This brined turkey breast recipe is a fuss-free dish that is quick to make. It is a gluten-free, low carb, and (most importantly) delicious recipe that you can serve at your Thanksgiving dinner table.
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Ingredients and substitutions
Turkey - I use skinless and boneless turkey breast, but you can choose skin-on and bone-in pieces. Just make sure that you adjust roasting time by increasing it until the appropriate inner temperature (165F/74C).
Turkey brine - Turkey breast meat is tricky to make. It's not that uncommon to get dry and tough meat after roasting it. One way to increase moisture is to brine the meat, which is what I did for this recipe. The brine is a salt solution that you can flavor to your tastes. For roasted turkey, I made a simple brine from water, salt, bay leaves, black pepper kernels, and lemon slices. You can go further and add orange slices, ginger, and so on.
Butter - You can use either salted or unsalted melted butter. However, I prefer unsalted butter to have complete control over the amount of salt I put on my meat.
Thyme - This dish deserves fresh herbs. While I chose thyme, you can add or replace thyme with some oregano or rosemary.
Garlic - Use pressed or minced fresh garlic.
Step by step directions
In a large bowl, combine cold water, sea salt, bay leaves, black pepper kernels, and lemon slices. Stir until all salt has dissolved. Place turkey breasts in the brine and refrigerate for 4-7 hours. If the meat is floating, place a plate on top and weigh it down.
When done, remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Let it come to room temperature.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F (175C) and prepare a roasting pan.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste.
Brush the turkey with butter mixture on each side (leave some butter for later) and bake for 20-25 mins or until slightly undercooked (adjust the cooking time by increasing it if you use bone-in turkey breast). Then, remove from the oven, brush the rest of the butter mixture on top, and broil for 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F (74C).
When done, remove the roasted turkey breast from the oven, place a piece of foil on top of the baking dish, and let the turkey rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Serving ideas
Obviously, there's nothing better than turkey served with stuffing or green beans. That's why you have to try these two recipes that represent these two legendary thanksgiving sides: CAULIFLOWER STUFFING RECIPE and HEALTHY KETO GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE RECIPE. If you want to try something different, this OVEN ROASTED RUTABAGA RECIPE is what you need.
Carbs in brined roast turkey breast
2 lb. of turkey breast will be enough for four people with only 1g net carbs per serving that comes from the garlic, butter, and brine.
FAQ
There're many reasons your turkey breast is dry, but the common ones are overcooking and over-brining. Yes, brining helps to bring some moisture to the white meat, but a long time in a salt solution won’t mean a juicier meat. Therefore, I suggest brining turkey breast for no longer than 4 hours for smaller pieces and up to 7 hours for larger breast pieces. Also, it's easy to overcook your meat. Using a thermometer is the best way to avoid this. When your turkey breasts are almost at 165F (74C), it's time for broiling. By the time broiling is done, your turkey should be perfectly cooked. Let the meat rest after it's out from the oven to give some time for the liquids to distribute evenly inside before slicing.
It will last for up to 3 days in the fridge. Store it in an air-tight container to prevent water loss.
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Recipe
Brined turkey breast recipe
Equipment
- Roasting pan
Ingredients
- 2 lb. 700g boneless skinless turkey breast increase cooking time if you use bone-in turkey breast
- 1 l cold water
- 3 tablespoon sea salt
- Black pepper kernels
- Bay leaves
- Lemon slices optional
- 2 clove garlic pressed
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine cold water, sea salt, bay leaves, black pepper kernels, and lemon slices. Stir until all salt has dissolved. Submerge turkey breasts in the brine and refrigerate for 4-7 hours. If the meat is floating, place a plate on top and weigh it down.
- When done, remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Let it come to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F (175C) and prepare a roasting pan.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Brush the turkey with the butter mixture on each side (leave some butter for later) and bake for 20-25 mins or until slightly undercooked. Then, remove from the oven, brush the rest of the butter mixture on top, and broil for 5 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165F (74C).
- When done, remove from the oven, place a piece of foil on top of the baking dish, and let the turkey rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Notes
This website, https://heretocook.com, offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is a product of online calculators such as Cronometer.com and MyFitnesPal.com
Dan
Thank you for the recipe, it was delicious!
Anna
Thank you!