Recipe: Sous Vide Wild Turkey Breast

by
posted on December 5, 2020
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
recipe-sous-vide-wild-turkey-breat_lead.jpg

From the time the Pilgrims settled in North America, wild turkey dinner became synonymous with Thanksgiving. A wild turkey can be challenging to cook in a way that it remains tender and moist. A lean gobbler can cook up dry if not handled correctly.

Using an immersion circulator is a great way to ensure a wild turkey breast is tender and succulent. Sous vide is not a new style of cooking. It uses regulated water temperature to cook your food in a water bath at a consistent temperature. Using a vacuum or chamber sealer is ideal for preparing your turkey for its bath. Browning the meat before vacuum sealing adds an extra layer of flavor maintained through the cooking process. Fresh herbs, lemon and cranberries are a natural accompaniment.

Sous Vide Wild Turkey Breast with Lemon, Rosemary and Cranberries, sealed for cooking

Get creative and try doing two turkey breasts at the same time with different spices, fruit or herbs.

Ingredients
• 1 wild turkey breast
• ½ cup butter 
• 2 Tbsp poultry seasoning
• ½ cup fresh/frozen cranberries 
• ½ lemon
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary

Sous Vide wild turkey breast sliced for serving


Directions

1. Rub one tablespoon of turkey breast into each side of the turkey breast.

2. Melt the butter in a cast-iron frying pan. When it starts to brown, place the turkey breast in the center of the pan. Brown for 2-3 minutes on each side. Cut one slice of the lemon and set aside, then juice the remaining lemon over the turkey in the pan. Keep in mind you do not want to cook the turkey at this stage, only brown the outside.

3. Using a set of tongs to avoid puncturing the meat, place the turkey in a sealer bag. Pour the melted butter from the pan into the bag, add the cranberries, the slice of lemon, and the rosemary. Seal the bag.

4. Turn on the immersion circulator to 147°F and set the cooking time for 6 hours 30 minutes. When the time has elapsed, remove the bag from the circulator and the turkey breast from the bag. The butter, cranberry, rosemary and lemon broth can be saved to garnish the bird once sliced. 

For more delicious wild-game recipes, click here.

Latest

Duck Taco Lede
Duck Taco Lede

Recipe: Sticky Mango Duck Tacos

Game Girl Gourmet's Chef Holly Hearn whips up some sticky mango duck tacos, a perfect flavor for the end of summer.

New for 2025: Fiocchi Arkansas Steel

Fiocchi has introduced Arkansas Steel, a waterfowl hunting shotshell engineered for duck and goose hunters.

#SundayGunday: Moultrie Edge 3 Cellular Trail Camera

On this week's #SundayGunday, Editor in Chief Scott Olmsted chats with Moultrie's Mark Olis about the company's new Edge 3 trail camera.

Michigan and Idaho Harness Game Camera Technology

Information gathered by hunters using today’s generation of game cameras can improve the odds of success on opening day, but state conservation departments are also adopting the technology to get a better glimpse of tough-to-count wildlife populations. Biologists in Michigan and Idaho are among the latest to join that growing list.

Leupold Announces Winners of ‘Project Hunt’ 2025

Leupold is pleased to announce the winners of its 2025 Project Hunt contest.

Hardware Review: TriStar Raptor II

There are few more utilitarian tools than a good, affordable shotgun. TriStar Arms is one of the leaders in producing firearms that fit into this category, and for 2025 the company released an update to its acclaimed Raptor semi-auto.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.