Instant Pot Turkey Breast
This super quick and easy Instant Pot Turkey Breast recipe is moist and tender and comes with the BEST gravy!
This super quick and easy Instant Pot Turkey Breast recipe is moist and tender and comes with the BEST gravy!
- Carbohydrate 20.718516993729 g
- Cholesterol 122.12 mg
- Fat 54.1759450350413 g
- Fiber 3.7244393050098 g
- Protein 3.97109324208986 g
- Saturated Fat 30.4267074240497 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1908g)
- Sodium 11.0334796595298 mg
- Sugar 16.9940776887192 g
- Trans Fat 3.60409736056888 g
- Calories 566 calories
Step-by-step
- Gather all ingredients.
- Mix the garlic powder, salt, black pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning, and thyme in a small bowl.
- Rub the turkey breast with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then coat all sides evenly with the spice mixture.
- Select the Sauté function on the Instant Pot and add the remaining olive oil and butter.
- Sear the turkey breast on all sides until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, then remove and set aside.
- Pour the chicken broth into the Instant Pot and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Place the trivet inside the Instant Pot and put the seared turkey breast on top of the trivet.
- Secure the lid, turn the pressure valve to the Sealing position, and cook on Manual/Pressure Cook on High for 35 minutes.
- Allow a 10-minute natural release, then quick-release the remaining pressure.
- Remove the turkey breast, let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and optionally use the remaining liquid and flour to make gravy.
Golden-brown skin yields easily to the knife, releasing aromatic steam infused with thyme, garlic, and paprika while keeping the interior dense with natural juices. Cooking poultry under high pressure forces moisture toward the center of the meat, counteracting the natural tendency of lean white protein to dry out during traditional roasting. Searing the exterior in a blend of olive oil and unsalted butter creates the Maillard reaction necessary for deep savory notes before the pressure cycle begins.
Adjusting the fat components requires careful calculation regarding smoke points and moisture retention. Substituting the unsalted butter with an equal volume of neutral vegetable oil changes the richness of the resulting pan juices, though it raises the smoke point during the initial sear. Swapping the chicken broth for low-sodium vegetable stock alters the sodium balance significantly, requiring an additional quarter teaspoon of salt to match the baseline seasoning profile. When all-purpose flour is unavailable for thickening the gravy at the end, cornstarch slurry serves as a direct replacement at half the volume, yielding a glossy finish without requiring butterfat.
Assessing doneness without a digital probe requires observing the clarity of the juices escaping the thickest portion when pierced with a paring knife. Clear running liquid indicates the proteins have fully coagulated, whereas pink tinges demand an additional three minutes of pressure. Allowing the meat to rest for ten minutes post-cooking redistributes internal moisture back toward the outer edges.
