Grilled Turkey Breast – a simple, easy grilled turkey breast recipe that is perfect for your small gathering!
Fire up that grill because you definitely want to make this!
A turkey breast is a great option for a smaller holiday gathering or another option for a Sunday night dinner. Why does turkey only have to be for a holiday anyway!? Occasionally we like to make a turkey breast to enjoy for dinner and then use the leftovers to make another delicious turkey-based meal (like this Leftover Turkey + Wild Rice Soup)! Especially when it is as easy and delicious as this recipe is!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Easy – you basically put the turkey breast on the grill and just leave it to cook! You don’t want to let a lot of heat out so you only have to baste it 1-2 times while it’s on the grill.
- Holiday – if you are making dinner for a small group of people at the holidays this is a perfect option!
- Versatile – you can stuff the turkey breast with anything that sounds good to you including stuffing (just make sure you adjust cooking times accordingly).
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
- 1 turkey breast
- butter or ghee, softened
- salt and pepper
- stuffing (optional): cut up white onion, orange, garlic and fresh rosemary
RECIPE FAQS & TIPS
- Thawing – here is a great post answering all your thawing questions!
- Should I brine the turkey? You can brine your turkey breast beforehand but you do not need to. Here is a great Brining Turkey 101 post.
- Do I need an aluminum tray? Yes! It helps to catch all of those delicious drippings for basting and making gravy – here is a great gravy recipe! We actually recommend using 2 aluminum trays for the extra support.
- Meat thermometer: I highly recommend getting a internal meat thermometer to help ensure the bird had reached 165 degree internal temp.
- Leftovers: Stlil have leftovers? We love this Leftover Turkey + Wild Rice Soup!
- Turkey Cook Times: I always find this cook-time breakdown from the FDA helpful!
HOW TO GRILL A TURKEY BREAST
Step 1: Remove turkey from its packaging, pat dry, rub generously with butter (or ghee), and season with salt & pepper.
Step 2: Stuff your turkey breast. We used an orange, onion, and garlic but feel free to use what you want or nothing at all. Then place the aluminum tray with the turkey breast in the center of your grill.
Step 3 – Close grill and let cook for a total of approximately 14-15 minutes per pound or until the turkey reaches an internal temp of 165 at the thickest part of the bird and juices run clear.
Step 4 – Only open the grill once or twice to baste during cooking time. You can baste using the other 1/4 cup of melted butter or by taking the juices that have gathered in the bottom of your pan (or both).
Step 5 – Baste one more time once it is done cooking and off the grill.
Step 6 – Carve and serve immediately.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
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Love,
E
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Grilled Turkey Breast
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Thanksgiving
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
Grilled Turkey Breast – a simple, delicious turkey breast recipe that is perfect for a small gathering!
Ingredients
- 1 turkey breast (we used a 8 pound turkey breast)
- 1/2 cup butter or ghee, softened, divided
- salt and pepper
- stuffing (optional): cut up white onion, orange, garlic and fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat Grill: Preheat your grill to 400 degrees.
- Thaw: Ensure turkey breast is completely thawed and at room temperature.
- Aluminum Tray: Place turkey breast in an aluminum tray.
- Dry: Pat down with a clean paper towel and get the turkey as dry as possible.
- Butter: Take 1/4 cup butter and rub all over, getting into every nook and cranny, including the cavity.
- Season: Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
- Stuffing: you can stuff the cavity of the turkey breast if you want (optional).
- Grill: Place on top of grill grates, centered as much as possible.
- Close Grill: Close grill and let cook for a total of approximately 14-15 minutes per pound or until the turkey reaches an internal temp of 165 at the thickest part of the bird and juices run clear.
- Temp: Drop grill temp to 325. Grill temp will drop substantially after opening the grill to put the bird inside.
- Basting: Only open the grill once or twice to baste during cooking time. You can baste using the other 1/4 cup of melted butter or by taking the juices that have gathered in the bottom of your pan (or both).
- Final Temp + Rest: Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature. Once turkey reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees at the thickest part of the thigh and juices run clear, remove from grill. Baste first with the juices in the bottom of the pan and then let rest 30 minutes while covered with foil.
- Carve: Carve and serve immediately.
Notes
- Thawing a Turkey: Questions on thawing – here is a great post answering all your thawing questions!
- Brining: You can definitely brine your turkey beforehand! Here is a great Brining Turkey 101 post.
- Preheating Grill: We are preheating the grill a little high (higher than we are grilling it at) to account for the fact that there will be a significant drop in temp as a result of opening the grill to put the turkey inside. Once the turkey is inside the temp needs to be at 325 – it should be close to that temp anyway after opening the grill.
- Cooking Temp: 14-15 minutes per pound is approximate, so use that as a base. Check the time with a meat thermometer when you baste to keep an eye on it. Especially with grilling, using the internal temp as your guide is the best!
- Aluminum Tray: We used two heavy duty aluminum trays to hold the turkey in for grilling – highly recommend doubling for support! This will also catch your drippings so you can make gravy!
- Dry: Make sure you turkey is as dry as possible before the butter. This helps it brown up nicely on the grill!
- Butter: You can use butter or ghee (softened) – apply generously as this will help brown the turkey and also add the the juices that will gather in the bottom of the pan, which can then be used to make gravy later!
- Seasoning: Use as much salt and pepper as necessary to lightly coat the turkey -the amount will depend on how big your bird is, but don’t be afraid to apply liberally.
- Stuffing: We stuffed the bird with with orange, onion and garlic, but feel free to use whatever you wish! If you stuff with actual stuffing, you will want to increase the cook time appropriately.
- Opening Grill/Basting: Treat the grill like an oven – don’t open often or your temp will drop and it will effect the cooking time. I would recommend opening it only 1-2 times to baste, especially towards the end to of the cooking time (you will need to check internal temp towards the end anyway). Baste with additional melted butter or just with the juices in the bottom of the pan.
- Internal Meat Thermometer: Make sure you have a reliable internal meat thermometer to check the internal temp – I like this one. Your turkey should reach 165 degrees at the thickest part of the bird and the juices should run clear.
Keywords: grilled turkey breast
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