Easy moist and tender turkey breast A foolproof turkey recipe to make your Thanksgiving dinner perfect Use pan drippings to make a smoky turkey gravy
Prep Time
1 day 1 hr 15 mins
Dificult
Medium
Servings
1 day 4 hrs 30 mins
Ingredients
Instructions
Heat water for brine in a 6-quart pot over medium heat until steam begins to rise to the surface. Stir in kosher salt and sugar until dissolved. Add liquid smoke
peppercorns
garlic
rosemary
thyme
sage
and smoked paprika. Immediately remove from heat
cover
and let rest and bring to room temperature
about 30 minutes. Do not refrigerate to cool.
Place each turkey breast in a zip-top freezer bag. Evenly divide the brine
herbs
and garlic between the bags. Remove excess air
seal
and put into the refrigerator
24 to 36 hours before you roast your turkey breast.
Remove turkey from brine
pat dry
and let rest for 30 minutes. Pour brine through a strainer; discard brine but reserve garlic and herbs.
Meanwhile
preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
At the same time
mix softened butter with rosemary
thyme
sage
garlic
black pepper
and paprika for herb butter. Set aside.
Arrange carrots
celery
bell peppers
onions
and reserved garlic and herbs from the brine in the bottom of a roasting pan. Rub about 1/4 of the herb butter on each breast under the skin. Don't remove the skin. Rub the rest of the butter on top of the skin. Arrange the breasts in the roasting pan on top of the aromatic veggie rack; add chicken stock to the bottom of the pan.
Roast in the center of the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each breast reads 160 degrees F (71 degrees C)
2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove from the oven
cover loosely with a foil tent
and let rest for 15 minutes. The internal temp will rise above 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) during this rest.
Cook's Note:
The brine is probably the most important step. It will keep the breast moist and flavorful. Do not skip.
Editor's Notes:
Always brine foods in a food-grade
nonreactive container such as a stainless steel or enameled stockpot
a brining bag
or a food-grade plastic bucket.
Nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of brine ingredients. The actual amount of brine consumed will vary.
