Glazed Turkey Breast with Gravy
Recipe by Chef Ludo Lefebvre
Flap your wing buh-bye to dry turkey (every home cook’s worst nightmare)—because our dear friend and superstar chef, Ludo Lefebvre, has the perfect solution. His inventive recipe for boneless turkey breast with a decadent glaze and gravy will impress you and your lucky guests. And it’s basically the most succulent turkey we’ve ever tasted.
Watch Ludo and his son, Luca, as they prepare the meal together.
Ingredients
For brining the turkey:
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 boneless turkey breasts (3 to 4½ lbs each)
For the glaze:
7 heads garlic
6 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil + 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
1 lemon, juiced
½ orange, juiced
¼ cup chicken stock
For the gravy:
4 oz. butter, melted
4 Tbsp flour
3 cups chicken stock
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
1 head garlic, halved
½ orange, juiced
½ lemon, juiced
37.5 ml dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
To brine the turkey:
In a medium saucepan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil with the salt and sugar.
Pour into a large pot and add 2 quarts cold water.
Once the brine is cool, submerge the turkey breasts and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours
To make the glaze:
Heat oven to 375° F.
Wrap the garlic heads, thyme, rosemary with 6 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil in aluminum foil and roast until the garlic is soft, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Leave covered until cool enough to handle, then squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins into a food processor or blender. Add the honey, lemon juice, orange juice, 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, and chicken stock. Purée.
Cover until ready to use.
To cook the turkey:
Pre-heat oven to 250° F.
Remove the breasts from the brine and wrap each one three times in plastic wrap then twice in aluminum foil.
Insert an oven-safe thermometer into the center of one breast and place both on a wire rack in a roasting pan.
Add water to reach to just below the rack. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 135°, 2 to 3 hours.
Near the end of cooking time, fill a large bowl halfway with ice water.
Remove the turkey from oven and raise temperature to 425°.
Without removing thermometer or wrapping, submerge the turkey in the ice bath for 5 minutes.
Remove foil and plastic wrap.
Pat dry and brush glaze liberally on all sides of the breasts. Roast until glaze is golden, 15 to 20 minutes, basting continually.
Sprinkle with fresh thyme and serve.
To make the gravy:
Whisk the flour into the melted butter and cook on low for about 1 minute.
Whisk in chicken stock and add rosemary, thyme, and garlic halves to infuse.
Bring to boil for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
Add orange juice, lemon juice, and white wine and reduce by half.
Strain and add salt and pepper to taste.
