Brined Turkey Breast

With our easy brined turkey breast recipe, you can enjoy delicious and succulent poultry in just a few simple steps. The trick is to marinate it in salt water overnight – the longer you let the liquid steep into your bird before cooking, the more flavorful it will be. And you won’t have to worry about overly dry meat! We’ll walk you through preparing this dish so that all your Thanksgiving dinner guests (or weekday dinner attendees) are lined up for seconds.

Why and how brining works

Meat is muscle and muscles are long bundled fibers. Placing the turkey in the salt and water mixture over time helps the fibers relax. The soaking of the bird allows water to enter the muscle fibers, which means when you cook the turkey, there is less water loss, resulting in moist and tender meat. Here is a good article explaining why brining works.

It is not a secret that I will always choose dark meat over white meat if given a choice. The reason for this preference is that in my experience, white meat is usually cooked too long and the meat turns out dry.

Thankfully, I was introduced to wet brine. Instead of despairing at the thought of white meat left on the platter at Thanksgiving, I know I can rejoice that the white meat I cook will be moist and delicious.

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Ingredients and substitutions

• Kosher salt – Kosher salt is less dense and made of larger crystals than table salt or fine grain sea salt. But even among brands of kosher salt there can be differences. For instance, Diamond Crystal salt crystals are larger and dissolve faster than Morton’s, so if you use Morton’s, you’ll need less salt than if you use Diamond Crystal.
• Water – Filtered is best because it is purer, with less contaminants.
• Oregano – Organic ground. You can use any herb in the brining mixture. I prefer oregano or tarragon.
• Sage – Fresh sage leaves can be found in the produce section of the grocery store, near the herbs.
• Peppercorns – I use black but you can use any color you like.
• Butter – Organic. I never use margarine as I don’t trust the ingredients.
• Rosemary – Fresh sprigs are found in the produce section of the grocery store, near the herbs.
• Garlic paste – This is the best product ever. I find it in the grocery store’s produce section and use it in many of my recipes. If you can’t find the paste, I recommend using garlic powder over chopping up garlic.
• Pepper – Ground.

How to make brined turkey breast

Pre-step

Get out your brining container. I use my large pot which is stainless steel.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – Kosher salt, sage leaves, oregano, peppercorns, and whole turkey breast. (A)

Step two

In a saucepan, combine everything in the above photo, except the turkey, in filtered water. Set heat to medium and cook just long enough to melt the salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir until no grains of salt are left. (B)

Let cool to at least room temperature. Transfer the salt mixture from the pan and put it into the fridge.

Step three

Dry your turkey breast inside and out in the brining container. Gently pour the brining mixture over the turkey. Add just enough additional filtered water to cover the turkey. (C)

Step four

Cover the container and place it in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. I usually brine the turkey breast for around 18 hours.

Turn the turkey at least once during the brining.

Step five

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step six

After the turkey is finished brining, carefully remove the bird from the mixture and throw away the brining water. Rinse the bird inside and out and dry it thoroughly by dabbing at it with a paper towel. You want the skin as dry as possible so it will brown nicely.

Step seven

You can use an appropriately sized roasting pan with the V rack insert or do as I do. I thickly slice an onion and lay the slices down in a roasting pan. I do this because the drippings from the roasted turkey drip onto the onions, flavoring them so nicely.

Step eight

Place the brined turkey breast on the onions. Add four sage leaves, two rosemary sprigs, and rub butter and garlic paste on the skin. Sprinkle as much pepper as you want. (D)

Step nine

You cook a bone-in turkey breast for 15 – 20 minutes per pound or until the temperature reaches 155-160 Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the breast.

My roast turkey breast was 5 pounds and took 1 hour and 40 minutes to reach 160 degrees F, so it took 20 minutes per pound.

Step ten

Take the brined turkey breast out of the oven and let it rest on the counter for 20 minutes before slicing. Some people place a foil tent over the bird, but I don’t bother.

Look at those yummy onions.

Step eleven

Slice the breast as thickly or thinly as you want.

Plate a few pieces with some potatoes and veggie and pour on the gravy.

The flavor of this meat is so delicious!!

I hope you enjoyed this brined turkey breast recipe. Once you’ve brined, you’ll never go back to plain dry turkey.

Other popular Poultry recipes

• Swiss chicken
• Saltimbocca
• BBQ chicken
• Roast duck
• Chicken wings

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

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