Cranberry Glazed Turkey Breast

Name: Cranberry Glazed Turkey Breast
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8 people
Ingredients: 8 cups cold water; 4 ounces kosher salt; ½ cup brown sugar; 4 pound boneless turkey breast; 2 tbsp ginger; 1 tbsp peppercorns; 4 bay leaves; 4 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 cup white wine; 1 cup orange juice; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp paprika; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp black pepper; 1 tsp onion powder; ½ tsp cayenne pepper; ½ tsp ground cloves; ½ tsp oregano; ½ tsp thyme; 12 oz cranberries; 1 tablespoon ginger; 2 tsp orange zest; ¼ cup honey; ½ cup brown sugar; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ cup orange juice; 1 cup water; ¼ cup orange liqueur

User Reviews

4.8

12 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Additional Time
8 hrs
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings
8 people
Calories
354 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American

Cranberry Glazed Turkey Breast

Lukas Jenkins

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This Cranberry Glazed Turkey Breast recipe is bursting with flavor from the white wine brine, to the savory spice rub, to the cranberry glaze!

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Ingredients

Servings

Brine

8 cups cold water divided
4 ounces kosher salt
½ cup brown sugar
4 pound boneless turkey breast *see notes below
2 tbsp ginger
1 tbsp peppercorns
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup white wine
1 cup orange juice

Rub

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp thyme

Cranberry Glaze

12 oz cranberries
1 tablespoon ginger fresh grated
2 tsp orange zest
¼ cup honey
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup orange juice
1 cup water
¼ cup orange liqueur

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Instructions

Brine

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan on the stove.
Once the water is boiling, add the kosher salt and brown sugar. Whisk until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved into the water.
Add 4 cups of cold water to the brine, then place it in the refrigerator to cool for at least 30 minutes, or until it comes to room temperature.
Remove the turkey breast from any packaging and/or netting. Arrange a brining bag inside a large bowl or roasting pan, then place the turkey breast in the bag.
Add the ginger, peppercorns, bay leaves and thyme.
Add the white wine and orange juice.
Once the sugar salt water has cooled to room temperature, pour it over the turkey breast.
Pull the brining bag up and over the turkey breast and tie it closed, making sure the brine covers the whole turkey breast.
Place the brining turkey breast in the refrigerator overnight, or for up to 12 hours.
After the turkey breast has brined, remove it from the brining liquid, rinse it under cold water, then pat it dry.

Rub and roast

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place the dried, brined turkey on a cutting board and rub all over with olive oil.
Combine all of the spices for the rub in a small bowl, then rub it all over the turkey breast.
If the turkey breast comes apart into two pieces, that’s no problem. You can tie them back together with kitchen twine after you rub them with the spice rub. Place the spice rubbed turkey, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet, or in a roasting pan.
Roast the turkey breast for one hour, or until an instant read thermometer, inserted into the thickest part of the breast, reaches 165°F.
Cut the cooking twine off of the turkey breast and use a pastry brush to brush the cranberry glaze on the turkey.
Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Cranberry glaze

While the turkey breast is in the oven, prepare the cranberry glaze.
Add all of the ingredients to a large saucepan on the stove over medium heat.
Wait for the cranberries to burst, stirring occasionally. This will take 10-15 minutes.
Once the cranberries begin to burst, lower the heat on the stove to low and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes.
Set a large mesh strainer on top of a large bowl and pour the cranberries through the strainer.
Use a spatula to press the liquid out of the solid cranberries, through the strainer.
Remove the strainer of cranberries and what you have left in your bowl is the glaze for the turkey breast. Set it aside until the turkey comes out of the oven.
Set the solid cranberry mixture aside and either serve it on the side of the turkey, or spread on top.

Notes

Turkey breast – for this recipe I used a boneless turkey breast, but you can also use a bone-in turkey breast. See the section in the blog post above on “what type of turkey breast to use”, where I go into more detail about fresh vs. frozen and the benefits of bone-in vs. boneless turkey breasts.
If you do use a bone-in turkey breast, meat on the bone tends to cook slower, so you will probably need to add 10-15 minutes to the roasting time.
You can make this recipe without the skin. Use a sharp knife to remove the skin from the turkey breast before starting the recipe.
I do not recommend removing the skin after roasting the turkey, as you’ll also be removing a lot of the delicious spice rub.
Leftover turkey will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. I always recommend storing it in an airtight container for the best flavor.
Using a 4 pound boneless turkey breast, this recipe will feed 8 people at 1/2 pound of turkey per person.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Serving 6serving Calories 354kcal (18%) Carbohydrates 68g (23%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 5g (8%) Sodium 9855mg (411%) Potassium 299mg (9%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 57g (114%) Vitamin A 430mg (9%) Vitamin C 35.6mg (40%) Calcium 73mg (7%) Iron 1.2mg (7%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 354 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving	6serving
Calories	354kcal	18%
Carbohydrates	68g	23%
Protein	1g	2%
Fat	5g	8%
Sodium	9855mg	411%
Potassium	299mg	6%
Fiber	4g	16%
Sugar	57g	114%
Vitamin A	430mg	9%
Vitamin C	35.6mg	40%
Calcium	73mg	7%
Iron	1.2mg	7%