This Miso Braised Turkey recipe is brought to you by the Turkey Farmers of Canada, whom I am honoured to be working with! Check out my other recipes featuring Turkey, here and here.
The beautiful thing about cooking with turkey is the versatility; seriously, turkey can be shape shifted with different seasonings and herbs to create endless flavour profiles.
But there are few best practices when it comes to cooking with turkey.
Cooking Turkey Tip #1
Bone in ALWAYS. Turkey is moist and delicious- almost always- when you cook it with the bone in. Whether you roast ( will be a link to my last turkey post) or cook on the stovetop, bone in turkey will produce a better end result!
Cooking Turkey Tip #2
If you can’t get bone in, fear not, in this instance, you braise. Braising turkey in a creamy substance makes for an effortlessly moist meal. Even with bone-in, a cream braise is a good move. Like in this Miso Braised Turkey Breast recipe, which is an exercise in bone-in, cream based braising.
BUT FIRST...What EXACTLY is braising? Simple, it’s frying- turkey in this case- lightly and then stewing it slowly in a closed container, in a flavourful broth.
The secret to a good braise is to ensure the braising liquid is DEEPLY flavoured, because this is where the battle for flavour is won or lost. The miso in this recipe is THE star flavour, and lends an umami vibe that only miso can deliver; while the coconut milk AND vegetable broth make up the liquid. It’s also worth noting, the idea is NOT to submerge the turkey in the braising liquid, it should reach half way up.
And lastly the garnish. Garnish your Miso Braised Turkey with herbs, and be liberal with seasonality; meaning, garnish with summer herbs in the summer and winter herbs in the winter. I repeat, turkey is as versatile as it gets, have fun with it!
Miso Braised Turkey Breast with Kale Greens
- 1 ½ lb skin-on, bone-in split turkey breasts
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tsp butter
- 2 leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp white miso
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh sage leaves
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 1 large bunch kale greens, center ribs removed, leaves chopped (about 4 cups chopped)
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F.
Pat the turkey completely dry with paper towels. Generously season the meat all over with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add the turkey skin-side down, and sear each side until deeply browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; set aside.
Lower the heat to medium and add the butter and leeks and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they become fragrant and translucent. Stir in the kale leaves, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, and cook until about 1 minute. Add the miso and cook for a minute more.
Add the stock and coconut milk and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Add ½ the amount of sage, and stock to the pot, then bring to a boil. Place the turkey breast skin-side up on top of the greens.
Bake covered for 35 minutes or until the meat is cooked through and registers an internal temperature of 160°F.
Let the braise stand for at least 5 minutes before shredding. Shred the turkey with two forks and serve on a bed of braised kale, garnished with the remaining fresh baby sage leaves sprinkled on top.
NOTE: keep the braising liquid to use in future sauces or braising liquids 😉
- Total Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Cooking Time: 55 minutes
- Serves: 3