I'm not sure how it is almost Thanksgiving already, but it seems like the end of the year is just zooming by. On the stroke of midnight on Halloween it seemed that Trader Joe's made the transition from pumpkin to turkey to now aisles of just holiday items. And at my store, you aren't quite sure if it is going to be Thanksgiving or they are just diving straight into the winter holidays.
Taste and review
This is one of a few turkey options you have if you are going to Trader Joe's. By tomorrow, the whole turkeys will be on shelves, or at least that is what the sign says in my store.
But a whole turkey is a lot for my household. Fortunately, we do have seasonal options this time of year ranging from the Turkey-less roast, to drumsticks, to Turkey and Stuffing En Croute to this bag of half a turkey breast.
This turkey item is also fully cooked and just requires heating and some basic knife skills. And yes, please allot the 40 minutes to heat this back up. I wasn't willing to test a poultry item in the microwave to save some time.
For me and my household, we don't necessarily celebrate Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving. My husband is a first responder so holidays are bit more nebulous in terms of when we actually get to celebrate them.
But we are happy to sit down to a turkey dinner without having to get up at the crack of dawn to start the roast when we finally do get a chance and have dinner together.
This is a completely different product than that was offered back in 2016. The turkey I last reviewed was actually boneless. This was bone in.
To me, the bones are there mostly to weigh the scales down. There really wasn't much here to make a broth out out of. It can be done, but you won't have a ton of broth.
But in the end, the most important item of note is that what came out of this bag was pretty good.
Despite need for some modest knife skills, this product dealt with one important issue when preparing turkey: it was moist. Very moist. The garlic herb butter added a nice flavor and there was more than enough liquid in this bag to baste it and make a gravy. It was good warm. It was enjoyable on a salad.
Overall
It was nicely seasoned, had a good amount of liquid, and the dreaded dry turkey taste was nowhere to be found.
For $6.99 per pound, it is a bit pricier than buying whole, but they are taking care of the work for you. If I had to complain about anything it would be the interior bag (yes, there are 2 bags used for this product) seemed a bit leaky. Nothing bad. Most of these bags are priced at about $20 in total (give or take a few bucks). Worth it in my opinion.
Would I buy this again? Yup, I just picked up my second bag. I wished more of these well-done seasonal items were on shelves longer.
Product photos
The bag of Trader Joe's Brined Bone-In Half Turkey Breast:
Calories
Ingredients
Directions
The recipe on the bag:
Out of the package you get:
After being cooked you get:
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The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Brined Bone In Half Turkey Breast
Product Name: Trader Joe's Brined Bone In Half Turkey Breast
Product Description: A fully cooked half turkey breast with herb butter
Price: $6.99 per pound
Summary
A fully cooked turkey breast complete with bones is ready to go and be placed on the table in less than an hour.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- People who are concerned with the environment might question the necessity of needing two bags of plastic for the one turkey breast.
- Ready in less than an hour
- Good flavor
- Turkey that is anything but dry
Cons
- My interior bag seemed a bit leaky
- Took almost as long to heat up in the oven as the Turkey and Stuffing En Croute
- There is a premium price attached to this fully cooked turkey breast
Jess says
Hi Amber - any thoughts on if this could be cooked in an Instant Pot (either slow cook or pressure cooked). Since its already "cooked" i'm curious about how long i'd cook something "cooked" in there, so was wondering if you had any advice!
becomebetty says
Hi Jess! Since Instant Pot isn't my specialty, may I suggest this site to help guide you. She put together a pretty thorough guide on reheating food in the instant pot: https://traditionalcookingschool.com/food-preparation/reheat-food-instant-pot-aw047/
I hope that helps!
Jill S says
How many people does this serve?
becomebetty says
Hey Jill! Because this is bone in and the size varies a good rule of thumb is 1 lb per person. I have a 3 lb portion in my refrigerator. By the time I remove the bones, that will likely work out to about 3 servings. I hope that helps!
Haley says
Hi Amber!
Do you know how long this item will stay fresh in the fridge prior to being opened/cooked? I am thinking about purchasing today for this Thursday (Thanksgiving) but want to make sure it will stay fresh!
Haley says
Sorry - Brenda! Not Amber.
becomebetty says
Hi Haley! It's sealed in a sous vide bag. In other words, the bag it is sealed in is vacuum sealed so no air will get into it (yes it's a bag in a bag) So if you purchase it today you'll have no problems for Thanksgiving. I hope that helps!
Micaela says
Do you have to thaw this first?
becomebetty says
This should be sold in the refrigerated case. So no thawing should be necessary. Was yours frozen?
LMP says
This is a brilliant product for busy with sides, etc. Just 2 of us here and perfect size for dinner and leftovers OR main serving for 4 easily. Very tasty.
Marcia Miller says
“Cook until turkey is warm” What interior temperature would this be, and for how long? The directions imply that another 12 minutes after the turkey is warm, but I’d like to know the entire timing after one removes the foil. Any advice?
becomebetty says
I'd look for an internal temperature of 130F.
Claire says
Hoping it's not too late for advice on this - purchased this early for Thanksgiving (2 weeks out), so definitely have to freeze it. Have you/anyone had any luck with freezing this particular item? Really hoping it will still taste good.
becomebetty says
It should be ok as its fully cooked. However freezing something that already cooked can alter the texture.
linda says
i froze mine what to do
becomebetty says
You can try to reheat it. The item was fully cooked so it just might be a bit tougher.