Turkey meat is known as dry, so the only way to ensure that it is juicy in the oven is to marinate it first. In addition, the whole roast turkey looks amazing and serves as a decoration for any festive table. But the reality is that many housewives have only one oven of regular size, and it’s problematic to cook the whole carcass in it. In addition, the turkey is very large, and eating such an amount of meat in the short term can be difficult. That is why the fillet of this bird, or breast, is especially popular.
Boneless turkey breast is a delicious alternative to chicken. It’s also a great idea for dinner when you don’t have time to cook a whole bird. Turkey breast usually weighs from 1 to 5 kg, and can be served with the expectation of a large number of people. It is easiest to cook in an oven, slow cooker or on a stove over low heat.
How to prepare this meat?
There are a lot of delicious recipes for turkey dishes, but initially you need to prepare the meat. First of all, think about pickling. This is not necessary, but allows you to get a particularly delicate taste and aroma. Cook the marinade at least an hour before you plan to cook the bird. Choose any sauce purchased at the store or create your own. Place the turkey in a large food storage container and pour the marinade on it. Its amount is calculated as follows: you need a quarter cup of marinade for every 0.5 kg of meat. Once you put the fillet in the seasoning mixture and the sauce, let it soak for one to three hours before cooking.
You can make a quick marinade by mixing 1/2 cup of vinegar, a quarter cup of olive oil, 4 teaspoons of chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon of pepper and half a spoon of tea salt for every 2 kg of turkey. Be sure to put the meat back in the refrigerator while marinating.
How to cook fillets in the oven?
The simplest recipe for a turkey (breast) dish is as follows. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Calculate the cooking time. The larger the turkey breast, the longer it will need to be baked. At 160 ° C, it will take approximately 25 minutes for every half a kilo of meat. So, for a small piece of fillet weighing 2-2.5 kg, you need one and a half to two hours.
Rub turkey breast with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. If you want, you can also add dried thyme, oregano, sage or basil.
If you want to use fresh herbs, chop them coarsely and place them under the skin of the turkey so that they can better flavor the meat. If you like the taste of lemon with a bird, try slicing this citrus thinly and inserting slices under the skin.
Put the turkey fillet in a roasting pan covered in a small layer of butter. Bake the meat until its internal temperature reaches 70 degrees in the thickest part. If you use a cooking temperature below 155 degrees, pour meat with melted juice during the entire baking time. Otherwise, the filet will become too dry.
To form a crispy skin, open the roasting pan after the meat is ready, and bake it open for another five minutes. Be sure to cover the finished turkey with foil and leave for 20 minutes, and only after that cut and serve. At this time, all the juices will be distributed in the fillet.
How to cook turkey fillet in a slow cooker?
Simple and delicious recipes for turkey dishes can be calculated on the use of a slow cooker. How to cook in it?
First of all, calculate the cooking time. Since the slow cooker operates at a much lower temperature than the oven, it takes much longer for the turkey breast to reach an internal temperature of 70 ° C. This allows you to turn on the appliance and forget about it for several hours while you are doing other things. So, a fillet weighing 2 kg in the "Extinguishing" mode will be prepared for five to six hours.
First place the turkey breast in the crock-pot. Remember that before this it needs to be thawed completely, it is advisable to remove the skin. Add seasoning. Everything that you put at the same time as meat will be absorbed into it for several hours, creating a surprisingly tasty and fragrant final product. You can cook your own seasoning or use the mixture purchased at the store.
If you do not have suitable spices, you can use the bouillon cube. Dissolve it in a glass of hot water and add to the multicooker bowl. Also consider adding vegetables and herbs. The great thing about using a multicooker is that the products in it are difficult to spoil. Therefore, you can safely add any vegetables and herbs that you have in the refrigerator. Potatoes, carrots and onions are great options, as are parsley, sage and oregano. Thus, you can come up with your own recipes for turkey dishes on the go.
Cut the vegetables into larger pieces so that they do not boil in mashed potatoes for a long cooking time. As soon as you place all the products in the bowl, fill everything with water. After that, turn on the “stewing” mode for the calculated time and wait until the delicious dinner is prepared on its own.
Juicy breast with garlic and onions
The turkey is often served on the festive table, because its preparation takes a lot of time, and the final dish is very voluminous. But what if a small number of guests is expected? For such cases, this turkey recipe is used, which requires only one boneless breast. Juices that flow into a baking dish have a strong aroma of garlic and onions, so you can make a fantastic sauce out of them. In total you will need:
- 2 kg turkey breast without skin and bones (when using frozen meat, first melt it);
- 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally;
- 1 onion, unpeeled, cut into two halves;
- 5 sprigs of thyme (or 2 spoons of dried tea leaves of thyme).
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of tea garlic powder;
- 1 1/2 tablespoons mashed onion mashed;
- 1 teaspoon of paprika;
- 2 tablespoons tea salts;
- 5 peas of black pepper;
- 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
For gravy:
- chicken bouillon;
- 2 tablespoons (50 grams) butter;
- 1/4 cup flour;
- salt and pepper.
How to cook turkey breast?
A turkey breast recipe looks like this. Place dry seasonings (with the exception of thyme) in a bowl and mix with olive oil to combine until the consistency of a wet paste.
Dry the turkey with paper towels. Rub the breast with the seasoning mixture, using most of the sides and top. Place garlic, onion and thyme on the bottom of a deep baking sheet. Lay the turkey breast on top.
Bake at low temperature (about 100 degrees) for about 6 hours. Then remove it and let it sit for about 20 minutes before cutting.
Crisp skin
Preheat the oven to a higher temperature. Place the stand 30 cm from the heat source. Transfer the turkey breast from the deep pan to a heat-resistant dish. Put in the oven and fry for 3 to 5 minutes until the skin becomes crisp. Follow this process carefully - it happens very quickly!
How to make gravy?
Strain the liquid that has leaked during the roasting of the turkey into a measuring cup, remove the pieces of garlic and so on. If you were unable to collect 2 cups of gravy, add chicken stock to the desired volume.
Melt the butter in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Add flour and mix. Pour about 1/2 cup of liquid into the mixture and mix until a homogeneous paste forms. Slowly add the remaining liquid. If necessary, use a whisk to make the sauce uniform. Heat and knead it until it thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with turkey.
Chili Turkey
This is a quick and easy recipe for turkey minced meat with onions, garlic, bell pepper and chili. This is due to the fact that only part of the carcass weighing less than 1 kg is used here. In total you will need:
- olive oil;
- 1 cup chopped onion;
- 1 bell pepper (preferably red or yellow), chopped;
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced in minced meat;
- salt;
- 0.5 kg of ground meat from turkey, preferably white meat;
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder (or to taste);
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro.
How to cook turkey mince dish?
Sauté the onion, bell pepper in two tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook until they soften, a couple of minutes. Add garlic and fry for another 30 seconds.
Put the vegetables on the edge of one side of the pan and position this side so that it is away from heat. The empty part of the pan should be directly above the burner. Add one or two tablespoons of oil. Put the minced meat in a pan with a spoon, sprinkle with salt and chili powder.
Fry the turkey without stirring until it is fried on one side, then turn the pieces over and fry until brown on the other. As soon as the meat is almost cooked, stir with onion and pepper and sprinkle with plenty of salt and chili powder to taste. Remove from heat. The recipe for a delicious turkey dish is now complete. Stir fried meat with freshly chopped parsley or cilantro. Serve alone or with steamed rice or noodles.
Baked turkey legs
Everyone loves a turkey breast because it is considered healthy and dietary. In fact, the most fragrant part of this bird is the dark meat of the hips and legs, which are much cheaper than the breast. One of the inexpensive and simple recipes for turkey dishes (with photos in this article) is baking legs on a bed of celery and onion. Serving such a dish is best with potatoes.
In total you will need:
- 2 turkey legs and 2 thighs, about 2 kg in total;
- 1 tablespoon olive oil;
- 1 cup finely chopped onion;
- 1 cup finely chopped celery;
- salt, black pepper and cayenne;
- 2 cups of water or other stewing liquid (dry white wine or a mixture of it with water);
- corn starch;
- parsley, finely chopped, about 1/4 cup;
- an additional 3 cups of sliced potatoes, carrots, turnips, and / or parsnips.
How to cook legs in the oven?
The recipe with a photo of a delicious turkey dish is as follows. Sprinkle hips and legs with salt and pepper, grate well. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan with high edges over medium heat. Add the legs and hips and fry until they are crusted on all sides for about 5-8 minutes.
Add chopped onions and celery to form a bed under the pieces of turkey. Toast for an additional 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of liquid (water, wine or a combination thereof).
Cover and simmer for one and a half hours, or until the turkey is well cooked and tender. The meat should easily fall off the bones.
Remove the turkey slices from the pan and remove the bones and skin.
Cook potatoes and root vegetables. Add vegetables to the pan in which the turkey was cooked. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Boil over medium heat, then lower the temperature. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. When the vegetables are ready, remove them from the pan so that you can make the sauce.
How to make gravy?
A turkey recipe would be incomplete without a gravy guide. Increase the temperature of the stove and bring the remaining liquid in the pan to a boil. Reduce it by half by evaporation.
Take a teaspoon of corn starch and dissolve in 1/2 cup of water. Add this mixture gradually to the sauce, stirring to the desired density. If necessary, add salt and pepper, as well as a little cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce. If it turns out to be too sweet, pour in a little vinegar or lemon. Sprinkle with parsley.
Add the turkey and vegetables back to the saucepan. Serve immediately, stirring thoroughly.
Mayonnaise baked turkey
This recipe for turkey in the oven does not require much effort and skill. The main rule - the larger the bird, the more difficult it is to bake. Therefore, it is advisable to take two smaller turkeys if you want to cook a dish for a large festive table. In total you will need:
- 6-8 kg of turkey, 1 or 2 carcasses (completely thawed);
- 6-7 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped;
- 5-6 fresh thyme stalks;
- 2-3 sprigs of rosemary;
- 2-3 branches of oregano;
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise;
- 1-2 tablespoons of coarse salt;
- 1-2 tablespoons of pepper;
- 3 stalks of celery, coarsely chopped;
- 1 large onion, large rings;
- 100 grams of butter, salty.
How to bake turkey in mayonnaise?
A recipe with a photo of a turkey dish looks like this. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Put the turkey in the roasting pan.
Tear off leaves from stalks at all greens. Add sage, thyme, rosemary and oregano to mayonnaise, mix well. Lubricate the whole bird on the inside and outside with the mayonnaise-herbal mixture. Rub with pepper and salt. Add celery and onions inside the carcass, and pour oil into the cavity.
Bake the turkey in the oven at 220 degrees for 30 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 180 degrees and insert the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, trying not to touch the bone. Continue baking until the inside temperature of the turkey reaches 75 degrees. Then cover the legs with foil. Depending on the size of the turkey, the total cooking time is about one and a half hours. Once the thermometer reaches 75 degrees in the thigh area, measure the temperature in the thickest part of the breast. If she is the same, the bird is ready. On this, the preparation of the turkey dish can be considered complete.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Wrap the bird in foil and let it stand for at least 20-30 minutes (depending on size) before slicing. Do not forget to pour turkey with melted juice.