We need to spice up a precooked turkey breast? Yes, and I have the most delicious recipe for you!
Pre-cooked turkeys are the saviors of new cooks during holidays or feasts with a smaller number of guests. When you cook for only a handful of people, roasting a whole big turkey seems too over-the-top. You can impress your guests with pre-cooked turkeys with minimum cooking time and hassle.
I’ve bought pre-cooked turkeys on several occasions, and they always turn out amazing, both hot and cold.
Oven-baking them gives you a fancy smell all around the house on holidays without much work. Keep in mind to roast them at least 325 degrees Fahrenheit; otherwise, they will just dry out.
Many people think they don’t like turkeys when in reality, they just haven’t eaten one that was cooked perfectly, as it should be. Most home cooks overcook them into a dry mess.
Do I need to spice up a precooked turkey breast?
Pre-cooked turkeys are already seasoned, smoked, cured, and ready to eat. However, some people find pre-cooked turkeys a little raw-looking as well as undercooked in texture, so they prefer to roast them.
Glazed hams and turkeys are especially guilty of looking pale and raw-like, and they can be turned into golden-brown, caramelized turkeys.
Placing them in the oven at 375-400 degrees Fahrenheit will do the trick.
Roasting bags can help you seal in the moisture as well.
By baking them in a roasting pan, you can enrich the flavors by adding some broth, beer, or gravy with herbs to it. You can also rub them well with spices and make a glaze around them.
How to spice up a precooked turkey breast? The perfect seasoning!
Turkey goes well with dozens of herbs and spices. You can go all wild with it! The classic oven-roasted turkey recipes call for:
- Broth;
- Gravy;
- Thyme;
- Sage;
- Rosemary;
- Bay leaf and pepper.
Besides rubbing them on the turkey, you can roast it in a shallow baking pan filled with broth and spices, covered in foil. Later on, you can take off the foil and roast it.
Basting the meat continuously while roasting enhances the flavors. Add a balance of savory, tangy, umami, and sweet flavors to complete the taste.
Normally, you spice the turkey before cooking it while still raw. But adding a glaze usually happens later in the cooking process, so you should do that with pre-cooked turkeys. Cover all of the turkeys evenly.
And remember that pre-cooked turkeys have been seasoned with salt beforehand.
What are the best seasonings I can use?
Besides the classic thyme, sage, and rosemary holy triangle, you can use a myriad of seasonings to enrich your pre-cooked turkey. Adding water to the baking pan is a missed opportunity to infuse the bird with other flavors.
Instead of water, add aromatic ingredients like broth, wine, beer, spirits, juices, and herbs.
Besides the basting liquid, you should also rub the bird with seasoning. Nutmeg, peppers, smoked paprika, garlic powder, maple syrup, chili, and honey are all perfect for the job.
Keep basting the turkey while oven-roasting every 15-20 minutes with the juices in the baking pan. Add a batch of tangy flavors like a tbsp of vinegar or citrusy zest. A caramelizing agent like syrup or honey creates a golden brown outer layer that is rich-tasting and crisps the skin.
Spice Up a Precooked Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- Prepackaged Jennie-o Turkey breast
- ½ cup Broth
- ½ cup Dark beer
- 5 tbsp Maple syrup
- Ground nutmeg
- Zest of half a lime
- Chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Take out the precooked turkey from the wrapping.
- Place the turkey in a baking pan. Pour some broth and beer into the pan.
- Rub the turkey all over with maple syrup, the prepackaged gravy that came with it, ground nutmeg, and a squeeze of lime zest. You can also add some chili if you love spicy meals.
- Oven-bake the turkey for 10 minutes per pound.
- The internal temperature must be at least 135°F to be safe for eating, but I suggest it’s better to reach 165 degrees.
- The meat juices should be clear when it’s done.
- Slice the turkey with a serrated knife and serve it.
Notes
Should I spice up first?
You should always add the spices first and glaze the turkey once it’s cooked for a while. Glaze won’t stick to cold turkey. Before spicing up the turkey, you have to pat it dry. You can marinate the meat in a roasting bag or an oven dish.
Add some pepper, salt, garlic, lemon, and butter or olive oil for a mild-tasting turkey. Rub it all in with your fingers.
Start by covering the turkey with foil and removing it for the last 30 minutes of the roasting time. The skin will get crispy and caramelized this way. Starting with roasting foil-covered, the turkey will retain most of the moisture.
Final words
Roasted turkey is a great low-calorie meal that is healthy as well. They are great for parties, holidays, lunches, and inners. It can be incorporated into many different meals, like sandwiches, pizzas, pasta, and tortillas. They are mouthwatering!
If you’re cooking a turkey from the freezer, you should thaw it first slowly in the fridge overnight. For a 5-pound turkey, you need around 20 hours to completely thaw.
Sometimes life happens, and you forget to thaw the frozen pre-cooked turkey in time. You still have options to be ready with the meal in time. You can thaw the meat in water, needing 30 minutes per pound.
Another possibility is to thaw it in the microwave, but only right before oven-baking. After microwave-thawing the turkey, never refrigerate or freeze it again. If everything else fails, and you have no extra time for thawing, you can cook the frozen meat, but count with 50% more oven-baking time.
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