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Switch up your turkey game with this jerk turkey breast. This roasted turkey breast is juicy, flavorful, and coated in a herby, garlicky compound butter with a hint of sweet heat. Same cozy holiday vibe but with a twist.
Ingredients for Jerk Turkey Breast
- Kosher Salt – Penetrates the meat and locks in flavor from the start.
- Black Pepper – Adds depth and bite to balance the sweetness.
- Brown Sugar – Helps the turkey brown beautifully and adds a subtle molasses note.
- Bone-In Turkey Breast – Cooks faster and stays juicy, especially with the bone still in.
- Butter – The base of the compound—rich, creamy, and soaks into every crevice.
- Fresh Rosemary & Thyme – Add earthy, herby flavor that pairs beautifully with jerk seasoning.
- Garlic – Brings bold, aromatic punch to the butter blend.
- Jerk Marinade – Packs heat and flavor; use store bought or try my recipe.
- Honey – Balances out the spice with a kiss of sweetness.
- Fresh Onions & Lemons – Sit under the turkey to perfume the meat and keep things juicy.
- Herb Sprigs – Layer in extra flavor from the bottom up.
How to prepare the turkey breast
Take the turkey breast and turn it so the back is facing up. Cut off the backbone, you can save this for turkey broth if you’d like. I like to use kitchen shears to do this or a very sharp knife.
What is dry brine?
Dry brining is a method of seasoning meat by rubbing it with a salt mixture and letting it rest before cooking. Unlike wet brining, which involves soaking the meat in a salty solution, dry brining allows the turkey to retain its natural juices while infusing it with flavor. After dry brining a turkey, the skin should look almost opaque a bit and feel dry.
Commonly Asked Questions
Yes! The dry brine seasons the meat all the way through and helps keep it juicy while roasting.
You can, but it adds an extra layer of moisture and spice that takes it over the top. Highly recommended.
Use a thermometer, 160°F in the thickest part of the breast. It’ll climb to 165°F as it rests.
This goes beautifully with garlic chive mashed potatoes, rice and peas, and greens.
Check out more holiday recipes
Jerk Turkey Breast
Ingredients
Brine:
- 1 ½ tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Turkey:
- 5 ½ – 6 ½ lb bone in turkey breast, try to get one with no solution
- 11 tbsp Butter , unsalted, softened, about 1 1/2 sticks
- 1 tsp Rosemary, chopped
- 1 tsp Thyme, chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic , minced
- 2 tbsp jerk marinade , store brought or use my recipe
- 1 tbsp Honey
- Sprigs of rosemary
- Sprigs of thyme
- 2 onions , quartered
- 2 lemons , sliced
Butter injection:
- 1 tbsp melted jerk butter
Instructions
Dry Brine:
- Cut the backbone out of the turkey breast, save on the side if you’re making stock. Pat dry the turkey breast and season all over with the dry brine seasonings. Make sure to get under the skin as well and on the bottom too.
Turkey:
- Take the turkey out of the fridge an hour before you’re ready to cook and bring to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- To a small food processor or bowl add the butter, rosemary, thyme, minced garlic, jerk marinade and honey. Mix together until well combined. Save a tablespoon of the compound butter on the side.
- Rub this compound butter all over the turkey breast, under the skin and on the bottom as well.
- Melt the reserved compound butter. Inject the turkey breast in different areas with the melted butter. If you don’t have an injector that is fine, you can skip this step and the breast will still be juicy. But, I recommend getting one.
- To a baking dish large enough to hold the turkey breast, add the onion, lemon, rosemary & thyme. Place the turkey on top of this.
- Roast in the oven on the bottom rack at 20 min per pound. Baste after 30 minutes. When the skin starts to look golden, loosely cover the turkey with foil. In the last 10 min of cooking take the foil off and baste again.
- Take the turkey out of the oven when it reaches 160 degrees. It will come to 165 degrees while resting. Let it rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
- Slice & serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
