Cooking turkey breasts gives you all of the homey scents and tastes of the holidays in half the time and with a lot less trouble than roasting a whole turkey. Roasting turkey breasts is basically just baking them with some liquid added to the bottom of the roasting pan. It is very important to cook turkey breasts all the way through to avoid any chance of food-borne illness, so don’t rely on timing or visual cues to decide if your roasted turkey breasts are done. Use an instant-read thermometer to be sure.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse your turkey breasts under cool water and pat them dry with paper towels. Dry them well so that the butter will stick to them.

Spray a roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray and place the turkey breasts on the rack. Make sure there is space between them so they cook evenly.

Massage softened butter into the skin of the turkey breasts. This will give them a crispy texture and dark brown color when they’re done.

Sprinkle poultry seasoning over the butter. Traditional poultry seasonings include thyme, sage, salt, pepper, lemon zest and rosemary. Use a premade spice mix or experiment with your own.

Pour just enough water into the roasting pan to cover the bottom. This is to give you a little liquid to baste with until the turkey breasts start to release their drippings. Splash a little bit of white wine over the turkey breasts for some extra flavor.

Place the turkey breasts in the hot oven. Let the turkey breasts cook for 15 minutes per pound. Baste the turkey breasts every 10 to 15 minutes to ensure that they don’t dry out.

Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey breasts to check for doneness. They are cooked safely when they reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.