Cooking sous vide turkey breast bone in is one of the easiest ways to cook a perfect turkey, every time. Save room in your oven by utilizing Thanksgiving sous vide recipes like this one… This recipe is similar to one published in my cookbook… Let’s make it…
Learn my tried and true sous vide turkey breast time and temperature, and how to finish the turkey in the oven for to get beautiful, roasted skin.
See the video
Ingredients
You just need a handful of flavorful ingredients to make this delicious turkey…
- 4 lb turkey breast (skin-on, bone-in)
- 2 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp rosemary, fresh diced
- 1 tsp thyme, fresh diced
- 3 tbsp ghee / butter
- 1 tbsp shallots
- lemon slices
This guide will teach you how to cook fresh turkey sous vide style.
If you’re cooking turkey from the freezer, see how to sous vide frozen turkey breast.
Step-by-step recipe for sous vide turkey breast
1. Preheat sous vide machine to 145 degrees F.
2. Make a paste of garlic salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, ghee, and shallots. Season the outside of the turkey breast by rubbing it with half of the paste. Set aside the rest in the fridge for the broil-finish step.
3. Add the turkey breast to a sous vide bag with lemon slices and vacuum-seal the bag.
4. Sous vide turkey breast for 3 hours at 145 degrees F.
5. Preheat the broiler to high and remove the turkey from the hot water. Optional: shock the bag in an ice bath for 10 minutes. Remove turkey from the bag and pat dry.
6. Coat the sous vide cooked turkey with the remaining seasoning paste. Broil the sous vide turkey breast on high for 3 to 8 minutes, until golden brown. Let rest 15 minutes, covered in foil, before serving.
Find more delicious recipes in my sous vide cookbook.
Do you have to cook sous vide turkey to 165 degrees?
I found the discrepancy between general recommended cooking temperatures and sous vide cooking process super confusing when I started. Especially when I was pregnant and trying to follow safe food guidelines.
Cooking sous vide is more like pasteurization.
Since the sous vide bath cooks the turkey for a longer period of time than in the oven, it will be fully cooked at 145 degrees.
Longer cook time = safe at a lower temperature when it comes to sous vide cooking.
With that said, when I first made sous vide turkey at home and was pregnant, I still wanted to get that “safe” 165 degree internal temperature.
This is when sous vide was new to home chefs and I wanted to be 100% safe.
So I would sous vide turkey at 145 degrees, then stick it in the oven at 425 degrees until it reached 165 degrees internally.
But – that’s not needed for this recipe! Sous vide cooking temperatures are different because they cook for a longer period of time.
You haven’t truly mastered sous vide cooking until you try this recipe for asparagus sous vide
What should sous vide turkey breast look like?
Like most proteins, sous vide turkey looks funny when it comes out of the sous vide bag.
The reason is that the turkey is cooked, but it hasn’t had the element of high heat to brown the outside.
When cooking turkey breast bone in with skin, you want the outside to take on a golden-brown color so you’ll broil the turkey in the oven on a baking sheet after the sous vide bath.
It does not necessarily have to be even, but the entire turkey skin should be colored.
The inside should be entirely white to ensure that your breast is fully cooked.
Looking for a new sous vide dish to try? Check out my butter poached sous vide asparagus.
Can turkey and vegetables sous vide at the same time?
Sous vide Brussels sprouts are a great side dish for this sous vide recipe.
But it’s important to note that vegetables and proteins cook at different times in the sous vide bath.
So you’ll want to sous vide the Brussels sprouts in advance, refrigerate them, then finish them in the broiler when the turkey is ready to be broiled.
What if my turkey is dry?
We’ve all been there!
I think everyone has a fear at sometime that cooking turkey at home will turn out dry.
In theory, cooking turkey breast sous vide style should almost guarantee that it does not come out dry, since it can’t overcook in the sous vide bath.
Only broil it for the recommended amount of time in the oven after so it retains all the moisture and flavor.
See how to enhance a turkey gravy packet…
If you’re also a fan of dark turkey meat, check out this recipe for sous vide turkey legs.
Check out my new cookbook – The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook. It’s packed with 100+ recipes to inspire any level sous vide enthusiast.
For a sneak peak of recipes in the book, see my long-cook sous vide brisket, super juicy bone in steak sous vide, and tips on how long to sous vide frozen steak.
The Perfect Sous Vide Setup
Set yourself up for success with essential sous vide equipment…
Get a copy of my sous vide cookbook with 100+ delicious dishes.
Try a new sous vide recipe…
Get better at sous vide cooking…
I’m here to help you put together delicious meals, right at home. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments.
Follow for new recipes on Instagram and subscribe to the SipBiteGo on YouTube.
Chat soon – Jenna
See more sous vide recipes…
Sous Vide Turkey Breast Bone In Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 4 lb skin-on turkey breast bone-in
- 2 tsp garlic salt dried
- 1 tsp black pepper fresh cracked
- 1 tsp rosemary fresh diced
- 1 tsp thyme fresh diced
- 3 tbsp ghee substitute butter
- 1 tbsp shallots diced
- ½ medium lemon slices, seeds removed
Instructions
- Preheat sous vide machine to 145 degrees F.
- Make a paste of garlic salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, ghee, and shallots. Season the outside of the turkey breast by rubbing it with half of the paste. Set aside the rest in the fridge for the broil-finish step.
- Add the turkey breast to a sous vide bag with lemon slices and vacuum-seal the bag.
- Sous vide turkey breast for 3 hours at 145 degrees F.
- Preheat the broiler to high and remove the turkey from the hot water. Optional: shock the bag in an ice bath for 10 minutes. Remove turkey from the bag and pat dry.
- Coat the sous vide cooked turkey with the remaining seasoning paste. Broil the sous vide turkey breast on high for 3 to 8 minutes, until golden brown. Let rest 15 minutes, covered in foil, before serving.
Notes
- Estimate 1-2 pounds of turkey per person.
- If you’re doubling this recipe to make two turkey breasts, seal each one in a separate vacuum sealed bag.
- These sous vide Brussels sprouts are a great side dish for this sous vide recipe, but it’s important to note that vegetables and proteins cook at different times in the sous vide bath, so you’ll want to sous vide the Brussels sprouts in advance, refrigerate them, then finish them in the broiler when the turkey is ready to be broiled.
- Store leftover turkey for up to four days in the fridge.
Sandy says
I don’t usually respond but had to try something with your recipe. Don’t know how it will turn out but instead of butter or ghee , I using bacon fat🤪. Figured it would have to be good. Will let you know.
John says
You mentioned shallots in the ingredients but never mentioned them in the instructions. Am I missing something?
Jenna Passaro says
Hi John, add it to the paste with spices in the beginning.
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Great suggestions in this recipe! I love turkey but NEVER had made it sous vide before trying this! Cooking it via sous vide is definitely a great idea for smaller portions. The turkey is simply amazing this way!
Amber says
This is amazing and tender and moist! I like to cook turkey year round so will def be trying this recipe again soon.
Amanda says
I have never tried to sous vide before but this looks so amazing. That turkey looks so moist!
Kileen says
This sounds absolutely delicious! My family would love this recipe, I need to make it sometime!!
Kileen
Amber S Battishill says
Mmmm, thank you for this recipe it turned out so delicious and juicy!
Cookilicious says
Nice! I will share this recipe with my neighbor..she was looking for a turkey recipe!
Natalie says
Looks so delicious and healthy! I love the use of sous vide!
Emily says
I love love love my sous vide, but I’ve never used it to cook fowl before. I will definitely give this recipe a try.
Judith Pernica says
BEST turkey breast I have ever eaten …. bar none! I had a 4 lb bone in breast that I cooked for 3 hours at 145. I did need to put it in the oven for 15 minutes to get it to the safe 165F temp, but did not need to put it under the broiler. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Honestly the moistest, tenderest, turkey ever. Will leave it in the water bath a little longer to save the oven time.
Jenna @ sipbitego.com says
Judith, I’m SO THRILLED your turkey turned out amazing!! If you happened to take any pics please tag me on Instagram @sipbitego! I’d love to see!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I’ve heard that using a sous vide gives great results. No dry food in sight.
Tayler Ross says
This looks like the absolute perfect turkey breast! I can’t wait to try it!
Mary says
I haven’t done much with sous vide, but this looks great!
Tracy says
This step by step is PERFECT for me. I need lots of instruction. How does this change with turkey breasts without bones? That’s why we have at home right now and I want to try this!
Terry says
You say to measure the internal temp of the turkey after removing from the sous vide bath for a temp of 165. There is no way the turkey will ever measure 165 if it was cooked sous vide at 145. Please explain what you meant.
Kim says
If you want to know, cooking sous vide turkey to 165 isn’t needed – the whole point of sous Vide is precision if you cook it at 145 it’s never going to come out at 165.
Mirlene says
The breast look great. So many great flavors. Can’t wait to try or.
Danielle says
I have never tried this way of cooking, but I have heard such great things about it.