How to Make Boneless Turkey Breasts

Boneless turkey breast is a delicious alternative to chicken and a great choice when you don’t have time to cook a whole turkey. Chicken breasts usually weigh from 1kg-5kg with enough meat to serve the majority of people. This ingredient is very easy to prepare in the oven or slow cooker. The tender white meat of the turkey goes well with any seasoning.

Table of Contents

Buy and prepare turkey breast

Buy chicken breasts by weight. Boneless turkey breast is usually sold by weight as fresh or frozen meat. Turkey breasts are much larger than chicken breasts, so you should consider this when deciding how much to buy. A portion of turkey breast for a person is usually 100g-200g. Cooked turkey does well in the fridge, so you can buy more to have leftovers for sandwiches.

If buying fresh meat, you should choose chicken breasts that are light pink in color, without discolored spots. If you buy prepackaged fresh meat, be sure to use it or freeze it before the expiration date.
Choose frozen turkey breast that shows no signs of frostbite. Raw turkey breast can be stored in the freezer for up to 9 months. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Defrost frozen turkey. If you keep trying to cook frozen turkey, it will take a lot of time. The recommended method is to thaw slowly in the refrigerator. ^{[2] X Research Source} About the night before you plan to cook, place frozen turkey breast in the refrigerator to thaw slowly. You will need 24 hours to defrost 2kg-2.5kg turkey breast meat.

Leave the turkey breast in its original packaging in the refrigerator until defrosted. Place the meat on a plate or tray to catch the juices from the package as the meat thaws.
If you don’t have much time, you can defrost the chicken in cold water. Soak turkey in its original packaging in a basin or sink filled with cold water. Replace the meat soaking water every half hour with cold water. The defrosting time for each half kilogram of meat in this method is about 30 minutes.
The fastest way to defrost is to use the microwave. Remove the chicken breasts from the package and place in a microwaveable dish to catch the gravy. Use the power and defrost time recommended in the manufacturer’s manual.

Remove the meat from the package. Remove turkey breast from bag after defrosting. Fresh or frozen turkey breast usually comes in a mesh bag that you must remove before cooking. If the chicken breast is curled, open it before you start cooking.

Consider marinating turkey breast. Although not required, the meat will be tender and rich if seasoned. You need to make the marinade 1 hour before cooking. Choose any store-bought marinade to marinate turkey breast, or make your own. Place the meat in a food container and pour the marinade over it. Each 0.5 kg of turkey breast requires about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of marinade. ^{[3] X Research Source} Marinate meat for 1-3 hours before cooking.

You can make your own quick marinade by mixing ½ cup of vinegar, ¼ cup of olive oil, 4 teaspoons of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and ½ teaspoon of salt per 0.5 kg of meat.
Be sure to put the turkey in the fridge while it’s marinating.
Since high-temperature defrosting methods (cold water immersion and microwaves) can foster bacteria growth, you should cook immediately after rapid defrosting. Therefore, you need to defrost slowly in the refrigerator if you want to marinate meat several hours in advance.

Bake a boneless turkey breast in the oven

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Preheat oven to 163 degrees Celsius.

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Calculate baking time. The larger the chicken breast, the longer the baking time. When baking at 163 degrees Celsius, the baking time will be 25 minutes per 0.5 kg.

For turkey breast pieces smaller than 2kg – 3kg, you should set the baking time from 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours. If the chicken breast is larger, about 3kg – 4kg, you need to bake for about 2.5 hours to 3.5 hours.
If you are at an altitude of 5,000 meters or more, you will have to add 5-10 minutes of baking for every 0.5 kg.

Meat plate. Coat the turkey breast with olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on the skin. If you like, you can sprinkle dry seasonings like thyme, oregano, sage, or basil over the meat.

If you want to use fresh herbs, you can finely chop them and tuck them under the skin of the chicken to let the flavors soak into the meat.
If you like the taste of lemon with poultry, cut a few slices of lemon and tuck under the skin of the chicken to remove it after grilling.

Place chicken on baking tray. Spray non-stick oil or grease the baking tray to prevent the chicken from sticking to the tray. Place the chicken breast on the tray, skin side up.

Grill chicken. Bake the turkey breast until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 68 degrees Celsius as measured with a meat thermometer. ^{[4] X Research Source} Grilling at a temperature lower than 163 degrees Celsius will help prevent the chicken breasts from drying out.

If you want to ensure that the turkey breast retains its moisture, you should occasionally coat the chicken breast with gravy during the roasting process. You can use a large spatula or turkey marinade pump to drizzle the gravy from the pan over the surface of the chicken breast.
For a crispy skin, turn the grill on and bake for about 5 minutes after the internal temperature of the meat reaches 68 degrees Celsius.

Let the grilled chicken breasts “rest” at room temperature for 20 minutes. Cover the chicken breasts with foil and leave on the kitchen counter for a few minutes. During this time, the gravy in the chicken breasts will be drawn back into the meat. If you skip this step, the meat will dry out.

Cut meal. Use a carving knife to cut the turkey breast into serving size slices. Place the chicken slices on a large plate when serving.

Cook turkey breast in the slow cooker

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Calculate cooking time. The slow cooker works at a much lower temperature than the oven, so it takes much longer to cook the inside of the chicken breast to 68 degrees Celsius. That way you can just turn on the pot and forget about for hours while busy doing other things.

2kg – 3kg small chicken breast cooked on “low” in the slow cooker will take 5-6 hours. Chicken breasts larger than 3kg – 5kg will need to cook for 8-9 hours.
Using the “high” level shortens the cooking time as much as a conventional oven.

Place the turkey breast in the slow cooker. Remember that chicken breasts must be defrosted and unwrapped before cooking. You should also remove the skin of the chicken before cooking because the skin will not be crispy when cooked in the slow cooker.

Flavoring. Anything you put in the slow cooker will cook with the chicken breast all day long and create a rich, flavorful finish. You can make your own marinade or buy seasoning at the store. Try one of these spice blends:

Mix your own seasoning with 1 teaspoon of dried ground garlic, 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
If you can’t find the right seasoning, you can use a packet of onion soup powder or a soup ball. Dissolve the soup capsule/pack in 1 cup of hot water and pour into the slow cooker.

Consider adding vegetables and herbs. One great thing about the slow cooker is that it can cook everything in one pot without messing up the ingredients, so you can just pop in all the vegetables and herbs in the fridge that have the same time to cook. with chicken breast. Potatoes, carrots and onions as well as herbs like parsley, sage and oregano are all good ingredients for this dish.

Cut vegetables into large chunks so they don’t break up much in the long run.
If fresh herbs are not available in the refrigerator or in the garden, you can substitute with dried herbs that are available in the kitchen cupboard.

Advice

If you don’t have a meat thermometer, grill the chicken breasts until the juices run clear. To test, cut a small slit in the center of the chicken breast. The gravy coming out of the transparent cut means the chicken breast is cooked.

Warning

Always defrost meat in the refrigerator if you want to marinate meat, as quickly defrosted meat needs to be cooked right away.
Do not refreeze rapidly defrosted meat; You must prepare it immediately after defrosting.
Serve immediately if you defrost quickly by soaking in cold water or using the microwave.
Always wash your hands with soap and warm water after touching raw meat.
Don’t defrost turkey too quickly, as this can create favorable conditions for dangerous pathogens to grow.

Steps

Buy and prepare turkey breast

Bake a boneless turkey breast in the oven

Cook turkey breast in the slow cooker

Advice

Warning

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