Deep-Fried Turkey Breast

This Thanksgiving cooking trend has sparked many people’s curiosities and appetites since the practice of deep-frying whole turkeys in large pots of oil was exposed in the 1970s. It’s a trend that continues today, and turkey fryer kits are widely available in stores, as well as seasonings, injectors and marinades. Deep frying a whole turkey is still a little daunting to some, though, and requires special equipment and a lot of oil. By deep frying only the breast, it’s possible to partake in this Thanksgiving craze, and the delicious end result is a much simpler and safer method.

You will need a cast-iron Dutch oven, a cast-iron or heavy-bottom pan for deep frying, a deep-fry or candy thermometer and an internal probe thermometer. If you want to inject the breast with seasoning, you will also need an injector, which is just a big syringe that you can order at most online cooking or outdoors stores.

Ingredients:

• Boneless turkey breast, 3 to 3 1/2 pounds
• Good quality salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Canola or peanut oil
• For the marinade/injection:
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons adobo seasoning

Directions:

1. Season the turkey breast with salt and pepper. Mix the marinade ingredients and inject the breast at several different angles. It may leak a little, but that’s OK. Set aside.
2. Heat enough oil in the Dutch oven or pan so that the breast will be mostly covered. I usually just eye it, but you can also measure the exact amount of oil you will need by placing the breast in the pan before you season it and slowly adding water to where it covers the breast by a couple of inches. You can measure this amount of water and that’s how much oil you will need. If you do this, you will need to remove the breast and dry it completely before seasoning.
3. Heat the oil to 350 to 375 degrees. I like to start out at 375 and then regulate the temperature to keep it at around 350 when frying. When the oil is ready, pat dry the breast with a paper towel. Using tongs, gently lower the breast into the pan. The temperature may drop a little, so just keep an eye on your thermometer.
4. Fry the turkey breast until you have an internal temp of 165 to 170 degrees. You can also time the fry by going with 4 minutes per pound of breast, which will be about 15 to 20 minutes. Another good indicator of doneness is that the turkey breast will become “light” and float to the surface of the hot oil. It will also be a beautiful golden brown if the temperature is maintained in the 350-degree range.
5. When done, remove and let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with all the fixings for Thanksgiving dinner, or any time of year for any occasion, and enjoy.