Roasted Turkey Breast

I have a love and hate relationship with this turkey and post. It’s for sure the best turkey breast I’ve ever made, but the stupid skin shrunk weirdly and glued itself to the side and it’s definitely not picture perfect. And I know we all know that it’s tastes that matter, but we also know you eat with you eyes first and everyone wants that perfect crispy skin on top. And it was perfect and crispy, just on the side and a little bit loopy lol. So I was trying to figure out if I had time to remake this whole meal and shoot it again, but my store was out of turkey breasts on bone and there was just no time to go looking around. So I made a decision to post it anyway, in it’s all messed up skin glory, knowing it was incredibly flavorful and juicy and that I now for sure have my go to recipe for years to come. If I’m not hosting a big Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, just the turkey breast is more than enough for the four of us, all the leftovers and then some. I did personally miss the dark meat, but all my boys are white meat only eaters so it works for us. The major difference from this time and all the other times is that I actually brined the turkey breast, and it makes absolutely all the difference! Goodbye dry turkey breast. This was the best turkey breast I’ve ever had, so if you can forgive me less than perfect skin, go check out the recipe and see what I did!

Roasted Turkey Breast

Daniela

Roasted turkey breast that is juicy and flavorful!

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 2 hrs

Brining 1 d 12 hrs

Total Time 1 d 14 hrs 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

For the Brine:

• 2 quarts water, or a bit more
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 shallot
• 1 orange
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tsp whole peppercorns

For Roasting the Turkey:

• 1 turkey breast, on bone
• 2 shallots
• 3 stalks celery
• 3 carrots
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 6 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp chopped thyme
• 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the Gravy:

• 1 1/2 cup chicken or turkey broth
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• salt and pepper

Instructions

 

To brine the turkey:

• Fill a big pot half way with water, about 2 quarts. Add the salt and the sugar and warm it up until it is all completely melted. Now this is very important. Let this cool completely before adding the turkey breast in. I even add couple of cups of ice cubes in first and then add the turkey, you do not want any bacteria action going on because water might be too warm!

  Add 4 cloves of garlic, a quartered shallot, sliced orange, sprigs of thyme and the peppercorns. Carefully lower in the turkey breast and make sure its totally submerged in water, if needed add more cold water. Put the top on the pot and put in fridge for 8-12 hours.

  After it's done brining, discard the brine and thoroughly pat dry the turkey with paper towels. Leave it uncovered in the fridge for 12-24 hours, until you are ready to roast it. This will help with your skin getting nicely browned and crispy.

To Roast the turkey:

• Take the turkey out of the fridge one hour before you are ready to roast it. Prepare the veggies for the bottom of your roaster. Cut the celery stalks in half and carrots into large chunks. Peel the shallots and quarter them, smash the garlic cloves. Add the peppercorns and the wine tot he pan and then put the roasting rack on top.

  To season the turkey, mix softened butter with the garlic powder, herbs and salt and pepper. Rub it well all over the turkey, going under the skin as well as over it.

  Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for about 2 hours or until the temperature of the breast reaches 155 degrees. Mine was done in under two hours, it will depend on the size too, as well as your oven, so start checking the temperature after about and hour and a half.

  I basted it every 20 minutes or so. If it is browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil, let rest for at least 20 minutes before cutting.

To make the Gravy:

• Once you remove the turkey from the roasting pan also remove all the veggies and peppercorns. I love the roasted shallots and carrots and serve it on the side, I discard the celery.

  Scrape all the juice and drippings from the roasting pan into a sauce pan and add the broth (I get turkey broth at Trader Joe's but chicken broth works just as well) and bring it to simmer. Mix 2 tablespoons of flour on the side with little bit of broth and add to the sauce pan and whisk continuously while bringing it to a boil. Lower the heat and add the butter and cook until it reaches desired thickness. Serve on the side with the turkey breast.

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