This Dutch oven turkey breast recipe makes the most delicious Thanksgiving meal for a smaller gathering. The breast is cooked with apples, and it's served in a creamy sauce.
If cooking a whole turkey for Thanksgiving dinner is too much for you, here is an easy and incredibly flavorful alternative: cook aย Dutch oven turkey breastย on the stove; this easy recipe is perfect for the holiday feast and makes an amazing main dish for a Sunday dinner, actually.
But if you still want to have a whole bird, check out this Dutch Oven Turkey recipe; it's easy and delicious! Or make this incredibly Juicy Honey-Baked Turkey Breast.
Ingredients: 8 + oil, salt & pepper | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Servings: 6 | Difficulty: Easy
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Why should you use a Dutch oven for this recipe?
- Juicy turkey breast meat is ready in about 1 hour and is full of flavor. This allows more time to spend on side dishes, appetizers, or some really great desserts. ย
- Sauce included. No need for extra stuffing or for making a sauce from scratch using the turkey giblets or similar. Just the moist turkey breast, some white wine, onions and apples, and a little bit of cream at the end.
- Cheaper:ย It is much cheaper to buy one part of a bird than an entire turkey. The rest of the ingredients are also very cheap.
Why not try the no canned soup green bean casserole, these puff pastry pesto nibbles, or these cheese caraway crackers? The oven will be empty anyway, so you can use it for baking side dishes or appetizers. And for dessert, a double chocolate cheesecake or a lemon meringue pie?
Recipe ingredients
- Turkey:ย You will need a boneless, skinless turkey breast of about 1 kg/ 2.2 lbs.ย If you like turkey breast, check out the Boneless Skinless Turkey Breast in the Oven, the Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Breast, or the Slow-Roasted Turkey Breast.
- Apples: I used two sorts of apples: Granny Smith and Jonagold. After trying both, I recommend Granny Smith because they hold their shape much better.
- Wine:ย Semi-sweet white wine. If you don't want to use wine, you can substitute it with low-sodium chicken stock or turkey broth.
- Spices:ย Cinnamon and sugar; it might sound unusual, but it really works; you will love the flavor. You will also need curry powder, fine sea salt, and ground black pepper.
- Heavy cream for the sauce and a bit of olive oil for searing the meat.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to cook turkey breast in the Dutch oven?
- Season and sear the breast for about 3 minutes per side. If the breast is rather higher than flat, it will have more than only two sides to brown; I had to turn mine on four sides.
- Add the chopped onions and quartered applesย during the last 3 minutes of the browning time. Add white wineย and stir slightly.
- Simmer: Place the lid on the Dutch oven, turn the heat down to medium-low, and braise for 1 hour, turning 2 times in between.
Checkย the internal temperature using anย instant-read meat thermometer. It should be 165ยฐF/ 75ยฐC. If the breast is rather flat, check after about 50 minutes of cooking time.
- Rest loosely covered with foil while you finish the sauce.
- Pour the heavy creamย into the pot and let it bubble until slightly thickened. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
Food safety
- Thaw safely: Thaw frozen turkey breast in the refrigerator; never thaw at room temperature.
- Avoid cross-contamination: Keep raw turkey separate from other foods, utensils, and surfaces to prevent the spread of bacteria.
- Cook to a safe temperature: Cook the turkey breast to an internal temperature of 165ยฐF/74ยฐC to kill harmful bacteria like Salmonella.
- Properly store leftovers: Refrigerate or freeze leftover turkey within two hours of cooking to prevent bacterial growth.
Recipe FAQs
No. According to USDA (link opens in a new tab), washing poultry will only spread the bacteria in your sink and working surfaces. Only heat will destroy the bacteria anyway.
You can season the turkey breast one day ahead, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it until ready to cook.
I prefer to remove it for this recipe; you will not miss it at all. Thanks to the cooking method, the breast will remain juicy even when cooked without the skin on.
How to store and reheat?
Refrigerate Dutch oven turkey breast leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Leftover turkey breast slices can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and reheat before serving.
You can freeze the sauce, but the apples might not hold their shape well when you thaw it. To still enjoy the sauce, just blend it after defrosting it.
Reheat gently on the stovetop or microwave before serving. Add a splash of milk to loosen the sauce, stir the sauce, spoon it over the meat, and flip the turkey breast slices halfway through.
What to serve with it?
- Serve the Dutch oven turkey breast with the sauce and the apples. ย
- The recipe goes very well with rice, potatoes, noodles, or any of your favorite side dishes. Semmelknรถdel or other dumplings are a great idea, too; they are perfect for this homemade gravy.
Do you like this recipe?
Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Don't forget to tag #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!Recipe
Dutch Oven Turkey Breast
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs turkey breast boneless, skinless
- ยฝ teaspoon curry powder Note 1
- โ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 crisp sweet-tart apples Note 2
- 1 medium onion
- 1 cup semi-sweet white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Season: Pat dry the turkey breast with kitchen paper. Mix the curry, cinnamon, sugar, ยพ fine sea salt, and ยฝ teaspoon ground black pepper. Rub the turkey breast with this mixture. 2.5 lbs turkey breast + ยฝ teaspoon curry powder + โ teaspoon cinnamon + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Brown: Heat a little oil in the Dutch oven and brown the turkey breast on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. If the turkey breast is rather higher than flat, it will have more than only two sides to brown.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the chopped onions and quartered apples during the last 3 minutes of the browning time. Add the white wine and stir slightly around the turkey breast.1 medium onion + 2 crisp sweet-tart apples + 1 cup semi-sweet white wine
- Braise: Place the lid on and braise the turkey on medium low heat for 1 hour, turning the breast twice in between.
- Check the internal temperature after about 50 minutes if the turkey breast is relatively flat. To ensure that the turkey breast is cooked through (even a thicker one should be done after one hour), check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer. The temperature should be 165ยฐF/ 74ยฐC.
- Rest: Remove the turkey breast from the pot, cover it loosely with aluminum foil and let rest while you make the sauce.
- Make the gravy: Pour the heavy cream into the pot and let bubble until slightly thickened. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.1 cup heavy cream + fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Notes
- Spices: I used an aromatic yellow curry powder, which was not hot. If using hotter curry powder, please adjust the amount according to your taste. Alternatively, use your favorite dry rub for poultry or another spice mixture. Although, I must say again, that the combination of apples, cinnamon and a bit of curry is amazing!
- Apples: Granny Smith are a great choice; they keep their shape very well.
bill says
did I miss the temperature of the oven in the article??????
Adina says
Hi Bill. This turkey breast is cooked on the stovetop, not in the oven.
Vanessa says
I was excited to try cooking my turkey breast on the cooktop in order to free up space in the oven for all my sides. Just made this for our Thanksgiving dinner and I was blown away. Iโll only be cooking turkey in my Staub Dutch oven from now on. Note: I didnโt use the prescribed seasoning, mostly just the method. Also I did salt brine for 24 hours prior to cooking. I seasoned with sage, thyme, rosemary, and pepper (not the seasoning listed in the recipe ). I used a Gala apple since that is what I had on hand and my slices were fully intact even after stirring in cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Hands down the best turkey Iโve ever had. Ever. My split fresh turkey breast was 3.5 pounds and after browning, I cooked for about an hour and 20 minutes then let rest for 15 minutes before plating. Sauce was outstanding.
Joseph says
Hi
I am an American living in Japan and turkey is non existent here but Iโm able to order a frozen turkey breast from America. We donโt have Ovens here in Japan but we do have Dutch ovens mine is a Le Cruesant French Dutch oven so I followed your recipe .
The apples all melted and didnโt hold their form but it was still a very decent meal and the fact that I could actually eat Turkey in japan was almost unbelievable..
we served it with rice ( my wife is Japanese ) And we enjoyed it very much.
Julia says
Iโd love advice on the presence of sugar in the spice list. I found it burned easily when I was searing the breast. Any tips?
Adina says
Hi Julia. Turning the breast more often should help.
Linda says
What oven temp do you use to cook a turkey breast!
Adina says
@Linda, Hi Linda. I've never cooked this recipe in the oven, you can try it at about 180-200 degrees Celsius/ 360-400 degrees Fahrenheit and check if the turkey breast is done with a meat thermometer.
David Grote says
Just a follow up--I used the recipe to cook a 6 pound breast. Per Adina's suggestion, I doubled the wine, apples, spices, etc. It took 1 hour and 45 minutes before the temp got to 165. I suspected the apples would be sauce if they cooked that long so I put half of the apples in for the duration and the other half for the last 30 minutes only. Everyone was raving. Best turkey ever.
Adina says
Hi David. I am so happy to read your comment. Thank you very much for the follow up, it is always important to me to know how a recipe works for other people as well. ๐
Kris says
This was a tasty recipe, but it will not look anything like the pictures. The apples do not keep their form being cooked for that long. They became a part of the sauce. No slices.
Also, it appears that the pictures show parsley, but that is not called out in the recipe at all. I also found it surprising when going through the directions that onions is called out. An onion is not on the ingredient list. Luckily I caught that before starting and I was able to get an onion. I found myself guessing on what to get. I think a medium yellow onion worked out well.
This is a recipe that I will use again. Thank you Adina.
Adina says
Thank you for the feedback, Kris, I am happy it worked for you. When it comes to apples it depends very much on the sort of apples you have. They have to be really crisp ones. I cooked this recipe with different sorts of apples over the years and I can say that the kind really matters. I find Granny Smith to be able to hold their shape. As for the parsley, I often forget to list it because is more part of the decoration than of the recipe. For taste purposes, it won't make a difference, but you will be surprised how much it makes for the eyes, for instance, see the picture with or without the parsley.
David Grote says
If my turkey breast is 6 lbs does the recipe still work? Should I triple the amount of wine and apples etc.?
Adina says
Hi David. It will still work, but you will have to check the internal temperature with a thermometer to see when the turkey is cooked. I would only double the rest, triple just seems too much, the recipe has a generous amount of sauce as it is.
Dawn Marie says
Did I miss how many onions to use?
Adina says
Hi Dawn. One medium. I added.
Dawn Marie says
You rock! As does this recipe. Thank you!! โกโกโก
Mark Sullivan says
Help / how long do I cook a 7 lb Turkey breast on a Dutch oven ???
Adina says
Hi. The best thing is to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer.
Pam says
Can i do this in the oven instead on top of the stove?
Adina says
Hi Pam, I can't really say, I have only ever cooked this recipe on the stove. Merry Christmas!
tanzeela fawad says
This combination is irresistible! What a delicious idea!!.....it looks so yummy!!...and the picture is so great and presentative!.
angiesrecipes says
The star here is definitely that sauce with apples. So yummy!