A turkey breast is surprisingly easy to cook on the grill, and after some time in a flavorful marinade, the results are juicy, tender white meat, ready for slicing. With luck, you’ll have leftovers for making awesome sandwiches and other leftover turkey recipes all week long.

It’s a no-brainer to think about cooking turkey during the end-of-the-year holidays, but not preparing it year-round means missing out completely. In the warmer weather, grilling turkey is a great option — you don’t have to heat up the oven and the kitchen, and you get that smoke-kissed flavor that only grilling can provide. And it cooks up faster than you might think! You can cook several turkey breasts at once if you have a larger group. You might still be in grilling mode on Thanksgiving in some parts of the country — this is a great option for an extra turkey breast, or a white-meat-only crowd.

This grilled half turkey breast recipe goes perfectly with Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad, Kale Crunch Salad, or Grilled Vegetable Skewers.

Ingredients

• Turkey breast half – For this recipe, you’ll be looking for a split bone-in turkey breast weighing about 3 pounds. These should be available in the market all throughout the year. Defrost the turkey breast if frozen.
• Unsalted butter – Adds nice flavor and richness.
• Olive oil
• Cider vinegar – For acidity.
• Shallots and garlic – These alliums bring a punchy depth of flavor.
• Worcestershire sauce – For a bit of umami.
• Brown sugar – A little sweetness adds balance to the marinade.
• Thyme leaves – You can also use 1 teaspoon dried thyme.

Marinade for Grilled Turkey 

In this case, we can skip the brining in favor of a flavorful marinade, which gives the turkey amazing flavor and allows it to grill up perfectly moist and tender. The marinade contains a blend of melted butter and olive oil, plus some cider vinegar for acidity, shallots, garlic, and splashes of Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and thyme.

You can marinate the turkey in a container or a large, sturdy zipper-top sealable plastic bag. Marinate the turkey between 6 and 36 hours; the longer it marinates, the deeper the flavor will be.

How to Make Grilled Split Turkey Breast

1. Make the marinade: Combine the butter, olive oil, vinegar, shallots, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, thyme, salt, and pepper.
2. Marinate the turkey: Place the turkey in the container with the marinade and turn it so that it is well coated with the mixture. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 6 to 36 hours, turning it occasionally as you are able.
3. Grill the turkey: Carefully oil the grill grates. Place the turkey breast over the medium heat zone, and grill for about 5 minutes on each side. After about 15 minutes, transfer the breast to the indirect heat zone of the grill, cover, and allow to cook for anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes.

4. Serve: Arrange the sliced turkey on a platter and tuck a variety of fresh herb sprigs amidst the sliced meat for a pretty presentation.

Cooking Turkey Breast on the Grill

You’ll want to use a two-zone grilling system for grilling turkey (and most large pieces of meat). This will allow the turkey skin to crisp up nicely and the whole piece of meat to cook evenly. You can do this with a charcoal grill or a gas grill. It is very helpful to have an instant-read thermometer to test for doneness.

Heat half of the grill to medium, and leave half at medium-low, which will be the indirect heat zone. Place the turkey breast over the medium heat zone, and grill for about 5 minutes on each side (you may only be able to get the breast to lie flat on two or three sides, which is fine).

After about 15 minutes, transfer the breast to the indirect heat zone of the grill, cover, and allow to cook for anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on how large your grill is and, therefore, how intense the indirect heat is. Check starting at 45 minutes with an internal meat thermometer, and pull the turkey from the fire when the internal temperature in the thickest part reaches 160 degrees F. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let it sit for 15 minutes before slicing and serving (the internal temp will rise to 165 F).

Storage

Leftover grilled turkey will keep in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can leave the turkey piece whole, or slice or cube it before storing.

What to Serve With Grilled Split Turkey Breast

Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Simple Couscous Salad

Greek Tomato and Cucumber Salad

More Turkey Recipes

• Turkey Marsala
• Best Turkey Lasagna
• Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
• Simple Slow Cooker Turkey Breast