Bourbon Maple Glazed Boneless Turkey Breast (2024)

Author: The Chunky Chef

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

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Bourbon maple glaze

• ▢ 1/2 cup bourbon
• ▢ 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• ▢ 3 Tbsp honey
• ▢ 2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
• ▢ 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ 1/2 tsp onion powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• ▢ 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp black pepper

Turkey breast and roasting

• ▢ 3 lb. boneless turkey breast roast I use Butterball brand
• ▢ 2 – 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

Cider bourbon gravy

• ▢ 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup pan drippings or reduced sodium chicken broth/stock
• ▢ 1/3 cup bourbon
• ▢ 2/3 cup apple cider or apple juice if you can't find cider
• ▢ 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1/4 tsp onion powder
• ▢ 1 Tbsp cold unsalted butter

Prepare

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Set out a baking dish (I use a 2 quart, but a 9×13" will also work), and an oven-safe wire rack (I use the roasting rack that came with my Instant Pot – it fits great in my 2 quart rectangular baking dish), or a roasting pan with a rack.

• Remove turkey breast roast from package, leaving the twine netting on (this holds the meat together as it cooks). Pat very dry with paper towels.

• Place turkey roast in the center of baking dish/roasting pan, on the rack. Pour enough chicken broth in the bottom of the roasting pan to fill it about 1/4 inch. This keeps any drippings from burning.

Glaze and roast

• In a mixing bowl, add glaze ingredients, whisking until well combined.

• Slather a thick layer of glaze over the top and sides of the turkey.

• Roast the turkey for approximately 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, or until an internal thermometer inserted into the turkey reaches 165°F.

• Baste the turkey every 30 minutes by brushing on more glaze and adding more chicken broth to the bottom of the pan, as needed.

• The last 30 minutes of cooking, remove the twine netting, and baste pretty liberally with the glaze.

• Remove pan from the oven, transferring turkey breast roast to a cutting board/plate to rest while you make the gravy.

Make gravy

• While turkey is resting, pour pan drippings into a small bowl, skimming off excess fat, if there is any.

• In a small saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over MED heat. Once melted, add flour and whisk to combine. Cook approximately 1 minute, then slowly whisk in 1 cup of the pan drippings. If you aren't using pan drippings, use reduced sodium chicken broth/stock.

• Stir in bourbon, apple cider, mustard, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Simmer several minutes, or until thickened to your liking.

• Take off the heat, and whisk in cold butter.

Serve

• Slice turkey breast into 1/2”-3/4” slices, and drizzle with gravy.

1. I’ve estimated this recipe will feed approximately 4 people, but as always, the exact serving size is up to you.
2. We usually use Woodford Reserve for this recipe, but please feel free to use any bourbon you’d like.
3. When choosing a boneless turkey breast roast, make sure you select one that doesn’t have additional flavor added.
4. For the best results, I highly recommend using aninternal meat thermometer (clickable link) to check the internal temperature of the turkey breast. The cook time given is what it took for me, but all ovens cook a little differently, and even things like how cold the turkey breast was before cooking can alter the total cook time.
5. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, and you’re looking for it to read 165°F.

Cooking boneless turkey breast in the slow cooker:

1. Make glaze as directed.
2. Add about 1 to 2 cups of chicken broth in the bottom of a slow cooker insert, then top with either a wire cooking rack (that will fit in the insert), some wedges from a yellow onion, or some balled up pieces of aluminum foil or parchment paper.
3. Add turkey breast on top of that, then slather with glaze.
4. Cover and cook on low for approximately 3-4 hours, checking the internal temperature at the 3 hour mark (you’re looking for an internal temperature of at least 165°F).
5. When finished cooking, remove from the slow cooker and place on a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish.
6. Place oven rack in the middle or towards the bottom, then turn on the broiler. You can broil on high or low.
7. Slather with more glaze, then add to the oven to broil.
8. Broil for a few minutes, watching closely, and adding more glaze as needed.
9. When turkey breast has a nice golden brown color, remove from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes.
10. While resting, make the gravy as directed.

Cooking boneless turkey breast in the air fryer:

1. Make glaze as directed.
2. Slather turkey breast with a thin layer of glaze, then preheat air fryer to 360°F.
3. Once preheated, add turkey breast to the basket of the air fryer and air fry for about 1 hour, turning and basting every 15 minutes or so.
4. Turkey breast is done when the internal temperature is at least 165°F.
5. Make gravy as directed, using reduced sodium chicken broth or stock in place of the pan drippings.