Maple Glazed Turkey Breast Recipe

This Maple Glazed Turkey Breast Recipe cooks up moist and tender, with layers of maple goodness. The skin is crisped to golden perfection, and prepared with a garlic and pepper dry rub, before being basted with a sweet and spicy maple glaze.

So why prepare ‘just’ the turkey breast, when preparing a whole bird for Thanksgiving, or other special autumn dinners can be an event – one that’s equal parts deliciousness and beauty? The answer, of course, is hassle. A whole bird is a hassle, not just in terms of prep but also time. However, preparing just the turkey breast can retain all of the beauty and deliciousness of the whole bird, but without nearly as much of the hassle or time required for cooking.

Perfect as the centerpiece of your next gathering, while leftovers make for great sandwiches or even stews, this Maple Glaze Turkey Breast Recipe is sure to find a spot on your autumn recipe repertoire. Read on for a printable recipe card, a recipe overview and an ingredient checklist.

Now, without further delay, let’s get cooking.

What to Expect – Recipe Overview

If you’ve read this far, I’ve likely caught your interest, but you also probably have a few questions left, such as what this recipe tastes like, or what you can expect from the texture. You might also be wondering just how hard (or easy!) this recipe is to make. For the answer to those questions and more, read on.

Taste and Texture: With this recipe, I was aiming for a combination of moist and tender turkey, with beautifully goldened, crisp skin, prepared with a garlic and pepper rub, and a sweet and spicy maple glaze. While the star of the show is definitely the maple glaze, I wanted to do something a little different, so I decided to add a bit of heat to the maple glaze with chili garlic sauce, but without overpowering the glaze entirely. We also add a bit of thickness and citrus flavor to the glaze with duck sauce. The glaze also helps the turkey skin to develop a caramelized, crispy, and sticky finish that I find contrasts beautifully with the moist turkey meat.

Difficulty Level: Safely beginner-friendly. If you’ve ever prepared something like a beef or pork roast or a whole chicken, this recipe isn’t throwing anything new at you. All we do is rub the turkey down with the pepper and garlic mix, brush the turkey with the maple glaze, and then brush the turkey with the glaze throughout the cooking process (every 30 or so minutes as directed in the recipe card). Super simple.

Preparation Process

• Prepping the Turkey: Naturally, we start off by cleaning and then drying the turkey as directed in the recipe card, before rubbing it down with a blend of salt, garlic, and black pepper. Nothing difficult here.
• Maple Glaze: Once that’s done it’s time to prep the star of the show – the sweet and spicy maple glaze. This is a simple mix of maple syrup, duck sauce, cider vinegar, and chili garlic sauce. We rub the turkey down with half of it and save the other half for brushing over the turkey during cooking. Once again, this is all beginner-friendly stuff.
• Roasting: As directed in the recipe card, we roast the turkey at 325°F, brushing it with the maple glaze every thirty minutes during roasting.
• Carving: Once the turkey has finished roasting, we let it rest and then carve. There’s no simpler way to prep a turkey breast.

Pairings: All the usual favorite turkey sides will pair well with today’s turkey breast. Here are some of our very own favorites:

1. Mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes: The obvious pairing choice, such as my Creamy Ricotta Mashed Potatoes.
2. Roasted vegetables: Thanksgiving and fall-themed vegetables like carrots, Brussels sprouts, or butternut squash would all be delicious, helping to really build an autumn theme around the turkey.
3. Cranberry sauce: Always a nice pairing for turkey, your favorite cranberry sauce is a definite go-to for this maple-glazed turkey.
4. Salads: A citrus or apple salad, would add freshness to balance the richness of the glaze. A simple leafy green salad would also pair nicely.
5. Stuffing or Rice: A nice addition to any Thanksgiving-themed dinner would be stuffing or wild rice for a more traditional pairing.

Ingredient Checklist – Everything You’ll Need

For this recipe, we’re using only simple ingredients that are readily available at your local supermarket. Here’s everything you’ll need.

Turkey Breast:

• 8 lb. bone-in turkey breast
  • Tip: If you purchased a frozen turkey breast, be sure that the turkey is completely thawed before cooking. To thaw, allow it to sit in the refrigerator for about 24 hours per 5 lbs. Do ‘not’ attempt to hasten thawing by leaving it out at room temperature, do not try placing it in the oven. The best way to thaw meat is to set it in the fridge and simply wait.

For the Rub:

• 2 tsp. salt
  • Tip: Plain table salt is all you really need here, but kosher or large-grain salt generally works better for rubs.
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
  • Substitution: If you prefer a more intense garlic flavor, or don’t have powdered garlic on hand, you can use 3-4 fresh garlic cloves, minced or grated. I do suggest grating to ensure maximal release of the garlic juices.
• 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
  • Tip: I recommend using freshly ground black pepper for the best aromatics.

For the Maple Glaze:

• 4 tbs. duck sauce
  • Substitution: If you prefer, you can substitute apricot jam or orange marmalade, but this will result in a sweeter, fruitier flavor than duck sauce.
• ½ cup maple syrup
  • Tip: I cannot stress enough that you really, really want to use real maple syrup as opposed to corn syrup or artificial alternatives. We want that deep, maple flavor for the glaze.
• 3 tbs. cider vinegar
  • Note: Vinegar works to balance the glaze with acidity, helping to bind the flavors of the other ingredients.
  • Substitution: White wine vinegar and rice vinegar can both be used if preferred. That said, I really do ‘not’ advise leaving out the vinegar, as you want a source of acidity in the glaze.
• 1 tsp. chili garlic sauce
  • Substitution: Sriracha, gochujang, or a pinch of red pepper flakes mixed with garlic paste can be substituted for a mild heat and garlic flavor.
• ½ tsp. salt
  • Tip: Plain table salt is all you need for the glaze.

For Cooking and Serving:

• Parchment paper to line the pan
  • Tip: My number one kitchen ‘must have’ is parchment paper as it makes cleanup so much easier, and nothing prevents sticking better than parchment paper.
• Vegetable oil or butter (optional, for extra browning)
  • Tip: You can rub the turkey with a bit of oil or melted butter before roasting to enhance the crispness of the skin.

Prep Tips – Make it Perfect Every Time

Here are my top tips for preparing this recipe:

Turkey Preparation

• Thaw Completely: As mentioned above, if starting with a frozen turkey, you want it to be thawed completely before you begin this recipe. For safe and thorough thawing, place the turkey breast in the refrigerator, and let it sit for 24 hours per 5 lbs of meat.
• Pat Dry: After cleaning the turkey, pat the bird dry with paper towels until it is completely dried. Excess water leads to soggy, rather than crisp, skin.

Applying the Rub

• Massage Well: This should go without saying, but be sure to massage the rub generously over the entire turkey breast, and also be sure to get as much of it under the skin as you can – without damaging or tearing the skin. This ensures even flavor distribution.
• Let It Rest: After applying the rub, you’ll want to allow the turkey to rest in the fridge for no less than 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours) for maximum flavor absorption.

Cooking Tips

• Preheat the Oven: Before placing the turkey in the oven, be sure that the oven has been preheated to 325°F. Cooking at a consistent temperature ensures even roasting, whereas if you allow the oven to heat up with the turkey inside this will result in uneven cooking, making some parts of the turkey dry.
• Use Parchment Paper: My top kitchen must-have, parchment paper is the best way to keep things from sticking and makes cleanup so much easier.
• Basting Regularly: As directed in the recipe, you’re going to want to brush the turkey with the maple glaze every 30 minutes. This helps to build layers of maple flavor and achieve beautifully caramelized, crispy skin.
• Tip: Use one bowl of glaze strictly for brushing during cooking. Discard any leftover glaze after basting, and use the reserved fresh glaze (the second half) when serving.

Internal Temperature is Key

• Use a Meat Thermometer: The turkey breast is done when the thickest part of the meat reaches 165°F. This ensures the meat is cooked but still juicy.
• Tip: Insert the thermometer at the thickest part without touching the bone for an accurate reading.

Resting the Turkey

• Let It Rest: After cooking, let the turkey breast rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute, keeping the meat moist and tender.
• Use a Sharp Knife: When carving, use a sharp knife to get clean, even slices, and ensure the skin stays attached.

Print

And that’s our Maple Glazed Turkey Breast Recipe. If you enjoyed today’s recipe, or have any questions or suggestions, be sure to let us know in the comments below. We always love hearing from you. Happy Cooking!

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