Sous vide is the best way to cook a turkey breast. I've cooked it in many different ways, including roasting, air-frying, and even deep-frying, but sous vide results in the most tender and juicy meat consistently. For the skin, I baked it in the oven between two pans and it got beautifully crispy and brown.
My best friend and his girlfriend are coming over for a late Thanksgiving dinner this weekend, so I'm making sous vide turkey breast (something I've made a few times in the past and it always comes out delicious). This blog post probably won't be as detailed as my other ones because I'm juggling around a few different dishes for the dinner, but I will try to include as many pictures as I can.
Pictured above is the final spread: crispy turkey skin, sous vide turkey breast, green bean casserole, turkey stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce.
Brining the turkey
Before the dinner, I like to brine the turkey for at least 24 hours. Even if the turkey is "pre-seasoned" or butterball, I still like to soak it in a salt and sugar water solution to maximize the juiciness. I will just use less sugar and salt for a pre-seasoned turkey. To make the brine, heat 2 cups of water in a large pot, then dissolve the sugar and salt. After that, add enough cold water to submerge the turkey breasts inside. Leave this in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
How long to sous vide?
The time really depends on what temperature you choose and how thick your turkey breasts are. I personally LOVE turkey at 145°F. I find this makes the meat exceptionally juicy. Here is a handy pasteurization chart for turkey breasts. It says a 70mm breast cooked at 145°F should be cooked for 4 ½ hours. I usually err on the side of caution and cook mine for about 6 hours (my turkey's total weight was about 15 pounds).
Crisping the skin
To crisp up the skin, lay the skin flat on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then place another piece of parchment on top, and place another baking sheet on top of that. Bake for 40-60 minutes at 350°F. I would suggest checking on it every 10 minutes after the 40-minute mark to make sure it's not burning. If you can put something heavy on top of the baking sheet, it will make the skin even crispier and give it a flatter shape. I used a cast iron pan:
Sous Vide Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 2 skin-on turkey breasts (mine are from a 15 pound turkey)
- ½ cup salt
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup melted butter
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the turkey breasts and put in a small bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Set aside in the fridge until tomorrow.
- In a large stockpot big enough to fit the turkey breasts, add 2 cups of water and the salt and sugar. If your turkey is "pre-seasoned" or "butter-ball", reduce this amount by half.
- Heat the water over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add 10 cups of COLD water to lower the temperature. Add the turkey breasts and make sure they are fully submerged; if not, add more water.
- Brine in the fridge for at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours.
- Place the turkey breasts in a single layer in a sous vide bag. Add the melted butter. Seal the bags and cook in a 145°F water bath for 6 hours until cooked through.
- Remove the turkey from the water and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before carving. There will be a lot of liquid in the bag, you can save it for making gravy.
- For the crispy skin, dry the skin with paper towels. Lay the skin flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment on top of the skin, and place another baking sheet on top. If you have something heavy like a cast-iron pan, place that on top as well to weigh the baking sheet down. Bake at 350°F for 40-60 minutes until it is golden brown all over.
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