How to cook a boneless turkey breast in a rotisserie

Ingredients

To brine and prep the turkey

Table of Contents Show

Ingredients
What Makes This Recipe Work
Ingredients for This Recipe
How to Cook This Recipe
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
Reader Interactions
How long does it take to rotisserie a boneless turkey breast?
Can you put a boneless turkey breast in a rotisserie?
How long does it take to cook a rotisserie turkey breast?

640g fine salt
8g thyme
20g marjoram
50g savoury
40g rosemary
30g basil
50g garlic cloves
16g black peppercorns
10g dry lavender
10kg turkey

To prep and cook the brined crown

reserved brined crown
2 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp savoury, finely chopped
2 tsp oregano, finely chopped
½ tsp basil, finely chopped
½ tsp dry lavender, finely chopped
1 tsp fine salt
butcher’s strings

For the gravy

turkey carcass (wings, legs, bone)
1 litre chicken stock
1 white onions, cut into quarters
2 carrots, cut in half
4 sticks celery
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
10g sage
reserved roasting juices

Recipe

Place the salt on a large pan along with 8 litres of water. Bring to the boil to dissolve the salt, then remove from the heat and cool to 40C/104F. Add the herbs and aromatics, and once completely cool, cover and place in the fridge overnight.

To prep the whole turkey, start by removing the legs and wings. Remove the breast from the crown being careful to keep the skin in one piece (you could ask the butcher to do this for you). Set the legs, wings and carcass aside for use in making the gravy. Remove the brine from the fridge, and strain into a very large container. Place the turkey crown into the brine and keep in the fridge for 14 hours. Remove and rinse under cold, running water for 1 hour. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.

To prep the brined crown, finely chop all the herbs and mix with the salt. Open out the crown and sprinkle the herb mix evenly over the meat. Roll the crown up ensuring the turkey stays even in size, then tie the crown at 2cm intervals with butcher’s string along the roll.

On the HUB or FUSION spit, attach your turkey using the forks. Ignite the grill and when coals are ready, place the bird on the top setting. Begin the spit and monitor the heat (topping up with coals as needed). A surface temperature on the bird of around 70C/158F should be maintained. Once the core of the crown reads 65C/149F on a probe thermometer, top up the coals one last time and lower the bird to the lowest setting to colour and crisp the skin.

Remove bird from the spit and rest for 10 minutes before carving. Reserve the juices for the gravy.

In the meantime, make the gravy. Remove the skin from the legs and wings and discard. Debone the legs and slice into 2-3cm thick pieces. Chop the wings into smaller pieces.

Preheat the oven to 220C/428F and spread all the chopped bones and meat out onto a roasting tray. Roast until brown and caramelized. This may need to be done in batches. Do the same with the vegetables.

Place all the roasted bones and vegetables into a large pan along with the chicken stock and 1 litre water. Simmer for 2 hours, skimming the fat regularly. Strain through a sieve, then return the stock to a clean pan. Add any roasting juices reserved when carving the turkey. Reduce the gravy over high heat until a light gravy consistency is reached.

This is a Heston Blumenthal Recipe

Air fryer boneless turkey breast is the quick air fried recipe you need this Thanksgiving (or any time of year!) Learn how to cook and how long to cook this perfect main dish recipe that tastes so juicy and tender, you'll swear it was a tenderloin made on the rotisserie! Simple roast bursting with flavor and on the table in less than 1 hour!

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What Makes This Recipe Work
Ingredients for This Recipe
How to Cook This Recipe
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
Related Recipes
Air Fryer Boneless Turkey Breast

Sometimes simple is all you need for Thanksgiving! Or maybe you are getting a craving for turkey, but you don't want to turn on the oven.

This recipe delivers the holiday meal of your dreams - in what seems like no time at all! Deliciously juicy turkey roasted to perfection in a fraction of the time of roasting up the entire bird.

This recipes creates a bird that is golden brown on the outside, juicy and moist on the inside. Perfect for a small holiday meal or a great replacement for rotisserie chicken in your weekly meal prep.

For the holidays you can serve it with roasted colorful carrots or blistered green beans, garlic parmesan Brussels sprouts and sweet potato casserole for an easy and delicious Thanksgiving or Christmas meal! Don't forget pumpkin pie for dessert!

Got leftovers? Try these healthy leftover turkey recipes.

What Makes This Recipe Work

FAST! Air fryer boneless turkey breast takes a fraction of the time of a full bird - less than an hour and you have a Thanksgiving worthy main dish on your table.
Family & Kid Approved. My family almost always goes for the breast meat so sometimes making just that part makes more sense.
Juicy with no brining. This method gives you the crispy outside skin and a tender, juicy and moist inside that is roasted to perfection. You don't have to brine it if you don't want to!
Great for a small holiday gathering. If you want to go the easy route for Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner, you will love this recipe! This air fried turkey breast will make about 12 slices - perfect for 4 full servings, or make for 2 with leftovers!

Ingredients for This Recipe

Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.

3 lb boneless turkey breast: Butterball has a frozen variety that you can find in many main grocery stores.
Garlic: I highly recommend roasted garlic as it is very smooth in creating the butter herb paste that goes on the turkey. Otherwise, grate or finely mince the garlic.
Fresh herbs: Poultry blends work well here. I used sage, rosemary and thyme.
Butter: You can also use ghee or use olive oil if you need it to be dairy free.

How to Cook This Recipe

This is a step by step walkthrough of how to cook this recipe. Exact cook time and temperatures are available in the recipe card at the bottom.

Begin by preheating your air fryer for 10 minutes at 350F. You can allow it to preheat while you begin mixing up the herbed butter mixture.
Start by creating the garlic herb butter mixture. Mix softened butter with garlic and herbs and stir to incorporate. Using your hands, rub half of the butter on the top and under the skin of the turkey. Flip and rub the remainder on the bottom.
Carefully place the turkey in the basket. I like to coat my basket with coconut oil spray to ensure that it does not stick.
Roast turkey for about 20 minutes then flip over and roast for an additional 30-35 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers at least 170F.

Expert Tips

Select the right size bird for your air fryer model. I made this recipe using my 4 liter Ultrean model and it fit the 3 lb. Butterball perfectly.
Cook time will vary based on your model as well as size of the turkey breast you are using. Be sure to use an instant read thermometer to ensure that the roast comes to an internal temperature of 170F.
Allow roast to rest, tented under aluminum foil for 10 to 15 minutes prior to slicing to keep it moist and juicy.
Do not use frozen meat for this air fryer boneless turkey breast. If your meat is frozen you will want to defrost it for at least 24 hours. The Butterball 3 lb. took about a day and a half to fully defrost.
The 3 lb. Butterball comes in a few flavors (Cajun and Savory Herb) so that may impact taste if you select one that has a dry rub already on it. For this recipe I recommend using the plain breast meat roast.
Leave the skin on for roasting even if you are looking to make a skinless version. The skin helps to keep the moisture in during roasting.
Leftovers? Try this delicious instant pot turkey noodle soup!

Recipe FAQs

How long does it take to cook a Butterball 3 lb. turkey?

Total roast time is about 55 minutes, flipping after the first 20 minutes.

How do I carve it?

Allow the roast to rest under tented aluminum foil for 10 to 15 minutes prior to slicing. Use a meat knife or an electric knife to cut thin or thick slices, depending on your preference. Slice meat cross-wise using long motions.

Do I leave the webbing on when cooking the 3 lb. Butterball?

I removed the webbing prior to cooking but some people swear by leaving it on. If you leave it on, you will want to check the temperature with an instant read thermometer to ensure it has cooked according to the time in the recipe card. Leaving the webbing on may lengthen the cook time.

Do I need to brine an air fryer boneless turkey breast?

This recipe is designed to air fry turkey quickly. You can choose to brine it if you desire but it will add onto the total time.

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Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 448kcal

▢ 1 3 lb turkey breast
▢ 3 tablespoon butter or ghee softened
▢ 6 cloves roasted garlic minced
▢ 1 tablespoon each fresh rosemary, sage and thyme
▢ sea salt + pepper to taste

Preheat the air fryer to 350F. Coat the basket with coconut oil spray.
Wash and mince fresh herbs. Add garlic to top of minced herbs and work the herbs into the garlic to incorporate. Stir herb/garlic mixture into the butter.
Spread ¼ of the butter mixture under the skin and ¼ of the butter on top of the skin. Spread remaining butter on the bottom.
Place turkey skin side down into the basket. Roast for 20 minutes then flip.
Roast for an additional 30-35 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 170F.

Select the right size bird for your air fryer model. I made this recipe using my 4 liter Ultrean model and it fit the 3 lb. Butterball perfectly.
Cook time will vary based on your model as well as size of the turkey breast you are using. Be sure to use an instant read thermometer to ensure that the roast comes to an internal temperature of 170F.
Allow roast to rest, tented under aluminum foil for 10 to 15 minutes prior to slicing to keep it moist and juicy.
Do not put frozen meat into the air fryer for cooking. If your meat is frozen you will want to defrost it for at least 24 hours. The Butterball 3 lb. took about a day and a half to fully defrost.
The 3 lb. Butterball comes in a few flavors (Cajun and Savory Herb) so that may impact taste if you select one that has a dry rub already on it. For this recipe I recommend using the plain breast meat roast.
Leave the skin on for roasting even if you are looking to make a skinless version. The skin helps to keep the moisture in during roasting.

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.7g | Protein: 77g | Fat: 13.5g

About Lyndsey

Reader Interactions

How long does it take to rotisserie a boneless turkey breast?

It should take about 1 ½ hours to cook, depending on the size of the breast. It's better to go by temperature, though - you want the breast at the thickest part to read 150°F to 155°; start checking after an hour of cooking. Serve: Remove the turkey from the spit and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Can you put a boneless turkey breast in a rotisserie?

Skewer the breast on the rotisserie spit, securing it with the spit forks. Let it rest at room temperature until it is time to cook. Set up the grill: Set up the grill for indirect medium heat (325° to 350°F), with the drip pan in the middle of the grill and the heat on the sides.

How long does it take to cook a rotisserie turkey breast?

Roast, uncovered, in preheated oven for 20-23 minutes per pound of turkey, or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit is reached. Place thermometer into the center of the thickest part of your turkey breast to test the temperature.