Brined Boneless Turkey Breasts and Thighs

I was being so good about writing in this blog regularly. Then BAM! Life happened. Three out of the five kids got sick. We traveled to Mackinac City for the girls' 8th grade trip. Then yesterday, we have 20 people at the house, because the baby turned 1. I am ready for the slower pace of summer and a nap.

Before all of the craziness started, I did my first "Because I Pinned It" meal and made Brined Boneless Turkey Breasts and Thighs for dinner. The original recipe is pinned in my Kitchen Tips and Tricks board. The recipe is from Kitchen Meets Girl and is labeled How to Brine a Turkey.

I love turkey when it is cooked correctly. I hate the amount of space an entire turkey takes up in my fridge while it thaws. I went to the store planning to buy turkey legs to brine and then bake. Just my luck, Whole Foods had them on sale and ran out before I got there. (I recently learned that Sam's Club sells them as well, just for future knowledge.) Instead I settled on two boneless turkey thighs and a boneless turkey breast, totaling 7lbs of meat. 

I marinated the meat in the brine for 6 hours. I then patted it dry with paper towel and browned it in a cast iron skillet to trap in the juices and create a base of crispy skin. Then I put it in a baking dish covered in foil to bake for 2 hours. I ended up with moist turkey meat to go with all the other fixings for a fuss free Thanksgiving dinner 6 months in advance. These are my recipe adaptations.

Brined Boneless Turkey Breasts and Thighs

Ingredients

4 cups warm water

1/8 cup sea salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp garlic paste

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried sage

7 lbs boneless turkey meat (breasts and thighs) 

1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, mix water, brown sugar and salt until the crystals have dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients and then set aside to cool. 
2. Put your boneless turkey meat into a gallon freezer bag, Pour the cooled brining liquid into the bag with the turkey and then seal. Allow the meat to soak in the brine in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. 
3. Pour the contents of the brine bag into a strainer. Then pat the Turkey pieces dry. Preheat your oven to 275-degrees F. 
4. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add your turkey pieces and fry until the skin begins to brown and become crispy. 
5. Transfer the turkey pieces to a baking dish or roasting pan. Cover the dish with foil and then bake for 1 hour. 
6. Raise the oven temperature up to 350-degrees F. Remove the foil and bake the turkey for another hour or until the internal temperature is 165-degrees; basting the meat with it's juices every 15 minutes. 
7. Remove the turkey from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into 1-inch thick strips. 

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 14
Per Serving	% Daily Value*
Calories 251
Total Fat 2g	3%
Saturated Fat 0.1g	1%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 141mg	47%
Sodium 925mg	39%
Potassium 663mg	19%
Total Carb 5.4g	2%
Dietary Fiber 0.1g	0%
Sugars 5.2g
Protein 56.3g
Vitamin A 0% · Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 1% · Iron 8%
*Based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Recipe analyzed by

I hope your dinner turns out as fantastic as ours did. If you have any unique side recommendations, I would love to hear about them. 

Thanks for stopping by, 

Kristie