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    YOU ARE HERE: Home » Recipes » Chicken and Turkey

    By Carol · Published: Nov 11, 2021 · Modified: Nov 11, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

    Easy Turkey Brine Recipe

    Jump to Recipe
    5 from 2 votes
    15 minutes

    This easy turkey brine recipe of salt, sugar and fresh herbs is super simple and versatile–you can also use it with pork or chicken. It’s perfectly scaled for a turkey breast or two but can be easily adapted to a whole turkey. Best of all, with this recipe, you won’t be throwing a lot of extra ingredients away because each ingredient serves a real purpose. Read on for lots more brining tips!

    Turkey breast half in Easy Turkey Brine in stainless steel bowl.

    Why This Recipe is a Keeper!

    Because my personal chef clients entrust me with their money, I need to be extremely conscious of wasting ingredients.

    Many brine recipes involve a lot of extra spices and aromatics like onions, carrots, garlic and fruit such as citrus. According to Serious Eats, those extra ingredients make your brine smell good but do little to flavor the meat past the skin. In a brine solution, it’s the salt that does all the work. All those other ingredients that don’t have much impact on flavor to begin with will just get thrown away in the end.

    This easy turkey brine recipe has added flavor with fresh herbs but dried herbs may also be used making this easy turkey brine recipe very economical.

    This easy brine recipe can also be used for pork or chicken and it’s scaled perfectly for one or two turkey breasts but can be doubled or tripled for a large turkey.

    How to Make an Easy Turkey Brine:

    Recipe Ingredients:

    Here’s everything you’ll need to make this brine recipe along with how to prep. See the recipe card below for the exact quantities.

    Ingredients for Easy Turkey Brine.

    Ingredient Notes:

    • Hot Tap Water: If you can get your tap water hot enough, there’s no need to boil your brine. When I’m at the home of one of my personal chef clients, I don’t have a lot of time so boiling water then cooling it with ice cubes they may not have or I would have to purchase is out of the question. >>You should never pour hot brine over a raw turkey because it promotes bacteria growth and you can start to “cook” the turkey.
    • Sugar: I use regular granulated sugar because it’s inexpensive but you could also use light brown sugar, turbinado or coconut sugar.
    • Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is ideal in brines because it’s generally very pure and does not have any additives–nutritional or otherwise. Regular table salt often has iodine and sea salt is more expensive. The added iodine is not a big deal but keep in mind table salt has smaller granules/crystals so it’s a good idea to use ⅓ less.
    • Black Peppercorns and Fresh Herbs: According to the Serious Eats argument that aromatics do little to impact the flavor of the meat, they do help flavor the skin. Therefore, a few aromatics if you still have them in your herb garden or don’t mind purchasing them do serve a purpose.

    Step-by-Step Instructions:

    • Start with hot tap water. Run your faucet until the water gets as hot as it will get, then measure out 8 cups into a large bowl. 8 cups is also 2 quarts, 4 pints or ½ gallon.
    Water in stainless steel bowl.
    • Add the salt and sugar. (The water will be very cloudy.)
    Sugar and salt added to hot water in stainless steel bowl.
    • Then just start whisking!
    • Keep whisking until the water clears and the salt and sugar have dissolved.
    Hand whisking brine in stainless steel bowl.
    Hand whisking brine in stainless steel bowl.
    • Before adding the herbs and black peppercorns, grab your rolling pin and vigorously crush them to release their flavor. They should become very aromatic.
    Rosemary, thyme, sage and black peppercorns on wood cutting board.
    Herbs being crushed with rolling pin on wood cutting board.
    • Toss the herbs and peppercorns into the brine solution.
    Easy Turkey Brine in stainless steel bowl.
    • Slip the turkey breast into the brine and refrigerate covered or uncovered for up to 4 hours. An average boneless turkey breast half will be between two and three pounds. The general rule of thumb for how long to brine a turkey depends on the weight but it’s generally one hour per pound. I usually go a little longer on a breast because white meat can be SOOO dry.
    Turkey breast half in Easy Turkey Brine in stainless steel bowl.
    • That’s it! Simply blot the turkey breast dry before cooking it or storing it.
    • If you want crispy skin, let the turkey breast sit in the refrigerator uncovered overnight.

    More chef brining tips and tricks:

    • Plastic containers with a cover that you can find in the home storage area of most home improvement or department stores such as Target or Walmart are great for brining whole turkeys. They may even fit in your dishwasher to clean and sanitize them when you’re done brining.
    • Avoid using a cooler to brine a whole turkey unless you are SURE you can keep the temperature at a safe temperature BELOW 41 degrees. The danger zone for bacterial growth is between 41 and 135 degrees.
    Turkey breast half in Easy Turkey Brine in stainless steel bowl.

    Frequently Asked Questions:

    Why brine a turkey?

    Because turkey is so lean, it needs some help to keep it from drying out. Brining a turkey is a simple process that helps it stay juicy and moist.

    Scientifically, a low-concentration salt solution increases protein solubility triggering its ability to become altered. The brine helps dissolve some of the muscle fibers, which helps to reduce the toughness of the meat. During brining, the moisture is slowly drawn into the protein. After brining, the turkey starts out with more liquid than when it started so the end result is more juicy and moist.

    Because the turkey absorbs some of the salt, brining also works to deeply season it.

    IMPORTANT! Make sure that the turkey you’re using has not already been injected with brine or other flavoring solution.

    What’s the difference between a marinade and a brine?

    Brining is meant for moisture while a marinade is meant for flavor. Marinades generally contain an acid while salt does all the work in a brine.

    Why does brine contain sugar?

    Sugar does not do a lot to flavor the meat but it does promote better browning of the skin.

    How long should I brine a turkey?

    The general rule of thumb for how long to brine a turkey depends on the weight but it’s generally one hour per pound. Therefore, a 12-pound turkey would need 12 hours. An 18-pound turkey would need 18 hours, etc.

    Can I use dried herbs instead?

    Yes. You can use dried herbs but if using dried, you’ll need to apply some heat to get their flavoring ability started. Place them in a cup of water in a small saucepan on the stove and bring it to a boil. Alternatively, place in some water and heat in the microwave.

    What is the right salt-to-water ratio for brine?

    Generally, you want 4 tablespoons of salt (¼ cup) for each quart (4 cups) of water.

    Try this brine with these turkey recipes!

    • Roast Turkey Breast with Traditional Stuffing
    • Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Turkey Breast with Garlic Herb Sauce
    • Turkey Scallopini in Sherry Cream Sauce with Mushrooms and Artichokes
    • Pecan-Crusted Turkey Cutlets with Red Onion Marmalade

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    Turkey breast half in Easy Turkey Brine in stainless steel bowl.

    Easy Turkey Brine Recipe

    5 from 2 votes
    By: Carol | From A Chef’s Kitchen
    This easy turkey brine recipe of salt, sugar and fresh herbs is super simple and versatile–you can also use it with pork or chicken. It's the perfect amount for a turkey but it's easily adaptable to a whole turkey. Best of all with this recipe, you won't be throwing a lot of extra ingredients away because each ingredient serves a real purpose.
    PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Chicken and Turkey
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6
    Calories 422 kcal

    Equipment

    • Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
    • Whisk
    • Cutting Board
    • Rolling Pin

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 cups hot tap water - (½ gallon)
    • ½ cup kosher salt
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
    • 1 small bunch fresh thyme sprigs
    • 1 small bunch fresh rosemary sprigs
    • 1 sprig fresh sage leaves
    • 1 (2-3 pound) boneless turkey breast half

    Instructions
     

    • Run the tap to get the water as hot as it will get. Measure 8 cups into a stainless steel bowl.
    • Add the kosher salt and granulated sugar and whisk until the salt and sugar have dissolved and the water clears.
    • Place the herb sprigs and peppercorns on a cutting board and crush them with a rolling pin until they're well-bruised and fragrant. Add to the water.
    • Slip the turkey breast into the brine and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
    • Pat dry to cook or pat dry and place in the refrigerator uncovered overnight to dry out the skin then proceed with your recipe.

    Notes

    SUBSTITUTION:  You can use dried herbs but if using dried, you’ll need to apply some heat to get their flavoring ability started. Place them in a cup of water in a small saucepan on the stove and bring it to a boil. Alternatively, place in some water and heat in the microwave.
    The general rule of thumb for how long to brine a turkey depends on the weight but it’s generally one hour per pound. Therefore, a 12-pound turkey would need 12 hours. An 18-pound turkey would need 18 hours, etc.
    This recipe is easily doubled or tripled.  Keep in mind the ratio of salt to the water.  Generally, you want 4 tablespoons of salt (¼ cup) for each quart (4 cups) of water.
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 | Calories: 422kcal | Carbohydrates: 108g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 56686mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 100g | Vitamin A: 362IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 169mg | Iron: 3mg

    These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

    Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment, star rating or post your photo on Instagram and tag @fromachefskitchen.
    « 25 Brussels Sprouts Recipes that Rock!
    Roast Turkey Breast with Traditional Stuffing »
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    Comments

    1. Diana says

      January 14, 2022 at 7:53 pm

      5 stars
      This is the best brine recipe! I did add a few lemon peels using a vegetable peeler, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly as written! I’ll definitely be using this recipe again!

      Reply
      • Carol says

        January 15, 2022 at 8:08 am

        Hi, Diana, Thanks so much and so glad this worked out for you! I really feel simple is the way to go since the salt really does all the work, but if you found an enhancement that you like and that worked for you, no problem in that. Thanks again!

        Reply
    2. Melissa says

      December 30, 2021 at 1:42 pm

      The doubling feature does not work. What changes do I make to double the recipe? I have a 4.5 lb breast.

      Reply
      • Carol says

        December 30, 2021 at 2:46 pm

        Hi, Melissa, So sorry about that; I’m looking into the issue. The recipe as published should be adequate for that size turkey breast. Place the whole breast in the brine upside down so the bone side is up. Adjust the brining time as needed. Thanks again!

        Reply

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