Dry Brined Roast Turkey Breast

Today’s Sunday Funday is all about Thanksgiving meals for smaller gatherings, since we aren’t all feeding an army.  I absolutely love making turkey, even though there are only 4 of us, so I decided to accept the challenge and use my same dry brined turkey method but with a bone-in turkey breast since those aren’t as giant as a whole turkey.

The beauty of dry brining is that the meat is tender and moist, even though it’s the white breast meat (which has a tendency to be dry from long cooking times).

This recipe hits all the marks for a great thanksgiving turkey without quite so many leftovers - win-win!

Sunday Funday

Holiday Main Courses for Small Gatherings

• Bacon-Wrapped Sirloin Tip Roast from Palatable Pastime
• Confit Turkey Thighs from Food Lust People Love
• Dry Brined Roast Turkey Breast from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Milk-Braised Pork Loin with Carrot Sauce from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Nawabi Mutton Biryani with Burani Boondi Raita from Sneha's Recipe
• Roasted Lemon, Herb & Lavender Spatchcocked Chicken from Culinary Cam
• Stuffed Pork Loin Roast from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Stuffed Turkey Breast with Gravy from Karen's Kitchen Stories

Dry Brine Roast Turkey Breast

Adapted from From Valerie’s Kitchen

Dry Brine

1 (6-8 pound) turkey breast

1 ¼ tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage

1 ¼ teaspoons dried thyme

½ teaspoon black pepper

To cook

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon dried parsley

¾ cup chicken broth

Gravy

1 ½ cup turkey drippings, strained

1 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons salt

½ teaspoon dried parsley

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

2-4 days prior to cooking, remove the turkey breast from the freezer.  Place in a bowl in the refrigerator to thaw.

1-2 days before cooking, remove the turkey from the packaging.  Mix the salt, sage, thyme, and black pepper in a small bowl. Gently loosen the turkey skin.  Rub the brine all over the turkey, over and under the skin on all sides.

Place the seasoned turkey on a rimmed baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.  Place in the refrigerator for 24-28 hours.

On baking day, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and remove plastic wrap.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix together the softened butter, garlic powder, and parsley and rub all over the turkey, both over and under the skin.  Place the turkey in a roaster and add ¾ cup chicken broth to the bottom of the pan.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Baste with drippings, then reduce heat to 375 degrees F and continue cooking until the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees F, depending on the size of the turkey breast, it will roast for a total of 1-1 ½ hours.

Remove from oven and allow the turkey to rest for about 20 minutes before slicing.  Meanwhile, start the gravy.  

Strain the pan drippings from the turkey, and set aside.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.  Whisk in the strained drippings and season with parsley and thyme.  Serve hot over the turkey.