Rather than roasting a whole turkey, I prefer roasting a turkey breast for our holiday meal. This method, which involves brining the turkey breast, results in a very flavorful, moist, glazed breast. Here’s my favorite apple cider flavored version!
Note for Citrus Lovers: it’s easy to make this dish orange flavored, rather than apple cider flavored. For the brine, swap out the apple cider for 4 cups of water and 12 oz of frozen orange juice concentrate. For the glaze, swap out the apple cider for 1 cup broth and ¼ cup of orange juice. Swap out the apple slices for ½ cup apricot preserves and add 2 teaspoons garlic and 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard. Enjoy!
4 cups Apple Cider
2 cloves Garlic, smashed
⅓ cup coconut palm sugar
1 tablespoon ground allspice
⅓ cup kosher salt
3 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
4 cups Ice
1 (6-8 lb) Turkey Breast
2 cups of the cider
2 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
⅓ cup coconut palm sugar
2 tablespoons crimson raisins, chopped
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
In a large pot over high heat, bring the cider, garlic, coconut sugar, allspice, salt, bay leaves and rosemary to a boil. Cover and remove from heat – let sit 20 minutes. Stir in 4 cups of ice. Trim the breast and submerge. Place in the fridge for 2 hours up to overnight.
For the Apple Cider Glaze: Place the apple cider in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sliced apples, coconut palm sugar, raisins and coconut aminos. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 12 minutes, until the apples are tender. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend on high until very smooth.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove turkey from the brine and pat dry. Place on a roasting pan with a rack, coated with olive oil, and place breast skin side up.
Roast for 30 minutes, rotate the pan and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Brush the breast with the glaze and cook for another 1.5 hours, brushing with glaze every 30 minutes, until all of the glaze is used. Internal temperature should reach 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast.
Transfer the breast to a cutting board and tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
Calories: 293
Fat: 3g
Carbohydrates: 23g
Sodium: 734mg
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 39g
Sugar: 20g