Sweet Tea Brined Turkey Breast uses a sweet tea brine for juicy, tender meat with a hint of sweetness that will redefine your expectations.

Sweet Tea Brine
I love a good dry-brined turkey breast like my Juicy Sliced Turkey Breast and I feel like I perfected turkey with that recipe.
However, when traveling to Nashville, I ate at a restaurant that had Sweet Tea Brined Chicken Thighs that piqued my cook's imagination. And though I found the thighs to be ok, I loved the idea of the sweet tea brine.
So back home, I decided on perfecting a wet brine for a turkey breast to share with you. Turkey is so often saved for the holiday season, but I love cooking one in the roaster oven, even in the summertime.
The roaster oven is a fantastic kitchen tool. It's a relatively inexpensive kitchen tool, provides another oven space, and doesn't heat up the kitchen.
Regardless of when you decide to give this one a try, you will find the meat to be tender and juicy with a little hint of sweetness. Even the leftovers are moist.
Ingredients for Sweet Tea Brined Turkey in a Roaster Oven
- Turkey breast -- bone-in, 6-9 pounds. You can use a whole turkey if you like, but double or triple the brine recipe to cover the turkey.
- Family-size tea bags -- the ones that make a quart each
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher Salt -- using other salts require adjusting the amounts. Just keep it easy and buy Kosher salt
- Butter -- soften on the countertop to make it easy to spread
- Seasonings -- I use garlic powder, Tony Chachere's, black pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Sweet Tea Brined Turkey in a Roaster Oven
- Bring water to a boil. Add the tea bags and allow the tea to seep for a strong tea.
- To the warm tea add sugar and Kosher salt, stir to dissolve.
- Add cold water to cool completely.
- In a large bowl or bucket that will fit in the fridge, place the turkey breast and cover with brine mixture.
- Refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
- Remove the turkey breast from the brine and pat down the turkey breast. Discard the brine.
- Place the turkey inside the electric roaster pan and coat the outside of the turkey with ½ of a stick of butter. Season as desired with garlic powder, black pepper & Tony Chachere's.
- Melt the remaining ½ stick of butter in the microwave. Soak a piece of cheesecloth that will cover your turkey breast. Then drape it across the turkey breast.
- Insert the thermometer into the breast sideways and set the thermometer to go off at 158 degrees F.
- Cook at 325 degrees F in the roaster oven or regular oven until the internal temperature reaches 158 degrees F. Carefully remove the cheesecloth. Repositioning the thermometer stem as needed and reset it for 165 degrees F.
- Continue roasting at 325 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Remove from the roaster oven and rest the turkey breast for 20 to 30 minutes. Slice as desired and serve.
Hint: Be careful when adding additional salt to the turkey breast while seasoning. Remember that the meat is well-salted already. I don't add any to the outside when cooking.
Substitutions & Variations
- Whole Turkey -- Brine a whole turkey by doubling the brining ingredients. Please adjust cooking times accordingly.
- Sweet Tea Brined Chicken -- Brine a whole chicken or your favorite chicken pieces using this technique. Of course, you will need to adjust cooking times.
- Baked Sweet Tea Brined Turkey Breast -- Bake this beautiful turkey uncovered in the oven if you don't have a roaster oven.
Storage
Store cooked turkey for up to 3 to 5 days in an air tight container. Place in a heavy freezer bag for longer storage, up to 3 months.
Top tip
You must have a good meat thermometer to make a good turkey. Guessing on doneness is asking for disappointment. I like the ones you can leave in the meat and have an alarm on them for when the meat reaches internal temperature.
FAQ
The salt in the brine dissolves a bit of the protein in the muscle fibers and allows the meat to absorb the brine and retain moisture during cooking. This makes the poultry juicier, and more tender and improves the flavor.
For this recipe, the answer is no. Just pull it out of the brine and pat it dry with paper towels.
Yes, if not serving the turkey breast right away, leave it on the bone, wrap it well in foil, and refrigerate. Slice when it's still cold, cover it with gravy, and reheat in a 325-degree oven and serve.
Absolutely. Follow the same directions for baking in the oven.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
So many delicious recipes to try:
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Food safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Chuckie says
Fantastic method to ensure a moist turkey! Can't go wrong with this one! Enjoy!
Terry T says
Excellent way to fix turkey a different way
Chuckie says
So glad you enjoyed it! I'm planning on adding it to the turkey feast this holiday season. 🙂