As a kid I remember watching an episode of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It was an episode where Will, Carlton, and Hilary were tasked with cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for his mom. At one point the turkey was frozen another it caught on fire. Everytime I cook a turkey this episode replays in my mind. By keeping techniques simple, you’re guaranteed a moist and delicious turkey. Over the years, I’ve typically cooked things with a brine, but this year I opted to mix things up with braising technique. While cooking a whole turkey is impressive in appearance, by breaking your turkey into smaller pieces you’ll be able to flavor the meat more thoroughly, retain moisture, and cut down your cooking time.
With the addition of burnt citrus and aromatics, this turkey is unlike anything you’ve ever had before. (We got our dutch oven here and are finding every way to use it possible.)
Braised Turkey Breast with Burnt Citrus
Servings 6
- 3 T organic olive oil
- 1 half of a turkey breast, 4-6 lbs
- 3 oranges, sliced in rounds and one orange cut into wedges
- 2 lemons, sliced in rounds
- 4 C organic chicken stock
- 3 stalks of celery, cut into pieces 3 inches in length
- 6 organic carrots, washed and cut into pieces 3 inches in length
- 1 onion, cut into wedges
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 3 sprigs of sage
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
In a large dutch oven, bring olive oil to heat over medium high heat. Season turkey breast thoroughly with ground salt and pepper. Brown the sides of a turkey breast. Rotating every 7 minutes, until all 4 sides are browned. Place to the side.
Add garlic and onion to the pan. Cook until onion is translucent. Add stalks of celery, carrots, and sprigs of fresh herbs. Juice oranges and place wedges into pot. Stirring occasionally, cook until vegetables are beginning to become tender. Add chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and return turkey breast to the pan. Cook for 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes. Remove from heat when the internal temperature of turkey breast on the bone reads 165 degrees F. 30 minutes prior to turkey being cooked, preheat oven to broil or 450 degrees F. Place sliced oranges and lemons on aluminum foil lined cookie sheet. Broil in oven until there is a slight char around the edges and on the flesh of the citrus. Allow the turkey breast to rest on the cutting board for 15 minutes before carving. Place cooked vegetables on platter. Add fresh rosemary. Add carved turkey breast and top with charred citrus on top.
Remove fresh herbs from sauce and bring cooking liquid to boil. Reduce to half and stain. Serve gravy alongside turkey.