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Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe – Whether you’re grilling or smoking turkey this season, our easy turkey recipe is the first step in preparing your holiday meal. Learn how to roast turkey for the juiciest, tenderest Thanksgiving star every time! You can use this turkey breast for a juicy roast turkey or spatchcock turkey.

Brining means soaking the bird (or chicken or pork) in a solution of water and salt with herbs, sugar, spices and sometimes even fruit.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Turkey, like chicken and pork, is a naturally lean protein and tends to overcook and dry out when cooked in the oven. Brining is a useful technique to improve moisture retention because salt changes the structure of meat proteins, allowing them to absorb and retain more flavorful liquid.

Best Roast Turkey Recipe

If you’ve never roasted a turkey, you’re missing out. This wet dressing recipe is not part of the cooking process, but an extra step in preparing the turkey 12-24 hours before cooking. Dip your turkey in these herbs and you’ll have the tastiest, most tender pieces of turkey your plate will ever see. Roasting will make your turkey:

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Be sure to remove the giblet bag and neck from the turkey cavity before adding the bird to the roasting pan.

This marinade recipe is so easy, it’s really as simple as soaking a turkey (almost any turkey will work here) in seasoned water and adding some herbs. For this easy turkey roast recipe, you’ll need:

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Easy Turkey Brine Recipe With Garlic Herb Butter

Cider – Try replacing 3 cups of water with an equal amount of apple cider (a splash of apple juice, not apple cider vinegar) for extra delicious hydration.

Zest – Add the rinds of 3 oranges to the melon for a hint of lemon. With a knife, finely cut only the rind (the colored rind), not the bitter white.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Dried Herbs – If you don’t have fresh rosemary and thyme, it’s perfectly fine to substitute 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary and 2 tablespoons of dried thyme.

The Best Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe

A general rule of thumb is to get 1 pound of turkey for good flavor and moisture content.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Before washing the turkey, make sure your sink is clean and clear of anything. Have paper towels available for drying, and prepare a baking pan next to the sink to catch the dry bird. Setting this up before washing will prevent raw turkey juices and bacteria from spilling and spreading. After placing the turkey in the roasting pan, be sure to clean the sink and counters with antibacterial cleaning products to prevent cross-contamination.

This recipe is best for fresh or pre-roasted chicken so that the meat fully absorbs the marinade.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Easy Turkey Brine Recipe

That’s when you should wash the turkey inside and out, to reduce the saltiness and remove the herbs. You can soak the turkey in cold, fresh water for 15 minutes.

The USDA recommends always storing raw turkey in the refrigerator at 40°F or below to prevent foodborne illness. A wine bag takes up less space than a large, rigid container, so consider using this option if space is an issue.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

If you prefer brown skin, we recommend leaving the turkey uncovered in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours before cooking.

Cajun Turkey Brine Recipe (for Ultra Juicy Cajun Turkey)

This recipe works well for a 10-20 pound turkey. You will need a large pot or dish to hold the turkey while roasting. It is best to use something non-reactive such as plastic, glass or stainless steel. Consider using:

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

For a turkey that weighs 15 pounds. Or more, a watering can is recommended. Make room in your fridge because you’ll definitely need to refrigerate the turkey while it’s growing.

To fully submerge your bird, place a plate, bowl, or bowl lid on top to weigh it down.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Brined Roast Turkey Breast With Herb Pan Gravy

Since the turkey is the star of the Thanksgiving table, it’s definitely worth salting for a delicious and very tender turkey. I find that turkey is a little more forgiving when it’s boiled.

With Thanksgiving on the way, you’ll need all the turkey recipes you can enjoy the rest of the way in a million different ways. Don’t worry, Natasha’s Kitchen has you covered. You won’t want to miss these other recipes that will help you use up leftover turkey.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Learn how to roast turkey for a juicy turkey every time! You can use this turkey breast for juicy turkey or smoked turkey. If you don’t have a container big enough to hold a whole turkey, you can also use a turkey bag in a large pot or bowl. We used a 13 pound turkey, but this will work for a 10-20 pound turkey.

The Best Turkey Brine Recipe (video)

* Use salt without added preservatives and avoid iodized salt. * Thoroughly clean the sink and surrounding work surfaces after washing the bird.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Welcome to my kitchen! I’m Natasha, blogger at Natasha’s Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family-approved and tested recipes with you. Thanks for stopping by! We are very happy to have you here. This delicious turkey breast is perfect for Thanksgiving, especially if you’re hosting a small crowd. It’s much easier than cooking a whole turkey.

Thanks to the brine, the turkey breast remains juicy, moist and perfectly tender. Never worry about dry turkey again!

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Foolproof Turkey Breast Recipe

You’ll love how delicious these delicious turkey breasts are! The pickle is seasoned with citrus fruits and herbs, and for extra flavor, we cover it with garlic butter.

I have a small family, so I always cook a turkey breast instead of cooking a whole bird. This is my favorite recipe for pulled turkey breast.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

It’s cooked overnight, so it stays perfectly juicy, moist and tender…guaranteed, even if you accidentally overcook it.

Dry Brined Turkey Breast

Breast meat is very lean, so it dries out quickly during cooking. This is when peas really come in handy! This pickle is seasoned with garlic, fresh herbs and fresh lemon. Baked turkey breast is the way to go!

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

We also made a slow-roasted turkey breast and loved it. Or to change it up, try this turkey roll with sausage stuffing or brown sugar ham.

And anyway, if you’re worried about burning the drippings, you can make this sauce ahead of time without the drippings.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

The Best Turkey Brine Recipe

Cooking can cause meat to dry out, such as turkey breast. But if you start with salt water, it will remain juicy even after hours of cooking.

Brine is basically a solution of salt and water. The meat absorbs all the liquid in the process, adding moisture throughout the process.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

The salt helps season the inside of the bird and also breaks down tough muscles and fibers. The result is a juicy, tender and moist turkey breast.

The Best Dry Brined, Bone In Turkey Breast Recipe

While you can technically make a melon with just salt and water, I always like to add flavor enhancers, such as brown sugar, fresh orange and lemon zest, garlic, and fresh herbs. Sometimes I add whole pepper.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Below are some helpful ingredient notes I picked up while testing this recipe for Salted Turkey Breast. As always, quantities can be found in the recipe tab below.

To make this recipe for marinated turkey breast, you’ll need to plan ahead. I always start by marinating the night before and leave 3 to 3.5 hours of prep time and cooking time the next day.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Turkey Brine Recipe (with Video)

Dissolve two cups of water in a saucepan with kosher salt, brown sugar, crushed garlic, lemon and orange slices, rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. This is your “focus”.

Pour 6 cups of cold water into a large bowl (or a large bowl), along with the prepared rice concentrate and 4 cups of ice. Ice will cool it down quickly.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Add the stuffed turkey breast, making sure it is completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 to 15 hours.

Simple Wet Turkey Brine Recipe

The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the orange glaze by combining all the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer for about 20 minutes until reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Remove the turkey breast from the pan. Wash them carefully to remove some of the salt, then dry them thoroughly, including the inside of the cavity. This will help in improving the browning of the skin. Make sure to clean and disinfect your sink!

Melt the butter in a bowl and mix with the minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. set aside.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

Crispy Skin Slow Cooker Turkey (& Homemade Gravy)

Place the turkey breast on a roasting pan rack. If you don’t have a round pan, use a large pan and place the quartered onions on top.

Spread half a tablespoon of the prepared herb butter evenly under the skin (carefully separate the skin from the meat to create butter ‘pockets’). Then brush the other half outwards. Bake at 350 degrees F, uncovered, for 1.5 hours.

Easy Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

After about 1.5 hours in the oven, remove the turkey from the oven, brush with the orange glaze and return.

Brined Bone In Turkey Breast

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