Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast

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In a partnership with Ninja® Foodi™ Deluxe Pressure Cooker. Learn how to cook turkey breast and brown gravy in a pressure cooker. This pressure cooker turkey breast is so moist and tender. The meat is seasoned perfectly with herbs and so juicy! It’s absolutely delicious and incredibly easy to make.  No brining and no basting needed!  

Today, I am going to share this wonderful turkey recipe. This pressure cooker turkey breast is the ultimate recipe for your stress-free Thanksgiving. It will save you time and energy, without sacrificing the taste! This is the easiest way to cook turkey breast on a busy Thanksgiving day!

This pressure cooker turkey breast is cooked with Ninja® Foodi™ Deluxe Pressure Cooker but also works with any other pressure cooker you may have in your kitchen. A great pressure cooker to speed up your meal making, slow cook to multi-task, sear and sauté ingredients to build flavor, and create endless recipes.

Now, let’s talk about the ingredients and how to cook the turkey breast on a pressure cooker.

Turkey

In this recipe, I used a small boneless turkey breast. It only weighs in at about 3 pounds.

Turkey breast is a perfect choice if your family prefers to eat white meat. This part of the turkey cooks faster than dark meat. In addition, turkey breast makes perfect leftovers for your lunch sandwiches or soup. 

A three-pound turkey breast should be enough to feed up to 4 people (2 adults and 2 kids).  I used a boneless turkey breast because that’s the only option available in my area when looking to feed a family of my size, but feel free to use a turkey breast with bone-in as an alternative. 

Check out these holiday side dish recipes:

• BUTTERNUT SQUASH GRATIN
• CAULIFLOWER STUFFING (LOW CARB AND HERBY)
• PRESSURE COOKER PUMPKIN SOUP

Generally, a 3-pound turkey breast that is boneless will take approximately 1-3/4 hours to 2 hours cooking time in the oven at 325F. Cooking it in a pressure cooker, however, will only require about 6-8 minutes per pound depending on the thickness! In this case, I ended up cooking this turkey breast for 20 minutes at high pressure and 5 minutes of natural release.

Always stay safe: per USDA recommended: A food thermometer should be used to ensure a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F has been reached to destroy bacteria and prevent foodborne illness.

Prepping a Turkey Breast for Pressure Cooking: 

As part of the preparations, I thawed the turkey breast in the fridge for about 1 day. Generally, after thawed, turkey breast can be kept in the refrigerator for several days before cooking.

Bringing Flavor to the Bird:

To add fall flavor to the turkey breast, I used a generous amount of herbs to season the meat and especially the turkey skin. I also used fresh vegetables like onion and garlic to make the brown gravy, which also helped when steaming during high-pressure cooking.  The steam will help release moisture, which will add flavor and aroma to your turkey.

Herbs: 

I used a combination of sage, thyme, rosemary, and paprika. I also used a small amount of dried mustard. 

Cooking Turkey Breast in a Pressure Cooker:

To make this delicious turkey breast, I used The Ninja® Foodi™ Deluxe Pressure Cooker.  This deluxe pressure cooker has a capacity of 8-quarts, letting you cook 2x the protein of other pressure cookers, and allowing you to pressure cook frozen meats while using the crisping lid to finish the dish. 

This pressure cooker is beyond amazing.  It’s a big timesaver that helped me create a holiday dish at a fraction of the time. It makes cooking easier than ever and is the perfect appliance for the holiday season (where many a turkey will be cooked!). 

Check out these delicious side dish recipes:

• SUMMER SQUASH CASSEROLE – CHEESY AND HEALTHY
• ELOTES MEXICANOS – MEXICAN CORN SALAD
• EASY KETO CREAMED SPINACH – SO CHEESY!
• SKILLET FRIED CORN – BUTTERY!

With the Ninja Foodi Deluxe Pressure Cooker, I don’t need to sear the turkey breast prior to cooking at high pressure, saving me a big step. After cooking at high pressure, I can air fry the meat in the same pot to crisp the skin! There is no need to transfer the turkey breast into the oven.

This pressure cooker does it all! The final result? We enjoyed this juicy and moist turkey breast with a perfectly browned and crispy skin outside. It was fantastic, my husband actually called his parents right away to tell them they had to try it out for themselves. 

A Deluxe Pressure Cooker:

After using the Ninja® Foodi™ Deluxe Pressure Cooker for a bigger meal like this, my mind is now racing as this opens up so many opportunities

I’ve had scenarios in the past with other pressure cookers that were smaller and I’d have to break things out into 2 batches, so having this deluxe size will really help with my stress levels, especially when cooking for a bigger group. 

My husband likes to have his fantasy football crowd over on Sundays to watch the games and this will be perfect for entertaining them (as buddies usually bring extra buddies), and a pressure cooker and game day dishes go hand-in-hand. It also opens up the ability to cook some dishes that I previously couldn’t cook at all with my smaller pressure cooker. 

The tender-crisp technology is outstanding, from my Asian cuisine to Italian to classic American, I’m always on the hunt for that perfect crispy taste.   

Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast

The turkey meat is seasoned perfectly with herbs and so juicy! It’s absolutely delicious and incredibly easy to make.  No brining and no basting needed!  

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Author: Rika Livingston

Ingredients

• 3 pounds turkey breast (boneless, skin in, thawed)

Dry Rub:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• ⅛ tsp ground mustard
• ½ tsp dried rosemary
• ½ tsp dried sage
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

For Brown Gravy:

• 1 medium onion (sliced)
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
• ½ cup dry white wine (Or skip this and use regular broth instead)
• 1 cup broth (chicken or turkey broth) (divided)
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 sprig thyme
• 4 sage leaves
• 4 tbsp all-purpose flour

To Crisp the Skin:

• a small amount of canola oil or cooking spray (for crisping the skin)
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine the garlic, sage, thyme, rosemary, mustard, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a seasoning paste.
• Rub the turkey breast with the paste and spread it evenly under the skin. Set aside.
• Select SEAR/SAUTÉ and set to MED-HI then melt 2 tbsp of butter. Cook the onion just until tender. Then add ½ cup of white wine, ½ cup of broth, and herbs. Press "Keep Warm".
• Place the trivet (or Cook & Crisp^™ Basket Ninja Foodi) to the pressure cooker, then add turkey, skin side up.
• Assemble pressure lid, making sure the pressure release valve is in the SEAL position. Select PRESSURE and set to high (HI). Set time to 20 minutes and select START/STOP to begin. Allow pressure to natural release for 5 minutes, move the pressure release valve to the VENT position. Carefully remove lid when the unit has finished releasing pressure. (see notes)

To Crisp the Skin (Please see notes):

• Brush chicken with canola oil or spray with cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper.
• Close crisping lid. Select AIR CRISP, set temperature to 400°F, and set time to 8 minutes. Select START/STOP to begin. Cook until the desired level of crispness is reached, adding up to 10 additional minutes.
• Let the turkey breast rest for 5–10 minutes. Cooking is complete when the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Transfer to a plate or platter.

To Make Gravy:

• Add ½ cup of broth and stir. Strain the drippings into a bowl and set aside.
• Select the normal/medium sauté setting on a pressure cooker. Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in the pot, then add the flour. Cook the butter and flour mixture, constantly stirring, for 2 minutes. Gradually add the strained dripping and continue cooking, frequently stirring, until the gravy is thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste if necessary.

Notes

1. For safety reasons, turkey should register at least 165ºF on an instant-read thermometer. If not, cook for 5 minutes more under HIGH pressure, then quick release again.
2. For non-Ninja Foodi pressure cooker, to crisp the skin you can transfer the turkey from the pressure cooker into a roasting pan. Place on the mid oven shelf and broil for about 5 minutes or more or until the skin is crispy. Be sure to keep an eye on it to prevent burning. 
3. If the gravy is too thick to your liking, simply add warm broth and stir to combine.

 

 

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