I’ve got turkey on the brain with Thanksgiving fast approaching and I wanted to do a post that used turkey. But if you’re like me, you don’t have 15 people around to help me eat an entire roasted turkey. So instead, why not make an Herb Infused Turkey Breast?
This recipe for Herb Infused Turkey Breast is cooked using the Ninja Cooking System, I thought it was a fantastic alternative for a smaller Thanksgiving. If you don’t have a Ninja Cooking System, you can still make this recipe; you’ll just need a saute pan that is also oven safe.
Ingredients (get all ingredients here):
- 1 5-6 pound turkey breast
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch disks
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 ribs celery, cut into ½ inch slices
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 lemon, juiced
As a side note, I am madly in love with the Ninja Cooking System. It is a slow cooker, stovetop, and oven all in one little contraption. I would have LOVED to have one of these in college. So expect this little guy to show up in a lot of future posts.
Instructions:
Before beginning, prepare your ingredients by chopping your veggies.
To begin cooking, set the cooking system to “stovetop high” and preheat for 5 minutes. (If using a normal pan, heat over high for five minutes. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.) Season the turkey with salt and pepper. Next, add the turkey breast to the cooking system/pan and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. When it is brown, remove the turkey and set aside.
Next, add the carrots, onions, and celery to your cooking system, or to your oven safe pan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until soft, about 10 minutes.
Follow by adding the chicken broth, thyme and rosemary sprigs, and squeeze the lemon juice over the turkey.
You can optionally add in the rack that comes with the cooking system and place the turkey on top, skin side up. Or you can just place the turkey into the cooking system/pan.
Cover and set to 375 degrees and cook for 1 hour. (Or, if using a normal pot cover, and add to the preheated stove for 1 hour.)
After 1 hour, remove turkey, and let sit for 5 minutes. Once it has rested, slice the turkey breast, and serve with vegetables and jus.
What a simple recipe! Having the chicken broth kept the turkey oh so tender and moist. The herbs were really nice, but I wish there was an herb rub as well (maybe with dried rosemary and thyme?)
This is a healthier alternative to a traditional turkey (no butter or olive oil, which you can definitely use to saute the veggies and turkey if you want), but I actually like it more for it’s size. Using the Ninja Cooking System also frees up your oven and stovetop for all the delicious Thanksgiving sides!
Herb Infused Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 5-6 pound turkey breast
- 3 carrots peeled and cut into ½ inch disks
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 2 ribs celery cut into ½ inch slices
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 lemon juiced
Instructions
- Chop your veggies.
- To make, set the cooking system to “stovetop high” and preheat for 5 minutes. (If using a normal pan, heat over high for five minutes. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees)
- Add the turkey breast to the pot along with the carrots, onions, and celery.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Brown the turkey on all sides, about 10 minutes on each side. Stir the vegetables occasionally.
- Add the chicken broth, thyme and rosemary sprigs, and squeeze the lemon juice over the turkey. (To make it easier, I tied the rosemary and thyme together with some twine so I could remove them at the end of cooking).
- Cover and set to 375 degrees and cook for 1 hour. (If using a normal pot cover, add to the preheated stove for 1 hour.
- Remove turkey, slice breast and serve with vegetables and jus.
Thanks for the recipe! I made this tonight. I am loving this slow cooker as well. Gonna try some baby back ribs in it tomorrow.
Is one hour truly enough time for 5-6 pound turkey breast with steam cooking in the Ninja? Thanks, recipe looks great just want to be sure to time this to dinner hour!
Christine,
Yep! It took about an hour and 15 minutes total to prep, sear, and then cook the turkey. Pretty awesome, right? 🙂
Kaitlin @ I Can Cook That recently posted..Sesame Salmon with Green Onions and Lemon
Is 5-6 lbs the biggest turkey breast you can cook in the ninja? I have a 9lb turkey breast.
Hi Paulla,
As long as it can fit in the Ninja (and I think it should), you can cook it. You’ll just have to adjust the time it cooks — probably closer to 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Awesome,thanks so much! Getting started now!
Why are u preheating in stovetop position on ninja then to oven? Clarify. Would just the steam part be good with same ingredients?
Pam,
You are preheating it so that it is hot before you put the turkey in. This will allow for a nice sear on the turkey.
I personally prefer my meat to be seared when cooking versus steaming it which would not produce that browning. I also am guessing that steaming it would be a slightly longer process to make sure the turkey is fully cooked.
I hope this helps!
Thanks for this recipe. I have several turkey breasts in the freezer that I would love to cook, but have not due to the heat of the deep south and the oven. Now with my Ninja, I’ll be able to do it without all the heat. Have you tried a ham? I know most hams just need to be heating through, unless using a fresh ham (I have a great bourbon recipe for that), but the Ninja seems like it would do a great job at infusing the ham/turkey with great flavors. Mine hasn’t arrived from QVC yet, but I’m ready to roll when it does!
I hope you like your Ninja as much as I do Dena! It’s a great tool in both the summer and winter. I haven’t tried a ham but I’m sure it would work beautifully. I love the Ninja because you can do everything in the one pot: sear the meat, slow cook, AND bake!
thankyou – i am doing a 3 lb turkey breast as i do not have a big family and only a few of us eat turkey – after browning do u put the breast on the rack or just leave in the pot
I want to try this recipe in 2 days for Thanksgiving. HELP! Best to use the rack after browning or just set in Ninja w/ other ingredients?
Sorry for the delay! I did not put it on the rack, I just set it in with the other ingredients. If you’ve tried it with the rack, let me know how that works as well!
Kaitlin @ I Can Cook That recently posted..Citrus-Poached Salmon with Mustard Sauce
Angela and Sheri,
Sorry for the delay! I did not put it on the rack, I just set it in with the other ingredients. If you’ve tried it with the rack, let me know how that works as well!
Kaitlin @ I Can Cook That recently posted..Citrus-Poached Salmon with Mustard Sauce
Hi Kaitlin,
Did you use regular, reduced sodium, or sodium free chicken broth? I just got the Ninja cooking system and your recipe looks fantastic!! Also, in regards to browning the turkey – For every 10 minutes, you changed the side to brown until all sides are browned?
Amber recently posted..Holiday Nut Crunch Bark #GoNutsForNuts
Hi Amber!
I hope you like the Ninja as much as I do! I still use it constantly; I actually made ribs in it this weekend!
I typically use reduced sodium or sodium-free chicken broth so that I can season the meal to my liking (you need some salt for flavor, but it’s nice to have control over how much!)
I actually only browned the turkey breast on two sides, so 20 minutes total to brown it. I left it on the one side for 10 minutes, flipped, and waiting another 10 before adding in the broth. While the turkey is browning, you don’t want to move it around too much so that it gets that nice sear, but don’t forget to stir the veggies a bit around the turkey so they don’t burn.
If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Thanks Kaitlin!! One more question, did you need to use a non-stick spray?
Amber recently posted..Holiday Nut Crunch Bark #GoNutsForNuts
I didn’t use any spray or olive oil, but you can if you want to! The Ninja has a non-stick surface so you probably won’t need it.
Kaitlin @ I Can Cook That recently posted..Winter Risotto with Farro and Arborio Rice
Can you brown the breast before adding veggies. Also with 4 lb breast should I cut down cook time to 45 min
Hi Nancy!
Yes, you can brown the turkey prior to adding the vegetables and reserve it as you cook the vegetables. I suggest using a thermometer and cooking the turkey breast to 160 degrees F — it will continue cooking once you remove it and it is resting.
Best,
Kaitlin