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Dry brine turkey breast sliced and plated on a white plate with a fresh sprig of rosemary.

Dry Brine Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving or Year-round

Beth Lee
A dry brine turkey breast finished with a delicious and unexpected pomegranate gravy will wow your Thanksgiving guests. A turkey breast is the perfect solution for a smaller crowd or anytime you are craving a taste of Thanksgiving year round.
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Brining and Resting 1 day 30 minutes
Total Time 1 day 1 hour 55 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 30 kcal

Equipment

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.
    Ingredient shot for dry brine turkey breast showing turkey, salt, orange, rosemary and onion.
  • Prepare your dry brine by mixing the rosemary, salt and orange zest.
    Dry brine for turkey mixed in a small off white bowl held by a hand.
  • 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.
    Top down view of turkey breast with the dry rub rubbed all over it.
  • 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.
    Close up of brined turkey showing that some liquid has release on the bottom of the pan.

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.
    Turkey breast base in roasting pan - onions, oranges and rosemary.
  • Pour two cups of stock (or water) in the roasting pan.
    Pouring stock in the roasting pan before putting dry brine turkey breast into oven to bake.
  • 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.
    Turkey breast roasted in pan but out of the oven with the probe still inserted.
  • 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.
    Sliced turkey breast on a white platter with fresh rosemary.

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

Calories: 30kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 0.1mgSodium: 1187mgPotassium: 134mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 50IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 0.2mg
Keyword dry brine turkey, pomegranate sauce, turkey breast
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