Instant Pot Turkey Breast With Gravy

"Don't want to spend hours cooking a big turkey for just a few people? Try this delicious and moist turkey recipe all done in an Instant Pot!"
 
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photo by Jonathan Melendez photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Jonathan Melendez photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Jonathan Melendez photo by Jonathan Melendez
Ready In:
1hr 10mins
Ingredients:
19
Serves:
4-6
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ingredients

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directions

  • In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper and spices until evenly combined. Pat the turkey breasts dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides of each turkey breast with the seasoning mix and massage it inches.
  • Press the sauté function on a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot. Once hot, add the olive oil and brown the turkey breasts for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, working with one at a time. Transfer the turkey onto a plate.
  • Turn the machine off and add in the chicken or turkey stock, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom. Carefully place the wire steaming trivet on the bottom of the pot. Cut the onions, celery and carrots into large pieces and place them on the rack in an even layer. Nestle in the browned turkey breasts into the Instant Pot, you might have to stand them up to make them fit. Place the thyme and rosemary sprigs on top and then lock on the lid. Set the valve to seal and then pressure cook on high for 45 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release until the lid unlocks. Do not rush the release or else the turkey will dry out.
  • Carefully open the lid and transfer the turkey breasts onto a baking sheet, skin side up. If you want to crisp up the skin, you can place them under the broiler to brown them, but that’s optional. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm while you make the gravy.
  • Remove the steaming trivet and then carefully strain the stock into a large bowl through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the onions, carrots and celery. Set the bowl back into the Instant Pot and wipe it clean with a paper towel. Press the sauté function on medium and then add the butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds or so. Then whisk in the strained stock and cook until the gravy has thickened. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and the Worcestershire sauce. To serve, slice the turkey and pour the gravy over the top. Garnish with parsley.

Questions & Replies

  1. Could this be made with two boneless turkey breasts or one boneless turkey breast cut in half?
     
  2. Can this recipe be converted to a 3qt insta-pot?
     
  3. Is the turkey really moist? That's why I usually only eat thighs. Can't stand dry, chewy white meat. :P
     
  4. Are any of these Thanksgiving recipes adaptable to a 3 quart hotpot?
     
  5. Is this 1 whole breast split into 2 halves? Because it looks like 1 split breast!
     
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Reviews

  1. The way this recipe is worded ruined my 4.5 pound breast. If you cook it for 45 minutes, it's very dried out. It should have been 25 minutes! I should have checked with the turkey people, Honeysuckle.com as they have the instant pot/pressure cooker times based on weight. It would be nice if this recipe gets a revision for the cooking time. You can't cook a 4 or 6 pound breast for 45 minutes without drying it out.
     
  2. omg!!!!! delicious. served over Japanese white sticky rice.
     
  3. A teaspoon of salt per serving!
     
  4. it seems like for a turkey breast it would be simpler to throw it in the oven. But I'm going to try this in my instant pot
     
  5. Mine was 5.6# whole fresh turkey breast. It unfortunately turned out very dry. As in stringy and crumbly. Disappointed. The 45 min cook time w/natural release is too long. All was not lost as it makes a ton of gravy. So I had rice, turkey, gravy bowls. This is the first recipe that hasn't delivered a moist meat.
     
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Tweaks

  1. just go to KFC instead
     
  2. I haven't tried this but was checking out instant pot recipes (I'm asking Santa for one for Christmas). I saw where you discard the carrots, onions and celery. The recipe sounds great and the directions for the Turkey and gravy seem spot on compared to all the other recipes and videos I've seen. I was thinking that instead of discarding your veggies, chop them up and add them into your favorite stuffing/dressing recipe. It would add incredible flavor and moistness and keep those veggies from being wasted. If I get my wish for Christmas I'm definitely going to try this with some stuffing on the side, some homemade cranberry sauce, some sweet potatoes and dinner rolls.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Jonathan Melendez is a passionate author, food photographer, cook, baker, and recipe developer whose blog, The Candid Appetite, has appeared prominently on such sites as, BonAppetite, People, Cosmopolitan, The Kitchn, Today, The Cooking Channel, Food52 and Joy the Baker. He has created and photographed recipes for Idaho Potato Commission, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, American Butter Institute and Jones Dairy Farm, to name a few. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
 
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