This Brined Boneless Turkey Breast with Maple Glaze is tender and flavorful. The overnight brine, seasoning, and maple butter glaze, give it an incredible depth of flavor and just the right balance of slightly sweet and savory. This is an easy, elegant dish for dinner or for a small group for Thanksgiving if you don’t want to make a whole turkey.
What we love about this Brined Boneless Turkey Breast
The flavor of the turkey is unmatched. I love the flavor of this turkey, and the huge contributor is the overnight brine. It is so easy and fuss free. You need water, apple cider, maple syrup, kosher salt, an orange, and some herbs. The boneless turkey breast is much smaller than a whole turkey and easily fits with the brine in a large pot. Cover it with a lid and stick it in your fridge overnight or let it brine all day before roasting.
Before baking, I rub the turkey with butter and some dry seasoning: poultry seasoning, dry mustard, paprika, pepper, and garlic powder, and then at the end of the baking time, I brush it with the maple butter glaze a few times. The dry seasoning adds that lovely savory flavor, and the maple butter caramelizes the turkey as it cooks for a golden, glossy finish that adds the slightest sweetness. We all love this turkey, it honestly tastes so good!
This makes enough to generously feed 4 and about two slices of turkey for 6 people. It is a fantastic choice for Thanksgiving if there are just a few of you. If you want leftovers, I would cook two. It also makes a really nice dinner throughout the year. We like this best with a side of mashed potatoes and optionally, cranberry dressing. We don’t usually serve it with gravy, but you can.
Looking for other recipes for Thanksgiving? Try our Big, Soft, Fluffy Dinner Rolls, our Garlic Parmesan Green Beans, our Sweet Potato Salad, our Coconut Cream Pie with Coconut Milk, or our Maple Pecan Pie without Corn Syrup.
What you need to make this Boneless Turkey Breast Recipe
You will need the following ingredients:
- 3-pound boneless turkey breast (we like the Butterball brand)
- Water
- Apple cider
- Pure maple syrup
- Kosher salt
- Orange
- Thyme
- Bay leaves
- Whole black peppercorns
- Chicken stock or broth
- Butter
- Paprika
- Dry mustard
- Poultry seasoning
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- Garlic powder
Maple Glazed Boneless Turkey Breast Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand, and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- You could substitute apple juice for apple cider.
- You could use a different coarse salt, like sea salt, in place of the kosher salt.
- Vegetable broth could substitute for chicken broth if needed.
- Ground sage could possibly substitute for the poultry seasoning, though poultry seasoning usually also includes thyme, marjoram, rosemary, pepper, and nutmeg.
- I would only use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. In a large stock pot, combine the water, apple cider, maple syrup, kosher salt, orange quarters, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and black peppercorns and bring to a simmer. Add an additional 3 cups of water and 3 cups of ice, and let the brine come to room temperature. Place the turkey breast in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.
Step 2. Pour chicken stock and 1 cup of apple cider in a 9×13 pan and place a small rack inside. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, dry mustard, poultry seasoning, black pepper, and garlic powder. Keeping the netting on the turkey, rub 2 tablespoons of softened butter on the turkey breast. Gently pat the seasoning on the turkey.
Step 3. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven and, using kitchen scissors, cut the netting from the turkey. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter and pure maple syrup, and brush the maple butter on the turkey. Return to the oven and bake an additional 30-45 minutes, until the turkey has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the center of the turkey breast, brushing with the maple glaze 1-2 times more while baking.
Step 4. Let the turkey rest on a cutting board for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm
Tips
To cook this turkey, I use a 9×13 inch pan, with a small rack inside (an instant pot steamer/roasting rack or trivet). If you don’t have one, you can use a larger roasting pan and rack. With the boneless turkey breast being smaller than a full turkey, the larger roasting pan isn’t really necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
| How to store the cooked boneless turkey breast? |
| a. In the fridge: to store leftovers, refrigerate within two hours of cooking in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. An unopened raw turkey breast will last in the fridge for 1-2 days before cooking. b. In the freezer: You can freeze raw turkey breast for up to 9-12 months before using and it thaws in the fridge in about two days. You can freeze leftover turkey for up to 3 months wrapped in an airtight container. |
| What to serve with Brined Boneless Turkey Breast with Maple Glaze? |
| Great sides for turkey breast include: mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, baked potatoes, roasted potatoes, sweet potato casserole or other traditional Thanksgiving casserole, green beans, carrots, or asparagus, rolls, cranberry dressing, fruit salad, jello salad, or green salad. |
| How to reheat the boneless turkey breast? |
| To reheat boneless turkey breast without drying it out, place turkey slices in an oven-proof dish, add a little water or broth, and cover with foil. Reheat at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-30 minutes, until 165 degrees. To microwave, place turkey slices in a microwave-safe dish, add a little broth or water to the dish, cover the turkey slices with a damp paper towel, and heat for 30-60 seconds or until heated through. |
Brined Boneless Turkey Breast with Maple Glaze
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servingsThis Brined Boneless Turkey Breast with Maple Glaze is incredibly tender and flavorful. The overnight brine, seasoning, and maple butter glaze when roasting, gives this boneless turkey breast an incredible depth of flavor and just the right balance of slightly sweet and savory. This is an easy, elegant dish for dinner or for a small group for Thanksgiving if you don’t want to make a large turkey.
Ingredients
Brine:
3 -pound boneless turkey breast without additional flavoring (thawed according to package instructions if necessary)
4 cups water
4 cups apple cider
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup kosher salt
1 orange, cut into quarters
4 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Seasoning/Glaze:
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
Directions
- In a large stock pot, combine the water, apple cider, maple syrup, kosher salt, orange quarters, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and black peppercorns and bring to a simmer. Add an additional 3 cups of water and 3 cups of ice, and let the brine come to room temperature. Place the turkey breast in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour chicken stock and 1 cup of apple cider in a 9×13 pan and place a small rack inside (an instant pot steamer/roasting rack/trivet works perfectly here).
- Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse, and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brine. Set the turkey aside on a large plate or cutting board.
- In a small bowl, combine the paprika, dry mustard, poultry seasoning, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Keeping the netting on the turkey, rub 2 tablespoons of softened butter on the turkey breast. Gently pat the seasoning on the turkey (it can come off if you rub it on too hard).
- Place the turkey breast skin side up on the rack. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Add additional broth to the pan if needed when baking to keep the juices from burning in the pan. Remove the turkey from the oven and, using kitchen scissors, cut the netting from the turkey.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter and pure maple syrup, and brush the maple butter on the turkey. Return to the oven and bake an additional 30-45 minutes, until the turkey has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the center of the turkey breast, brushing with the maple glaze 1-2 times more while baking. Brush with the maple glaze once the turkey is finished cooking.
- Let the turkey rest on a cutting board for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.
Notes
- I like to use the Butterball frozen boneless turkey breast, which I thaw according to package directions before using.
- It is important to use pure maple syrup instead of pancake syrup. Pancake syrup is too sweet, while pure maple syrup has a richer, more complex, and improved flavor.
- If you don’t have a smaller rack, like a roasting/steaming rack for an instant pot, you can use a larger roasting pan wtih a rack as well.
- Do not remove the netting from the turkey when you season the turkey and first start to bake it. You will remove it towards the end of the baking time. The netting helps the turkey breast to keep it’s shape while baking.
I am definitely going to make this for my Thanksgiving – it’s just the four of us, and this looks absolutely amazing!
This turkey breast sounds fantastic! Brining plus that maple glaze is genius for flavor. Perfect, elegant solution for a smaller Thanksgiving!
Perfect! I love the touch of the maple.