Brined & Roasted Turkey Breast and Thighs

5 from 2 votes

Brined & Roasted Turkey Breast and Thighs

Brined & Roasted Turkey Breast and Thighs make enough juicy and flavorful turkey to feed at least ten people. And they cook in a fraction of the time that a whole bird takes.

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Refrigeration Time12

Total Time13 15

Course: Christmas, Dinner, Main Course, Thanksgiving

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 526kcal

Author: Susan Ensley

Equipment

8-quart bowl with lid
13x18-inch baking pan
half-sheet wire rack
Paper Towels
Electric hand mixer
Vinyl Gloves
Extra wide heavy-duty aluminum foil

Ingredients

2 lbs Bone-In Skin-On Turkey Breast
2.5 lbs Bone-In Skin-On Turkey Thighs

For the Brine

64 oz Warm Water
½ c Table Salt
½ c Light Brown Sugar
2 Lemons quartered
3 cloves Garlic smashed
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme
15 Black Peppercorns

For Roasting the Turkey

1 c Unsalted Butter room temperature
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
4 cloves Garlic minced
6-8 sprigs Fresh Rosemary divided
8-10 sprigs Fresh Thyme divided
2 Lemons quartered
3 Carrots
3 Celery Stalks
1 Onion

Instructions

To Brine the Turkey Breast and Thighs

Place warm tap water in a large 8-qt bowl with a lid. Add the table salt and light brown sugar. Whisk the water vigorously to dissolve the salt and sugar.
Wash the lemons well, and cut them into quarters. Squeeze lemon juice into the water and add the squeezed lemons to the water as well. Then, smash the garlic cloves and add them to the water.
Add the black peppercorns. Then, strip the fresh rosemary and fresh thyme from the stems and add the leaves and stems to the water.
Place the turkey breasts and thighs in the prepared water, making sure they are well submerged. Then, put the lid on the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for a minimum of four hours and up to 24 hours.
Once the turkey pieces have finished brining, remove the bowl from the refrigerator. Line a 13x18-inch baking pan with paper towels, then place a half-sheet wire rack inside the pan. Remove the turkey breasts and thighs from the brine, discard the brine liquid. Dry the turkey pieces off on paper towels and place them on the wire rack in the pan. Place the baking pan in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least eight hours or overnight to dry the turkey skin before roasting.

To Roast the Turkey Breast and Thighs

Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about an hour before preparing it for roasting.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Cube the unsalted butter, place it in a large bowl, and allow it to come to room temperature. Mince a tablespoon of fresh rosemary and a tablespoon fresh thyme, and add them to the butter. Mince the garlic and add it to the bowl with the butter and herbs. Then, add the Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the butter mixture. Set the butter mixture aside while you prepare the roasting pan.
Line the 13x18-inch baking pan with extra-wide, heavy-duty aluminum foil. Cut the carrots and celery into 2-inch pieces and place them in the prepared pan. Peel the onion and cut it into quarters. Separate the onion layers and place them in the pan. Quarter the lemons and add them to the pan. Add the remaining sprigs of fresh rosemary and fresh thyme. Then, place a half-sheet rack inside the pan.
Put on a pair of vinyl gloves and rub the butter mixture all over the skin of the breast and thighs, making sure to get some underneath the skin. Place the buttered turkey breast and thighs, skin side up, on the rack of the prepared pan.
Bake in the 400°F oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165 degrees.
Remove the pan from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let the turkey rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Yield 10 servings

Nutrition