Buttermilk Marinated Turkey Breast

For Thanksgiving this year I decided to try something new with one of my turkey breast.  I decided last year to roast two turkey breast instead of cooking a whole turkey.  No-one that eats with us likes the legs, meat wise it probably is the same so why not.  That just means there is more leftover turkey for sandwiches.  So since I was making two I didn't want both to be the same.  Last year I tried brining a turkey and it was good.  I wasn't sold on the idea of brining again so when I saw a marinated turkey recipe I thought I would give it a try.

Here are my two turkey breast when they were removed form the oven.  The one of the left was the buttermilk marinated and the one on the right I slathered it in citrus butter inside the skin and outside.

I ended up not using the pot but a 2 gallon zip lock back to marinate.  Next year I need to buy some brine bags for this.

I used the pot to mix up my marinade.  3 cups buttermilk

1 Tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning.

Whisk it well.

I put the turkey in the bag and poured the marinade on top.

The recipe suggested putting it in a dish incase it leaked a little bit.  Place in the fridge for 8-12 hours.  I put mine in the fridge a little bit before bedtime.

Next morning I set it out of the fridge for a little bit before putting it in the oven.

Pull him out of the bag.

Dry him off with a paper towel.  You don't want to wash him off because you want the seasonings to be there.

Drizzle a little olive oil on the outside of the skin.

Salt and pepper and place in a preheated 350 oven.  I cooked mine in a turkey bag and I followed the recommendations as for length of time to cook.  I cooked mine for about 2 1/4 hours.

After they come out of the oven let them sit for a little while before cooking.

This turkey I mixed up one stick softened butter with the zest of one lemon and one orange.  Mix the butter well and then using my fingers gently pull the skin away from the breast and put some of the butter under there.  Then put some butter on the outside of the skin.  Then I sliced the lemon and orange and put the pieces inside the cavity.

Both turkeys were really good but when you got them on the plate you could tell which was which.  Buttermilk is a good thing to marinate poultry in so I think it did make it more tender.

Buttermilk Marinated Turkey Breast Recipe

1 turkey breast either with or without the bones
3 cups buttermilk or enough to cover well
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
olive oil