Air Fryer Herb Butter Turkey Breast is tasty & juicy but the best part is that it only takes a little more than an hour to make! Try it soon!
This Air Fryer Turkey Breast is perfect for a smaller holiday gathering or anytime you’re craving a Turkey Dinner outside of the holiday season. It cooks faster than a traditional oven-roasted turkey, making it an easy option for a weeknight dinner, but if you don’t have an air fryer, try my Slow Cooker Turkey Breast or Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast.
Why You’ll Love This Turkey Breast?
- The fresh herb butter adds rich flavor while helping keep the turkey juicy and tender.
- The air fryer makes perfectly cooked turkey in about an hour, so its easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
Sabrina’s Air Fryer Herb Butter Turkey Breast Recipe
A beautiful Roast Turkey during the holiday season is something I look forward to all year! The crispy skin, the moist turkey meat, the amazing flavor – what’s not to love? Practically speaking, most of us aren’t cooking a full oven-roasted turkey unless there is a crowd to feed. That’s why I made this air-fried turkey breast recipe, so you can enjoy freshly cooked turkey anytime of year.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 4-6 pounds turkey breast , patted dry
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary , removed from stems
- 10 leaves fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees and spray the basket with vegetable oil spray.
- Dry the turkey breast really well with paper towels.
- Mince the rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper together until very finely minced.
- Add the melted butter and herb mixture to a large bowl and season the turkey breast very well.
- Add the turkey breast, breast side down in the air fryer.
- Cook for 20 minutes.
- Flip the turkey, brush with some of the remaining butter from the bowl.
- Cook for 20-30 minutes (check temperature in the thickest part is 165 degrees before removing).
- Remove the basket, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
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Sabrina’s Tips
Make sure to pat the turkey dry before adding the herb butter. This helps the skin get nice and crispy in the air fryer. Additionally, turkey needs to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees before it is safe to eat. The meat will continue cooking while it rests so it’s okay to pull it out of the air fryer at 160 degrees. Just use an instant read thermometer after no more than 5 minutes to make sure it reaches 165 degrees.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Using turkey breast meat is an excellent option when you don’t want a whole turkey. It comes out just as tender and flavorful without a lot of extra work. Making it in the air fryer means a short cook time in comparison to a holiday turkey. The rapid circulation of air helps the food to cook quickly and evenly. This protein is an incredibly juicy turkey breast, because it’s filled with amazing flavor thanks to the fresh herbed butter. The meat is rubbed with butter and fresh herbs before cooking. The simple coating helps keep the turkey meat moist and flavorful even though it’s boneless and skinless.
Ingredients
- Turkey Breast: A 4 pound turkey breast will feed about 4-5 people, and you can use up to 6 pounds for this recipe. I used boneless turkey breast for this recipe so that it cooks very quickly, however you can swap in bone-in turkey and increase the cooking time.
- Butter: The butter takes the place of the turkey skin, helping to lock in the juices and flavors while also adding extra flavor and moisture.
- Seasonings: For the seasoning, you need fresh thyme leaves, rosemary, sage, kosher salt, and black pepper. You mix the seasonings with the butter for the coating and they infuse the meat with so much delicious flavor.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Air Fryer: You can make this recipe with a 4-6 pound turkey breast, but you want to choose one that will fit easily in the air fryer basket. There needs to be enough room for the air to circulate or it won’t cook properly. If your air-fryer basket is too small, I would recommend using my oven-roasted method or slow cooker method mentioned at the top of the page.
- Meat Thermometer: I like an instant read thermometer because you get a more accurate temperature of the meat. Stick the instant meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. Once the internal temperature reads 165 degrees, the turkey meat is done.
Can this be made ahead of time?
To prep this turkey ahead of time, you can coat the turkey breast in half of the melted butter and herb mixture the night before. Reserve the other half of the butter mixture in a sealed container. Melt the remaining herb butter again while the turkey is cooking so it is ready to be brushed on when you flip the breast. This turkey also makes fantastic meal prep recipe. Instead of serving the entire turkey breast at once, you can carve it into serving sizes and divide it into meal prep containers. Store them for filling and healthy meals throughout the week.
Serving Ideas
You can make all your favorite holiday side dishes like Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Bean Casserole, and Cranberry Sauce for a holiday meal year round. Since you are saving stove-top and oven-space, this is a great recipe to serve with your favorite roasted and sautéed sides. An easy weeknight dinner would be Mini Hasselback Potatoes (like I did for this recipe) and quickly sautéed veggies like Sauteed Green Beans or Sauteed Carrots.
How to Store
- Store: Don’t leave cooked turkey breast at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If you have any leftover turkey breast, you can wrap the breast with aluminum foil or put it in an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: You can use the air-fryer to reheat your leftover turkey! Reheat for about 5 minutes at 390 degrees. If you want to reheat it in the oven, add it to a baking pan with a tablespoon of broth, then cover the dish and bake at 375 degrees until heated through.
- Freeze: Cool the leftover meat down completely and store in a freezer safe container. It will stay good for about 3 months. Thaw the turkey in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Frequent Questions
If you forgot to defrost your turkey meat, you can still cook it from frozen in the air fryer. Simply place the frozen turkey breast in the 350-degree air fryer and cook for about 4-6 minutes. By then, the meat should be thawed, but you can add a few extra minutes if you need to. You can prepare the turkey with the butter and herb mixture, and cook as usual.
A 4 pound boneless turkey breast will feed about 4-5 people, averaging about a pound per person. If you use bone-in turkey, keep in mind that the weight includes the bones and skins, so it might be less servings.
Variations
- Air Fryer Garlic Herb Turkey Breast: An easy way to bring additional flavor to the recipe is by mincing garlic cloves to mix with the herb and butter mixture and season the turkey.
- Cajun Turkey Breast: Instead of the herbs, try whisking 1 ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons cumin, and 2 teaspoons garlic powder into the melted butter with salt and pepper. Season the Air Fryer Turkey Breast with the spice blend for a uniquely flavored turkey dinner.
- Bone In, Skin On Turkey: You can use bone-in, skin on turkey breast instead of boneless meat. You will need to add about 10-20 minutes of cooking time depending on the size you use.
Air Fryer Garlic Herb Turkey Breast: An easy way to bring additional flavor to the recipe is by mincing garlic cloves to mix with the herb and butter mixture and season the turkey.
Cajun Turkey Breast: Instead of the herbs, try whisking 1 ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons cumin, and 2 teaspoons garlic powder into the melted butter with salt and pepper. Season the Air Fryer Turkey Breast with the spice blend for a uniquely flavored turkey dinner.
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Photos used in a previous version of this post
