Turkey confit with olive oil is amazing. We will show you How to Cook a Butterball Turkey Breast low and slow in the oven. Or use legs and thighs to come out delicious and tender this way too.
Slow cooking turkey breast is the best way to cook it so the insides stay as tender and juicy as possible while the skin absorbs as much flavor as possible. We will share with you How to Make Garlic Oil first and use that to cook your proteins in = amazing flavors. (affiliate links present)
What is Turkey Confit?
This cooking method with turkey legs or other pieces cooks in a casserole dish or cast iron pan slowly in its some sort of fat. This results in incredibly tender and flavorful bite of meat. The word confit is a traditional French technique, typically used with duck, but it can be adapted for any meat.
You can follow these instructions to cook all sorts of other foods slowly in duck fat or olive oil too. Made at the same time as our Easy Tomato Confit Recipe, this is a nice side served together to add tons of flavor, or served on bruschetta as an appetizer before the main meal.
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Turkey Breast Confit Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 340 degrees F. Place garlic, herbs and oil in a pan.
- Bring to a boil and cook the garlic in the oil over very low heat for about 20 minutes.
- Throw cloves away when done, strained from the oil.
- Allow infused oil to cool over medium heat for at least 30 minutes.
- Rub the breast on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Place in a roasting pan and pour the room temperature garlic oil over it.
- Cover the baking dish with foil or a lid.
- Bake for 40 minutes, then another 20 minutes without foil.
- Serve with Confit Garlic Mashed Potatoes!
Ingredients
- Boneless turkey breast was used here
- Salt and pepper
- Thyme
- Rosemary or bay leaves
- Whole cloves of garlic peeled to infuse the oil, or could use Onion Confit
- Olive oil
Can you confit turkey with olive oil?
Absolutely you can. We have done this to make our Confit Potatoes without duck fat as well and it is a great alternative that is easier to find and less expensive. I do suggest infusing with garlic, onions and/or fresh herbs before slow roasting in it to add a lot more flavor to your dish but any liquid fat will work to confit vegetables and meats.
What Temperature do you Confit?
Typically 200F – 300F degrees for a very long period of time is what is used. For thicker meats I do prefer a bit higher than this at 325 or 340 to get the perfect texture on the inside while still getting a bit of a crispy skin at the end by removing the foil.
What is the best meat for confit?
Chicken, turkey and Confit Pork is delicious. For all of these I do suggest boneless for the heat to permeate all the way thru easier. Keep the skin on even if you don’t want to eat it at the end to trap in more moisture and flavor while it is baking in the dish.
This isn’t necessary unless it is a thick piece of meat that takes a long time for the center to get to a safe temperature. In this case, cover for 3/4 of the baking time and then remove near the end for a bit of crisp. For tomatoes, potatoes and garlic that isn’t necessary and actually is better left uncovered.
Turkey Confit
Equipment
- 1 casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1 turkey breast
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- 1/3 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp rosemary
- 20 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 c olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 340 F. Place garlic, dried herbs and olive oil in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook the garlic in the oil over very low heat for about 20 minutes. This way the garlic will give all its flavor to the oil, but cloves will become fried, so you will need to throw those away when done.
- Allow garlic infused oil to cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Rub the turkey breast on all sides with salt and pepper. Place the turkey in a roasting pan and pour the cooled garlic oil over it.
- Cover the baking dish with foil or a lid. Bake for 40 minutes, then another 20 minutes without foil. Slice and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My family loves this turket confit recipe, easy and delicious, thanks for sharing.
Love this Breast of Turkey Confit Recipe, great for dinner, my family loves turkey, and I will make this recipe for dinner soon. Thanks for sharing 🙂