage, and the tang of Dijon that marries the components into a cohesive whole. Serve straight from the sheet pan for easy cleanup and a homey centerpiece that feeds four with minimal fuss.
Ingredients
How to Make Herb Roast Turkey Breast Tray Sheet
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels and set a rimmed sheet pan in the center of the counter.
- Make the herb rub: mince the garlic and finely chop the rosemary, thyme and sage; zest and juice the lemon. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon zest and juice, minced garlic and the chopped herbs with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Trim and halve the baby potatoes if large; cut carrots into 1 1/2-inch pieces and slice the onion into thick wedges; cut celery into 1-inch pieces. Toss the vegetables with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and spread them in an even layer on the sheet pan.
- Rub the herb mixture all over the turkey breast, pressing it into the thickest part. Place the turkey breast on top of the bed of vegetables, skin-side up if skin is present, leaving space around the bird for air circulation.
- Roast at 425°F for 15–20 minutes to develop color, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C). Pour the low-sodium chicken broth into the pan around (not over) the turkey to keep the vegetables moist.
- Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reaches 160°F (about 40–55 more minutes for a 2.5 lb boneless breast). Check after 30–35 minutes and baste vegetables with pan juices; if the pan is very dry add 2–3 tablespoons more broth.
- When the thermometer hits 160°F, remove the turkey from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Tent loosely with foil and let rest 15 minutes (internal temp should rise to 165°F while resting). If the vegetables need more color, return the pan to the oven for 5–10 minutes while the turkey rests.
- Slice the turkey across the grain, arrange with the roasted vegetables, and spoon pan juices over the meat. Serve warm.
Recipe Card
Herb Roast Turkey Breast Tray Sheet
Juicy herb-roast turkey breast rubbed with lemon, garlic and fresh herbs with a crisp exterior and tender, juicy interior, served atop caramelized tray-roasted potatoes and root vegetables.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 15 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels and set a rimmed sheet pan in the center of the counter.
- Make the herb rub: mince the garlic and finely chop the rosemary, thyme and sage; zest and juice the lemon. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon zest and juice, minced garlic and the chopped herbs with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Trim and halve the baby potatoes if large; cut carrots into 1 1/2-inch pieces and slice the onion into thick wedges; cut celery into 1-inch pieces. Toss the vegetables with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and spread them in an even layer on the sheet pan.
- Rub the herb mixture all over the turkey breast, pressing it into the thickest part. Place the turkey breast on top of the bed of vegetables, skin-side up if skin is present, leaving space around the bird for air circulation.
- Roast at 425°F for 15–20 minutes to develop color, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C). Pour the low-sodium chicken broth into the pan around (not over) the turkey to keep the vegetables moist.
- Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reaches 160°F (about 40–55 more minutes for a 2.5 lb boneless breast). Check after 30–35 minutes and baste vegetables with pan juices; if the pan is very dry add 2–3 tablespoons more broth.
- When the thermometer hits 160°F, remove the turkey from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Tent loosely with foil and let rest 15 minutes (internal temp should rise to 165°F while resting). If the vegetables need more color, return the pan to the oven for 5–10 minutes while the turkey rests.
- Slice the turkey across the grain, arrange with the roasted vegetables, and spoon pan juices over the meat. Serve warm.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 26
- Saturated Fat
- 2.4
- Sodium
- 1100
- Fiber
- 4
- Unsaturated Fat
- 9.6
- Protein
- 85
- Fat
- 12
- Cholesterol
- 207
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 565
- Sugar
- 5