Spicy brined turkey breast from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking (page 346) by Samin Nosrat

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Accompaniments: Basic salsa verde; Fried sage salsa verde; Indian coconut-cilantro chutney; Classic sandwich mayo; Garlic mayonnaise (Aïoli); Herb mayonnaise; Pepper mayonnaise (Rouille)

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    See recipe for variation.

  • ab_anm13i on March 01, 2026

    I upped the pepper/spice after reading reviews. Based on my results, I can't imagine the straight method having a hint of spice. Having said that, the brine was perfect for my heritage boneless turkey breast. It was savory, juicy and did not make it past dinner to leftover sandwich territory. Will definitely make again!

  • jhavens on January 09, 2026

    I love turkey and this is delicious. I have forgotten both times how long I cooked it for the previous year. I was a little confused at how short the instructions said. I think it took close to 1.5 hours in all this time. For this recipe I imagine a thermometer which can just be left in the turkey the whole time would be really helpful.

  • peaceoutdesign on May 02, 2025

    I had this dinner all planned out, and who would think that there wasn't a turkey breast to be found in town? I did a whole chicken instead and then cooked it beer-can style. So I guess this is really a review of the brine. I really rinsed the chicken prior to cooking and let it come to room temperature on the counter. It was perfect, not too salty and lots of flavor, and the best thing, VERY moist. I didn't notice a lot of spice, though.

  • amandabeck on November 24, 2023

    Made for a small Thanksgiving -- delicious, timing was spot on, and can't wait to use leftovers for sandwiches!

  • SpatulaCity on June 15, 2023

    So bummed that I didn’t know Samin used Diamond Kosher salt. I used Morton kosher salt and the resulting turkey breast was so salty that it almost tasted cured. Brined for 24 hours. Hopefully shouldn’t be too bad if I serve it on a sandwich or salad and avoid adding any additional seasoning. Going to try next time with half the salt.

  • Frenchfoodie on March 20, 2020

    This is so good! My half breast made for a half recipe which was still so juicy and tender. Not spicy at all.

  • janeh9 on August 31, 2019

    Moist and delicious! Brined for about 12 hours. I added two turkey legs to the brine, moved all to a small roasting pan after initial stove top cooking. I was skeptical about the amount of pepper flakes called for, but the brine is perfect! P.S. Got the boneless turkey breast at Trader Joe’s.

  • Tweedles81 on April 02, 2019

    I was hoping to use this for sandwiches as Samin suggested, but my family loved it so much that they didn’t leave me with any leftovers from our dinner! I had to deviate from the recipe a little. I used a bone-in skin-on breast, which took about 5-10 minutes longer to cook. I also only brined the turkey for 5 hours, because I didn’t have more time. The turkey was still super moist and flavorful (and not too spicy as I feared) so I didn’t feel that I missed anything. I will definitely make this again, but will try to find a boneless breast as Samin suggested.

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