A dry brine turkey breast is the perfect solution for a smaller Thanksgiving crowd or anytime you are craving a taste of Thanksgiving year-round. For extra wow, finish with a delicious and unexpected pomegranate gravy.
If you're making a whole turkey, be sure to read my dry brine turkey post.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Juicy white meat. Need I say more? Over and over again, when we've made a whole turkey with the dry brine method, we have succeeded in serving delicious white meat that remains juicy for leftovers the next day. So I figured ... why not apply the same technique to a bone-in turkey breast.
Why a turkey breast and not a whole turkey? Perhaps you are serving a smaller crowd or are combining your turkey main course with a different vegetarian main. Or you have a lot of white meat eaters and need a little extra breast meat. Or you just want turkey when it's not Thanksgiving.
A bone-in turkey breast is your answer and dry brining is your method. I've served enough under- and over-cooked turkeys to know a good result when I see one (and eat one). Dry brining is the way to go!
Ingredients and Substitutions
There aren't a lot of ingredients to make this delicious juicy turkey breast. The key ingredient is the salt and resting time.
Dry Brine Turkey Breast
- Bone-in turkey breast: For recipe testing I used a 4 pound bone-in turkey breast, purchased at my local grocery store. It was a natural turkey without anything injected into it. For dry brining, I always use turkeys with nothing additional injected.
- Kosher salt: I use Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt for all my cooking and baking. Morton's kosher salt is saltier with many experts recommending you use ½ as much Morton's vs Diamond Crystal. In general, for dry brining, you should use about one tablespoon of kosher salt per every five pounds of turkey. At the amounts we're using for a breast, the difference will not be as discernible. And you do need enough volume of salt to rub all over the outside of the breast.
- Whole orange and zest: I put some zest in my dry brine which you can take from your whole orange. Then slice up the zested orange and lay it underneath the turkey breast when you roast it. Lemon would be another great option.
- Rosemary: I use fresh rosemary two ways like the orange, finely chopped in the dry brine mixture and a fresh sprig underneath the turkey when it's roasting. Thyme and sage are also great options here.
- Onion: Slice up a small onion to lay underneath the turkey while it roasts. Any type of onion will work.
- Neutral high heat oil: I slather a bit of oil on the outside of the breast right before it cooks to help the skin brown up nicely. Vegetable or grapeseed are great choices.
- Stock or water: No need to use your best stock here - just grab some low sodium chicken or turkey broth or even water for the roasting pan.
How to make this recipe
It's not hard to dry brine a whole turkey but by sheer size difference, it is even easier to dry brine a breast. Here's how you brine it, roast it to perfection, and carve it. Then just add a fantastic gravy.
Apply the dry brine
Make sure your turkey breast is completely defrosted. If you buy a fully frozen one, give it at least 24 hours in the refrigerator to thaw out.
Prepare your dry brine by mixing the rosemary, salt and orange zest.
Place your turkey breast on a plate or on a rack on a sheet tray. (depends how much room you have in your refrigerator) Rub the dry brine mixture all over the outside of the breast including the ends and the underside.
Place the turkey breast in the refrigerator, uncovered if you can, and let it sit for about 24 hours. About half way through, turn it upside down. If you don't have room for it to safely stay uncovered, then place it in a large plastic bag or loosely cover it with foil or saran wrap. I leave it uncovered to help dry out the skin which aids browning. You'll notice some liquid has released from the turkey at the end of the brine time.
Cook the turkey breast
About an hour before you plan to cook the breast, take it out of the fridge to come closer to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 450°F with the rack one notch below the center.
Slice the onion and orange and make a bed for the turkey breast in your roasting pan, laying a sprig of rosemary across as well. Place the dry brined turkey breast on top. Pour two cups of stock or water in the pan.
Bake at 450°F for about 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350° F to complete the cooking. I highly recommend using a thermometer or probe that is readable from outside the oven so you don't have to open the oven to check temperature.
NOTE: The FDA recommends cooking white meat turkey to 165°F. But if you read the science behind that recommendation in this J Kenji Lopez-Alt article about turkey temperatures, you can see that the key is bringing the meat to 150°F for at least 3.7 minutes and then the turkey becomes safe to eat. We took our breast out at 155°F, let it rest and it came up to 161°F and the meat was absolutely perfect. If you want to reach 165°F then I would take the breast out at 160°F.
Let the turkey rest loosely covered in the roasting pan for a few minutes to take advantage of the residual heat. Then move it to a cutting board to finish resting while you make the gravy.
If making gravy:
Pro-tip: If making the pomegranate gravy, you can work on the reduction sauce while the turkey breast is cooking or make it ahead of time. You'll finish the gravy (any gravy you make) by deglazing the bottom of the roasting pan to get all that flavor, if possible. Adds a lot of depth to the finished product.
Carve and serve the turkey
Once the gravy is ready, (and any other sides you are making or reheating), slice your turkey by removing each side of the breast, slicing across at about ½ inch intervals (or the thickness of your choice) and lay the slices out on a platter.
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Use temperature, not time to determine if your turkey breast is done cooking. If possible, use a probe style thermometer like the Meater Plus thermometer or use the probe that goes with your oven, if you have one.
- Meat really does continue to cook after you take it off the heat. Let your probe remain in the breast after you take it out of the oven or use an instant read thermometer to monitor the temperature as it rests.
- Remember to give your turkey breast time to defrost if you bring it home from the store frozen. Be sure to defrost in the refrigerator, not by leaving it out on the counter.
In my opinion, yes. We ate this for the next two days after I tested it the first time and the white meat remained juicy. But be gentle when you reheat it. You don't want to cook it, just warm it. I might use 50% power in the microwave a minute at a time.
Yes, you can, whether you make the turkey breast ahead or not. Two options, make the reduction ahead of time then finish the gravy when you cook the turkey breast so you can incorporate the drippings. Or just finish the gravy ahead without the drippings. It will still be delicious.
I would dry brine it even if you have less than 24 hours. Any amount of time past a few hours should help retain the moisture in the breast when you cook it. Or if you dry brine it longer than 24 hours, that's ok too. But in that case, I would probably not leave it uncovered the whole time.
What to serve with dry brine turkey breast
For even more ideas, be sure to check out my Thanksgiving post with over 30 traditional and non-traditional dinner ideas for your menu planning!
P.S. If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or a review in the comment section below. I so appreciate your feedback! AND find more inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Signup for my email list, too!
Dry Brine Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving or Year-round
Beth LeeEquipment
Ingredients
For the dry brine turkey breast
- 1 bone-in turkey breast 4 - 6 pounds
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt a little more if the breast is closer to 6 pounds
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary divided (½ teaspoon finely chopped for dry brine and the rest of the sprig for underneath the breast while is cooks)
- 1 medium orange divided (½ teaspoon zest for brine and sliced for underneath the breast)
- 1 small onion thickly sliced
- 2 cups turkey or chicken stock
Instructions
Apply the dry brine
- Make sure your turkey breast is completely defrosted. If you buy a fully frozen one, give it at least 24 hours in the refrigerator to thaw out.
- Prepare your dry brine by mixing the rosemary, salt and orange zest.
- Place your turkey breast on a plate or on a rack on a sheet tray. (depends how much room you have in your refrigerator) Rub the dry brine mixture all over the outside of the breast including the ends and the underside.
- Place the turkey breast in the refrigerator, uncovered if you can, and let it sit for about 24 hours. About half way through, turn it upside down. If you don't have room for it to safely stay uncovered, then place it in a large plastic bag or even loosely cover it with foil or saran wrap. Leaving it uncovered helps dry out the skin and aid browning.
Cook the turkey breast
- About an hour before you plan to cook the breast, take it out of the fridge to come closer to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 450°F with the rack one notch below the center.
- Slice the onion and orange and make a bed for the turkey breast in your roasting pan, laying a sprig of rosemary across as well. Place the dry brined turkey breast on top.
- Pour two cups of stock (or water) in the roasting pan.
- Bake at 450°F for about 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350° F to complete the cooking. I highly recommend using a thermometer or probe that is readable from outside the oven so you don't have to open the oven to check temperature.
- NOTE: The FDA recommends cooking white meat turkey to 165°F. But if you read the science behind that in this J Kenji Lopez-Alt article about turkey temperatures, you can see that the key is bringing the meat to 150°F for at least 3.7 minutes and it is safe to eat. We took our breast out at 155°F, let it rest and it came up to 161°F and the meat was absolutely perfect. If you want to reach 165°F then I would take it out at 160°F.
Slice the turkey and serve
- Once your gravy is ready, (and any other sides you are making or reheating), slice your turkey by removing each side of the breast, slicing across at about ½ inch intervals (or the thickness of your choice) and lay the slices out on a platter.
Notes
- Let the turkey rest loosely covered in the roasting pan for a few minutes before moving it to a cutting board. This way you are using the residual heat from the pan to help the breast finish cooking before you let it finish resting on the cutting board.
- Use temperature, not time to determine if your turkey breast is done cooking. If possible, use a probe style thermometer like the Meater Plus thermometer or use the probe that goes with your oven, if you have one.
- Meat really does continue to cook after you take it off the heat. Let your probe remain in the breast after you take it out of the oven or use an instant read thermometer to monitor the temperature as it rests.
- Remember to give your turkey breast time to defrost if you bring it home from the store frozen. Be sure to defrost in the refrigerator, not by leaving it out on the counter.
Nutrition
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Laura
I hosted thanksgiving this year and tried your dry brine recipe because I didn't want to slather in butter. The prep work was super easy. The turkey was still a little frozen the Monday before thanksgiving, so I rubbed it down with salt Tuesday. The turkey did cook faster than expected and it was golden, amazing, delicious and juicy! My family loved it! GREAT recipe!
Beth Lee
Woohoo! So happy to hear this from such an expert cook/chef like you. And if you're family was happy, I'm so happy! My family called ours the best ever yesterday but I think they just forget from year to year how good well cooked turkey can taste!
Adrienne
Any sub for the port?
Beth Lee
Absolutely! Great question. I would go with almost any red wine or madeira. When you taste your gravy, you may want to add just the tiniest touch of sweetener but let your palate be your guide. I think with the pomegranate juice, you'll be fine with just the 1:1 substitution for the port. Let me know how it goes! And I'll definitely try alternatives next time I make it!
Christine Lemieux
How very creative you are! I have got to try this gravy! I will use your recipe for making turkey stock as well. Thank you!
Beth Lee
Oh thanks Christine. Pomegranate inspires me in all of its forms! Let me know how your turkey stock comes out. I'll be making mine next weekend!
Jenni
Oh, wow, that gravy is amazing! I love the combination of flavors and the rich color. And the flavor? Unbelievable! I will make this again and again and use it with all my roast chicken throughout the year, not only at Thanksgiving for turkey!
Beth Lee
Well when it gets a stamp of approval from you, I know done good! Yes don't eat this only on Thanksgiving - think pork, lamb, beef, chicken ...