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Turkey Deli Meat: Homemade Lunchmeat

Overhead photo of sliced roasted turkey breast on a parchment lined pan.
Say goodbye to overpriced, preservative-packed turkey at the deli counter and hello to juicy, flavorful, homemade turkey lunchmeat! With just a few pantry staples and a simple roasting technique, you’ll be slicing up cold-cut turkey breast that rivals your favorite store-bought—right from your own kitchen. Whether you’re a meal prep pro or a sandwich enthusiast, this recipe for turkey deli meat is something you can feel good about eating. 
Author: Cheyanne Holzworth
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Optional: Chill Time: 8 hours
Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

  • 1 Small Bowl - for butter rub
  • as needed Kitchen Twine, Kitchen Scissors + Plastic Wrap -to dry brine turkey
  • 1 Roasting Pan with a Rack
  • 1 Instant-Read Thermometer

Ingredients

Rub

  • 6-8 TBS Unsalted Butter – softened to room temperature
  • 2 tsp Paprika - (Smoked, Hungarian or Combination of the two)
  • 1 tsp EACH: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder & Cumin
  • 1 tsp EACH: Honey & Light Brown Sugar
  • ½ tsp EACH: Chili Powder, Mustard Powder & Ground Black Pepper
  • ½ tsp EACH: Dried Rosemary & Dried Thyme – crushed

Turkey Deli Meat

  • 2-3 pound Boneless, Skinless Turkey Breast - rinsed and thoroughly dried (SEE NOTES)
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 Cup Chicken Stock or Chicken Broth – or more as needed, for bottom of the roasting pan

Instructions

  • Make the Rub: To a small mixing bowl, add the butter, paprika, garlic, onion, cumin, honey, sugar, chili powder, mustard powder, rosemary, and thyme.
    Use a fork to stir and mash the ingredients until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Then, set the rub aside.
  • Season and Rub Turkey Breast: Place the rinsed and dried turkey breast on a clean cutting board or work surface. If your turkey came in a net, use a pair of scissors to remove and discard the netting. Unfold the turkey and lay it completely flat, skin-side-up, on your work surface.
    Using your hands, rub half the seasoned butter mixture into the turkey breast, massaging the mixture into the meat.
    Flip the turkey over and apply the remaining butter mixture, using your hands to thoroughly rub the mixture into turkey meat.
  • Tie Turkey Breast: Cut six to eight pieces of kitchen twine, making each piece about 12-inches long.
    Fold the turkey in half, like a book, lengthwise. The turkey should be skin-side-out.
    Secure the chicken into a tight log by tying and knotting the turkey breast at about 2-inch intervals. Use scissors to snip and discard excess twine.
  • Optional, But Recommended - Chill Turkey: Wrap your tied turkey breast in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours, or up to overnight.
    (Note: This step is optional, but highly recommended. It gives the seasoning more time to penetrate the turkey; resulting in a more flavorful turkey breast.)
  • If You Refrigerated the Rubbed Turkey, Remove Chill Before Roasting: Remove the turkey breast from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before preheating oven.
  • Preheat Oven and Prepare Roasting Pan: Arrange oven rack to the lower third position. Then, preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit.
    Pour enough stock or broth to coat 1-inch of the bottom of your roasting pan (SEE NOTES). Then, add the wire rack to the pan.
    If you wrapped your turkey in plastic, remove and discard the plastic wrap. Place the turkey breast on the wire rack in the roasting pan.
    Sprinkle salt evenly over the entire turkey.
  • Roast Turkey Breast: Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and bake, basting with pan drippings every 20 minutes, for 60-105 minutes, or until the turkey breast reaches an internal temperature of 160-degrees Fahrenheit.
    (Note 1: Check the level of liquid in the pan during roasting to ensure it hasn't evaporated. Add more chicken stock or broth as needed.)
    (Note 2: Use an instant read thermometer and measure the temperature in the center of the thickest part of the breast.)
  • Rest Roasted Turkey: Remove the turkey from the oven and baste one more time. Transfer the roasted turkey breast to a clean work surface and lightly tent with foil.
    Let rest for at least 15-20 minutes - this gives the juices time to redistribute.
    (Note: Only tent SKINLESS turkey breast. If you kept the skin on, do not tent the bird while it's resting - tenting will cause skin to lose its crisp.)
  • Serve Roasted Turkey Breast: Remove and discard kitchen twine from turkey.
    Carve, slice, shred, or chop deli turkey meat and enjoy on meat and cheese boards, in sandwiches, wraps, and salads, or any recipe that calls for cooked turkey.

Notes

  • Turkey and butter: I find it easiest to blanket the turkey in butter if BOTH the butter and turkey are close to room temperature. 
  • Roasting pan: For more flavor, you can add a vegetable trivet or "Mirepoix" (chopped onions, carrots, celery) to the bottom of the roasting pan with the chicken stock.
  • Actual cooking time will depend on the size of your turkey breast. Use an instant read meat thermometer for accuracy.
  • For the juiciest turkey meat, I recommend removing it from the oven once it reaches an internal temperature of 160-degrees; carry-over cooking (resting the turkey) will bring it up to/past 165-degrees.
  • Approximate Roasting Times
    • 2-pound turkey breast: Roast at 350 for 60-70 minutes
    • 2.5-pound turkey breast: Roast at 350 for 75-85 minutes
    • 3-pound turkey breast: Roast at 350 for 90-105 minutes
    • 4-pound turkey breast: Roast at 350 for 120-140 minutes
  • Skin-on Boneless Turkey Breast: You can follow the recipe as instructed; however you will need to gently separate the turkey meat from the skin and apply the butter UNDER the skin. Then, rub the residual butter left on your hands all over the skin.
  • Bone-in Skin-on Turkey Breast: Increase oven temperature to 425-degrees. Roast turkey breast for 15 minutes. Leave the oven door closed and reduce the oven temperature to 350-degrees. Roast, basting the turkey every hour, until the turkey reaches 160-degrees Fahrenheit. (Note: Make sure you check that there is still liquid in the bottom of the pan during longer roasting times.)
  • Thin-sliced turkey: If you want to slice your roast turkey breast deli-style-thin, I recommend chilling it *first*. Cold meat is easier to slice than hot meat.
    • Let your roasted turkey breast cool to room temperature before wrapping in plastic and transferring to the refrigerator. 
  • Need to Scale the Recipe? Hover your mouse over the number of servings in the recipe card. You'll see a sliding scale pop up, you can use that to scale the recipe up or down as needed.
  • Got questions? I've got answers! If you ever run into an issue, have a question, or need any clarification - please feel free to drop them in the comments section. I'm happy to help when I can! 
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and the nutrition facts are an estimate based upon 6 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.

Nutrition

Calories: 305kcal    Carbohydrates: 1g    Protein: 46g    Fat: 13g    Saturated Fat: 7g    Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g    Monounsaturated Fat: 3g    Trans Fat: 0.5g    Cholesterol: 157mg    Sodium: 616mg    Potassium: 27mg    Fiber: 0.2g    Sugar: 1g    Vitamin A: 679IU    Vitamin C: 0.01mg    Calcium: 43mg    Iron: 3mg
Course: entree, Lunch
Cuisine: American