Crock Pot Turkey Breast
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This easy Crock Pot Turkey Breast is juicy, tender, and packed with flavor, making it perfect for Thanksgiving dinner, holiday gatherings, or a smaller family meal. Made with a bone-in turkey breast in the slow cooker, this simple recipe delivers moist, delicious turkey without the time and effort of roasting an entire bird.
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Notes From My Kitchen
If you're looking for a turkey breast crockpot recipe that's juicy and tender, you've come to the right place! The secret is using a bone-in turkey breast for optimum flavor and tenderness.
By using the low and slow method, you'll get moist turkey that melts in your mouth. As an extra plus, the juices make a savory gravy that's packed with seasoning from veggies and fresh herbs.
By using a slow cooker recipe, you'll free up your oven space for other Thanksgiving dishes and favorite sides. Be sure to try my Dutch Oven Turkey Breast recipe if you want to roast a turkey instead.
Ingredients You'll Need
You only need a few ingredients from the grocery store to create a moist and tender turkey breast in the crock pot. See recipe card for quantities.
- 4 to 6 pound turkey breast (bone-in recommended)
- celery ribs, sweet onion, garlic powder, onion powder
- extra virgin olive oil, butter, cornstarch
- poultry seasoning, salt and black pepper
- chicken broth or stock, fresh rosemary sprigs
- fresh cranberries for garnish (optional)
How to Make Crock Pot Turkey Breast
STEP 1 - Chop celery and onions into large pieces and add to the bottom of the slow cooker. Add a few springs of fresh rosemary and a cup of chicken or turkey stock.
STEP 2 - Place turkey on top of veggies. Stuff cavity with onions, celery and rosemary sprigs.
STEP 3 - Rub olive oil over bird. Sprinkle herbs and seasonings over skin until lightly covered. Set crock pot to low setting. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours until it reaches 165 degrees F. It's important to check turkey with a meat thermometer after it's cooked for 5 hours to make sure it is the right temperature. Otherwise, you might end up cooking it too long.
STEP 4 - Check meat with thermometer in the largest part of the breast. It's done when it reaches 165 degrees F.
STEP 5 - Take breast out of crock pot and place in a baking dish. Set broiler on high. Place in oven on lowest rack and broil until skin is golden brown (usually 4 to 5 minutes). Move dish around to broil evenly. Allow meat to rest before carving.
How To Make Turkey Gravy
Making turkey gravy is not hard at all. Remove the breast from the slow cooker and set aside. Strain the juices into a colander over a skillet. There should be about 2 cups of liquid. Bring it to medium heat on the stove.
Make a slurry with cornstarch and water. Add it to the drippings in the skillet and whisk until gravy thickens. If it isn't thick enough, add more cornstarch and water.
Debi's Top Tips
- Invest in a good meat thermometer and use it to ensure the temperature and cook time is correct.
- Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast for an accurate reading.
- Use a 4 to 6 pound bone-in breast for best results. It will yield two whole breasts.
- It's difficult to rub cold butter on a cold turkey. Olive oil is recommended to help the seasonings adhere to the skin. Add pats of butter to the liquid for the gravy.
Recipe FAQ
Use at least a 4 pound bone-in breast, but if your crock pot is larger, you can go up to a 6 pounder. The bird in this post was 5.3 pounds and took 6 hours to cook on low before the internal temperature of the turkey reached 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.
The skin doesn't really crisp, but the poultry seasoning gives it a brown color. To achieve golden crispy skin, take the breast out of the slow cooker and brown it under the oven broiler for a few minutes just before serving.
A bone-in turkey with skin produces a better piece of meat. It's more tender and the consistency of the meat tastes exactly like turkey is supposed to taste. The skin also makes delicious gravy. You can use a boneless turkey breast if desired, but the cooking time and texture will be different.
No, your bird must be completely thawed before putting it in the crock pot. The safest way to thaw out a turkey is in the refrigerator. Put it in a large pan and allow it to thaw at least 2 days. If it's a large breast, it will usually take 3 days to thaw.
What To Serve With Turkey Breast
Recipes like Green Bean Casserole and Southern Corn Pudding are an easy way to make friends and family happy. Other favorite holiday sides include Cranberry Brussels Sprouts and Cranberry Jello Salad.
Our family loves Buttermilk Drop Biscuits to sop up the gravy. And, don't forget to make a Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie for dessert!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave at 15 second intervals or in the oven at 350 degrees by pouring a little chicken broth over the turkey and heating until it is warm throughout.
Freeze sliced turkey in an airtight container or vacuum packed plastic bag for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw out in the refrigerator overnight and reheat meat as directed above.
What to do with Leftover Turkey?
The best part about hosting Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is being able to make leftover turkey sliders and leftover turkey casserole!
Besides turkey sandwiches, there are many ways to incorporate turkey into your daily meals by substituting it for chicken. Add turkey to your favorite pasta dish, or homemade chili. It also tastes amazing chopped up and mixed into a cold salad, or added to cornbread biscuit dressing.
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Recipe Card
Crock Pot Turkey Breast
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 pound turkey breast bone in recommended
- 3 celery ribs quartered
- 1 sweet onion quartered
- 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 cup chicken or turkey stock
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- fresh cranberries for garnish optional
GRAVY
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 Tablespoons water
- 2 cups of pan drippings strained in a colander and added to skillet
Instructions
TURKEY
- Chop celery and onion into large chunks. Add to a 8 quart crock pot with rosemary sprigs and chicken stock. Add a few tablespoons of butter to the stock.
- Place turkey on top of veggies in crock pot. Rub with olive oil. Sprinkle poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper over entire turkey breast.
- Set crock pot on low heat. Cook for 5 to 6 hours on low heat until thermometer registers 165 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer to keep from overcooking the turkey. Check it at 4 hours to see if it is done.
- Remove turkey from slow cooker with tongs or large forks. Transfer to a baking dish.
- Turn the oven broiler on high.
- Place the turkey breast on the lowest rack in the oven and broil until the skin starts to turn golden brown and crispy. Move the dish around (with pot holders) to even up the browning. It should take a total of 5 minutes maximum. Watch it carefully because it can burn!
- Let turkey rest before carving. Carve as desired and serve with piping hot gravy.
GRAVY
- Use a colander to strain the liquid from the veggies in the baking pan. Place at least 2 cups of liquid into a skillet and turn the heat to medium.
- Mix cornstarch and equal parts of water together to make a slurry. Add it to the skillet and whisk until gravy thickens.
- If the gravy doesn't thicken enough, add more cornstarch slurry and continue to whisk until it is the right consistency.
- Serve hot gravy over turkey and cornbread dressing.
Notes
- Make sure the breast is completely thawed out in the refrigerator at least 2 days before using. The refrigerator is the safest way to thaw out meat.
- Use a 4 to 6 pound breast for best results with this recipe.
- It's difficult to rub butter on a cold turkey. That's why olive oil is recommended to help the seasonings adhere to the skin.
- It's not necessary to brine the breast before cooking, but you can if you wish.
- Cooking a turkey breast in a crock pot does not produce crispy skin. The best way to do that is to broil it in the oven after it has been cooked.
- Low and slow is the best method for cooking a turkey breast in the slow cooker. Use a thermometer to make sure you don't overcook the turkey. It is done when it reaches 165 degrees F, so check often to make sure it doesn't become tough.
- Do not be tempted to set the temperature on high or medium. This can affect the tenderness of the turkey.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
What an incredible and unique way to make a turkey. Was super easy and loved the flavors! Perfect for Thanksgiving or any time of year!
Thanks Jessica! I'm so glad you liked this recipe!
I was thinking about making a turkey breast for Thanksgiving this year and your recipe popped up. Does it get more tender if you cook it longer in the crock pot?
Yes, I think cooking it at least 8 hours makes a big difference in tenderness.