This Sous Vide Turkey Breast is a foolproof way to get juicy turkey! Well seasoned, with crispy, browned skin and served with apple cider gravy! Even though I'm sort of new to the sous vide game, a turkey breast has been high on my list of things to try for a few reasons!
Turkey breasts, bone in, boneless, or roasts are the perfect smaller option for a holiday meal when you aren't feeding a ton of people. The problem with turkey breast, if done wrong, is that white meat can turn out to be drier than its dark meat counterparts. The Anova Sous Vide Pro makes cooking a juicy, moist turkey breast with crispy skin easier than ever before! You can even connect it to your smartphone to access recipes and monitor your dinner from outside your kitchen.
Roasting a turkey breast can lead to uneven temperatures throughout the breast. With sous vide, the turkey breast will be the same internal temperature all the way through, which means no overcooking and moist turkey breast every time! Simply season your turkey breast well, place in a large (I recommend 2 gallon or extra large) heavy duty freezer bag, seal, and let the Anova Sous Vide Pro work its magic. Your holiday guests will definitely be wowed this year!
https://youtu.be/WTFVP8pl75MHow do I seal a zipper freezer bag for sous vide cooking?
This was one of my biggest questions when I started cooking with the Anova Sous Vide Pro, because we don't have a vacuum packer and didn't want to purchase additional equipment. The awesome thing is that you don't have to! Zipper freezer bags work just fine, as long as carefully seal the bag and allow the air to escape using the water immersion technique.To do this, place your turkey breast in your freezer bag and seal half way or a little more. Gradually lower the bag into your pot of water, allowing the water to push the air out the top. When all of the air is eliminated (be careful not to allow water into the seal in the top!), seal the remaining part of the bag and proceed with cooking.
What kind of turkey breast do I need for this recipe?
You can use the Anova Sous Vide to cook any turkey breast (and even a whole turkey if you have a bag large enough!). For this recipe, I used a skin-on, bone-in turkey breast that weighed about four pounds. I love using a skin on turkey breast because this way I can crisp it up in the oven and it will look more like a traditional turkey on the table. If you're using a skinless turkey breast, you won't necessarily need to sear or broil the breast after it's done cooking, but you can if you prefer.
What's important is that whichever turkey breast you use is roughly the same weight as the one called for in the recipe, otherwise, you'll need to account for additional cook time if your turkey breast is larger.
The beautiful thing about cooking a sous vide turkey breast? The cook time and temperature is actually pretty flexible.
What temperature is best for sous vide turkey breast?
This is another area where everyone has a different opinion. You can cook your turkey breast as low as 132 degrees F (56 degrees C) and as high as 152 degrees F (67 degrees C). If you cook your turkey breast at a lower temperature, you will need to cook it longer, your internal temperature will be lower (this is technically still safe to eat, but it's up to you whether you're comfortable with it), and your end result pinker and juicier. If you cook your turkey breast at a higher temperature, you will cook it less, your internal temperature will be higher, and your end result will be much closer to a roast turkey from the oven. What's most important when cooking sous vide turkey is that you figure out where you're comfortable and what result you're looking for.
We cooked this one at 140 degrees F for 8 hours and my husband declared it the juiciest turkey he'd ever had <-- no word of a lie! We also tried cooking for 5-6 hours at 145 degrees F, and it was just as delicious. Serious Eats has a great chart on cooking temperatures and cook times for cooking sous vide turkey breast.
Tips for cooking Sous Vide Turkey Breast:
- Season well -- the turkey has a lot of time to hang out while it gently cooks, and all of that flavor is going to penetrate the turkey breast for amazing results!
- Get that crispy skin: after your turkey breast is cooked through with your Anova Sous Vide, we need to crisp the skin. There are two ways to do this: searing in a pan or under the broiler in the oven. I prefer to do mine in the oven, because it's less work and gets great even results, but you can do what works for you! The important thing is that you thoroughly dry it and butter or oil the turkey breast before browning.
- An hour or two (or a few more!) isn't really going to make a big difference in the quality of the finished product, which gives you a lot of flexibility and peace of mind! You can start your turkey breast when it's convenient for you, and know that you are going to have an amazing meal in the end.
*This post has been generously sponsored by Turkey Farmers of Canada and Anova Culinary and I have been compensated for my time spent creating this recipe. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Recipe Rebel!