Bourbon Braised Turkey Breast Recipes

Steps:

• Dry brine:
• Mix salt, pepper, granulated sugar, and paprika in a small bowl. Arrange turkey on a cutting board breast side up. Remove legs (keeping thigh and drumstick intact) by slicing through the skin that joins breast and leg, then bend leg down to expose joint and cut completely through the joint. Try to leave as much skin on breast as possible. Place legs on a large rimmed baking sheet. Set aside neck and giblets in cavity for making gravy. Arrange turkey on baking sheet with legs and generously sprinkle legs and turkey all over with dry brine, patting to adhere. Chill, uncovered, at least 12 hours and up to 2 days.
• Confit legs:
• Wipe off turkey legs (do not rinse) and place in the smallest heavy pot that will accommodate legs in a single layer (it's okay if they overlap slightly). Add garlic and rosemary. Pour in oil just to barely cover legs. Heat over medium until a few bubbles begin to appear. Cover, reduce heat, and very gently simmer until meat is tender (the meat on the drumstick will have pulled away from the bone), 3-3 1/2 hours. Let turkey thighs cool in oil until just warm, about 2 hours. Chill at least 2 hours but preferably longer. Meat will firm up the colder it gets, making it less likely to fall apart when glazing.
• Breast and assembly:
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Place turkey on a wire rack set inside a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, rotating baking sheet once, until golden brown all over, 35-40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring brown sugar, bourbon, soy sauce, butter, and paprika to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half and thick enough to coat a spoon but not syrupy, 6-8 minutes. Reduce heat to very low and keep glaze warm until ready to use.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F and roast turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 100°F-110°F. Then roast, basting every 10 minutes or so, making sure to lightly coat the entire breast each time (but save some glaze for the legs) and rotating baking sheet occasionally, until thermometer registers 150°F, 60-75 minutes total after reducing oven temperature to 325°F. Transfer breast to a cutting board and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving.
• Increase oven temperature back to 425°F. Remove turkey legs from oil, wiping off excess, and place on a clean rimmed baking sheet; discard or chill cooking oil (skim off juices and use them in gravy; use oil for cassoulet or another confit).
• Carefully move a rack to upper third of oven and roast legs until skin is golden brown and fat is rendered, 15-20 minutes. Then roast, basting every 3 minutes or so with remaining glaze, until legs are well coated, 10-12 minutes. Arrange on a platter with sliced breast for serving.
• Do Ahead
• Legs can be cooked 1 day ahead. Keep chilled in oil.

Steps:

• For the maple-whiskey brine: Combine the whiskey, maple syrup, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, rosemary, orange peel, apple peel and 8 cups (2 quarts) water in a large pot. Bring to a boil uncovered, stirring to dissolve the salt, then turn off the heat and cover. Allow to cool completely, then place in the fridge to chill.
• For the turkey: Remove the turkey from its packaging and remove the bags inside that hold the neck and giblets. Rinse the neck and giblets and put them in a plastic bag in the fridge; you'll need them for the Maple-Whiskey Gravy. Rinse the turkey thoroughly with cold water. Place the turkey in a large brining bag or pot. Pour in the maple-whiskey brine, cover with cold water and place in the fridge for 16 to 24 hours so the brine can work its magic.
• When ready for roasting, preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse it thoroughly again inside and out. Soak the turkey in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse again and pat dry. Tuck the wings underneath the turkey, then tie the legs together with kitchen string. Place the turkey breast-side up on a rack in a large, shallow roasting pan. Cover the pan with heavy-duty foil so that it's well sealed. Roast for about 10 minutes per pound (about 2 1/2 hours for a 15-pound turkey and about 3 hours 20 minutes for a 20-pound turkey).
• Remove the turkey from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Remove the foil and set aside. (Put stuffing in the bird if you wish at this point.) Rub the butter all over the skin of the turkey, getting in the crevices. Insert a probe thermometer into the thigh, near the hip joint. Place the turkey, uncovered, back in the oven. Continue roasting, basting or brushing with the juices in the pan every 30 minutes, until the thermometer registers 165 degrees F and the juices are no longer pink. This could take another 2 to 2 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the bird.
• Remove the turkey from the oven and cover lightly with foil until you are ready to carve it. Pour the pan drippings into a fat separator and set aside for the Maple-Whiskey Gravy.
• Put the giblets and neck in a small saucepan of water over medium heat and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium low and simmer until the giblets are cooked, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the giblets and neck, set aside and keep the water in the saucepan.
• In the turkey roasting pan (which should not have been cleaned!), add back 1/4 cup turkey fat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk it into the fat to form a paste. If the paste is too thick or clumpy, add a little more fat. If it's too greasy, sprinkle in more flour. Whisk and cook the roux over medium-low heat until deep golden brown.
• Turn off the heat and add the whiskey, then turn the heat back on and whisk it in. Pour in the chicken broth, whisking the whole time, then add the maple syrup. Allow it to cook and thicken for several minutes, whisking occasionally. If the gravy gets too thick or if it's too salty, thin it with a little of the giblet water. If the gravy is too thin, just keep cooking until it thickens up. Taste, then add salt and plenty of black pepper. Chop the giblets and add them to the gravy. Remove as much of the neck meat as you can and add it to the gravy too. Serve immediately!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the wings from the turkey and set aside on a baking sheet or large plate. Remove the legs and then separate the thighs from the drumsticks; place on the baking sheet. With kitchen scissors, cut along the ribs to remove the backbone from the turkey, leaving behind a full bone-in breast. (Alternatively, ask your butcher to cut the turkey into parts.)
• Sprinkle the wings, thighs and legs with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large braiser or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the wings, legs and thighs until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add to the pan 4 tablespoons of the butter, the celery, leeks and onions, and 2 tablespoons of the chopped herbs. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened, 5 minutes. Add the flour, stirring until completely incorporated. Pour in the cognac and 4 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Return the seared turkey parts to the pan, skin-side up, without submerging them completely in the liquid. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook until the meat is tender and easily pulls away from the bone, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, rub the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over the skin of the turkey breast. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped herbs and some salt and pepper. Place the breast on a rack over a roasting pan and transfer to the oven.
• Roast for 45 minutes. Add the remaining 4 cups chicken broth to the roasting pan and baste the turkey with the pan juices. Continue to roast, basting every 30 minutes and adding more chicken broth to the pan as needed, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F, another 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove from the oven and transfer the breast to a cutting board. Let rest for 30 minutes, reserving pan juices.
• Remove the wings, legs and thighs from the braising liquid and arrange them on a serving platter. Carve the breast and arrange it on the platter alongside the turkey parts. Add the reserved turkey breast pan juices to the braising liquid in the braiser and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, then strain the gravy and serve.

Steps:

• One to two days before you plan to cook, place buttermilk and salt in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and stir to dissolve salt. Place turkey breast in the bag and seal carefully, expelling the air. Squish the bag to distribute buttermilk all around the turkey, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. If you're so inclined, you can turn the bag periodically so every part of the turkey gets marinated, but that's not essential.
• Two hours before you plan to start cooking, remove the turkey from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. Discard buttermilk, set the breast on a rimmed plate and bring it to room temperature.
• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 425 degrees. Place breast skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack or parchment paper.
• Place baking sheet on the prepared oven rack and roast the turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast without touching bone registers 150 degrees, about 40 minutes for a boneless breast or 50 minutes for a bone-in breast. (You may want to tent the breast with aluminum foil if it's darkening too quickly.)
• Transfer turkey to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

Steps:

• Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the turkey and brown the leg (and, if you're using them, wing) portions on the skin side well, 10 minutes or more; turn and cook for another 2 minutes on the skinless side. Remove to a plate and brown the breasts in the same skillet, again mostly on the skin side; remove and keep them separate.
• Heat the oven to 300, and cook the bacon or pancetta (if using) in the remaining fat in the skillet until nearly crisp; remove with a slotted spoon. Cook the onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery and herbs, in batches if necessary, until beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer with the bacon or pancetta to a large roasting pan, then nestle the dark meat in there, leaving room for the breasts. Add stock or water to come about one-third to halfway up the sides of the thighs.
• Roast uncovered for about 90 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure liquid levels remain sufficiently high and stirring vegetables if they threaten to brown too much. When thigh meat is tender, place the breasts in the pan, and cook until tender, 30 to 45 minutes more, or until done. (They should register 155 on an instant-read thermometer.)
• Slice breast and thigh meat and serve on a platter with the vegetables garnished, if you like, with parsley.

Steps:

• Season the turkey with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place the turkey breast in the pan, skin-side down cook until well browned, scattering the onion around the turkey halfway through. Turn the turkey, pour the bourbon over the top, and boil for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 165°F, 40 to 50 minutes. Rest for about 5 minutes, then slice and serve.From Homemade In A Hurry. Text copyright © 2006 by Andrew Schloss. Cover photograph copyright © 2006 by Noel Barnhurst. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.