Ultimate Sous Vide Turkey Breast: Juicy Perfection with Crispy Skin
Elevate your holiday feast with this foolproof sous vide turkey breast recipe. Achieve incredibly tender, juicy meat paired with irresistibly crispy skin for a showstopping centerpiece.
Why You’ll Love This Sous Vide Turkey
Sous vide cooking takes the guesswork out of preparing turkey, delivering consistently moist results every time. This method frees up your oven, requires minimal supervision, and allows for flexible serving times. The separately roasted skin provides that satisfying crunch without compromising the meat’s succulence.
The Science of Sous Vide Safety
Sous vide cooking allows for precise temperature control, ensuring both safety and optimal texture. By maintaining lower temperatures for longer periods, we can pasteurize the meat while keeping it incredibly moist.
Turkey Pasteurization Times
Safe Cooking Temperatures and Times | |
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Temperature | Time for Pasteurization |
136°F (57.8°C) | 64 minutes |
140°F (60°C) | 28.1 minutes |
145°F (62.8°C) | 10.5 minutes |
150°F (65.6°C) | 3.8 minutes |
155°F (68.3°C) | 1.2 minutes |
160°F (71.1°C) | 25.6 seconds |
165°F (73.9°C) | Under 10 seconds |
Perfecting Your Sous Vide Turkey
Temperature and Timing Guide
Sous Vide Turkey Temperatures and Times | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Desired Result | Bath Temp | Core Temp | Time After Core Temp | Total Cook Time |
Very pink, extra moist | 132°F (56°C) | 130°F (55°C) | 2 hours | 4 hours |
Pale pink, moist | 138°F (59°C) | 136°F (58°C) | 1 hour | 3 hours |
White, tender, moist | 145°F (63°C) | 143°F (62°C) | 16 minutes | 2 1/2 hours |
Traditional texture | 152°F (67°C) | 150°F (66°C) | 4 minutes | 2 hours |
Our favorite method? 145°F for two and a half hours. This delivers a perfectly white, tender, and moist turkey breast that’s sure to impress.
Crafting the Perfect Turkey Roll
For even cooking and easy seasoning, we recommend removing the skin and bones, then rolling two breast halves together. This creates a uniform cylinder that cooks beautifully and allows for interior seasoning.
The Secret to Crispy Skin
By roasting the skin separately, we achieve a level of crispness that’s impossible with traditional methods. This technique results in a shatteringly crisp skin that stays crunchy long after serving.
Ingredients
For the Turkey:
- 1 large whole skin-on, bone-in turkey breast (about 5 pounds; 2.2kg)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Gravy:
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 quarts (1.4L) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (40g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Carefully remove turkey skin in one piece and set aside. Using a sharp boning knife, remove breast meat from breastbone. Season turkey generously with salt and pepper. Arrange breast halves to form an even cylinder and tie with butcher’s twine at 1-inch intervals.
- Transfer to a zipper-lock bag. Refrigerate for up to 5 days if desired.
- Heat sous vide bath to 145°F (63°C). Submerge bagged turkey, letting water pressure push out air before sealing. Cook for 2 1/2 hours.
- For Crispy Skin: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Spread skin on parchment-lined baking sheet, season, and cover with another parchment sheet and baking sheet. Roast 30-45 minutes until deep brown and crisp. Cool at room temperature.
- For Gravy: Brown chopped breastbone, onion, carrot, and celery in oil. Add stock, bay leaves, and soy sauce. Simmer 1 hour, then strain. Make a roux with butter and flour, then whisk in strained stock. Simmer until thickened.
- Remove cooked turkey from bath. Slice and arrange on a platter with crispy skin pieces. Serve with warm gravy.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Cooked turkey can be chilled in an ice bath and refrigerated for up to a week. Reheat in a 130°F (55°C) water bath for about an hour before serving.
Nutritional Information
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 6 to 8 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 324 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 10g | 12% |
Saturated Fat 4g | 19% |
Cholesterol 145mg | 48% |
Sodium 478mg | 21% |
Total Carbohydrate 5g | 2% |
Dietary Fiber 0g | 1% |
Total Sugars 1g | |
Protein 51g | |
Vitamin C 1mg | 5% |
Calcium 27mg | 2% |
Iron 2mg | 9% |
Potassium 461mg | 10% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |