Copycat Honey Baked Turkey Breast

Save yourself some money during the holidays by making a Honey Baked Turkey Breast at home! Moist turkey is cooked with butter and honey, then slathered with a sticky sweet and smoky glaze that’s broiled until it becomes a gloriously sugary crust!

5 from 2 votes

Copycat Honey Baked Turkey Breast

Moist turkey breast is cooked with butter and honey, then slathered with a sticky sweet and smoky glaze that’s broiled until it becomes a glorious sugary crust!

Prep Time15

Cook Time2

Total Time2 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: boneless turkey breast recipe, holiday turkey recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 595kcal

Author: The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

Turkey

3 lb. boneless turkey breast roast I use Butterball brand
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
3 Tbsp honey

Crunchy sugar glaze

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
pinch allspice

Instructions

Prepare

Preheat oven to 325°F and set oven rack to center position. Set out a baking dish (I use a 2 quart, but a 9x13" 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.

Brush with honey butter

Combine melted butter and honey, then slather over the turkey breast roast. Tent loosely with foil.

Roast turkey breast

Roast the turkey breast for approximately 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, or until an internal thermometer inserted into the turkey reaches 165°F.
Check the turkey breast every 45 minutes or so, to see if any more chicken broth should be added.
After turkey breast is cooked through, remove the twine netting.

Glaze and broil

Combine sugar, seasoned salt, onion powder, smoked paprika ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, and allspice in a small bowl. Pat half of the sugar mixture over the top of the turkey.
Preheat broiler to high, and ensure oven rack is still in the center position. **If the rack is too close to the heating element of the broiler, the turkey breast will burn.
Broil for several minutes, until bubbly and caramelized, then remove from oven.
To a small saucepan, add remaining sugar mixture. Add 3 Tbsp of either water or turkey juices from bottom of the roasting pan. Stir, and heat to a boil. Boil for about a minute, then remove from heat.
Brush or pour glaze over the turkey, then broil again for a minute or two (careful... don't let it burn!).

Rest and serve

Remove from oven and let turkey rest for 5-10 minutes.
Slice into 1/8 - 1/4” slices and serve warm or cold and enjoy!

Notes

I've estimated this recipe will feed approximately 4 people, but as always, the exact serving size is up to you.
When choosing a boneless turkey breast roast, make sure you select one that doesn't have additional flavor added.
For the best results, I highly recommend using an internal meat thermometer (clickable link) to check the internal temperature of the turkey breast. The cook time given is what it takes 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.
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:

Add about 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.
Add turkey breast on top of that, then slather with the butter and honey mixture.
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).
When finished cooking, remove from the slow cooker, place on a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish, and remove the twine netting.
Preheat your broiler on HIGH (or low, it will just take longer), and adjust the oven rack to the center position.
Broil as directed above.
When turkey breast has a nice golden brown color, remove from the oven and let rest for about 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Making turkey breast in the air fryer:

While I haven't tested this recipe specifically in an air fryer, I'm pretty confident that the following instructions from another turkey breast recipe of mine should work well for this recipe. So if you go forward with the air fryer, use caution as this is untested.
Preheat air fryer to 360°F. Slather with the butter and honey mixture.
Once preheated, add turkey breast to air fryer and air fry for about 1 hour, turning and basting every 15 minutes or so.
Turkey breast is done when the internal temperature is at least 165°F.
When finished cooking, remove from the slow cooker, place on a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish, and remove the twine netting.
Preheat your broiler on HIGH (or low, it will just take longer), and adjust the oven rack to the center position.
Broil as directed above.
When turkey breast has a nice golden brown color, remove from the oven and let rest for about 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Nutrition