This slow cooker turkey breast is such a great way to have a delicious, juicy turkey breast without worrying about a whole turkey cooking in the oven. Great for a smaller group, or when you need the oven space for other things.
My husband usually makes our turkey dinners in the smoker, because it’s delicious, but also because I’m way too intimidated to cook a whole turkey in the oven myself. But cooking a turkey breast in the slow cooker? I can totally handle that! And you can too. It only takes a few minutes of prep work, and then in just a few hours you’ll have a super tender, moist, and juicy turkey! For an extra crispy turkey breast, try Air Fried Turkey Breast.
The smaller turkey breast meat is a great option when you have a smaller group to cook for and don’t want pounds of extra turkey meat. My kid’s perfect Thanksgiving dinner would be this turkey breast, rolls, and smoked mac and cheese.
How to make Slow Cooker Turkey Breast Gravy?
After the turkey is done cooking in the slow cooker, you can use the juices to make a delicious turkey gravy. Strain the liquid from the bottom of the crockpot. Set it aside.
Add 1/4 cup of butter to the bottom of a large sauce pan. Melt the butter over medium high heat. Then whisk in an equal amount of flour. Cook them together for a few minutes until nice and fragrant.
Slowly pour in the strained juices (hopefully you have about 1 to 2 cups) and whisk it into the mixture, until its nice and smooth. Add more chicken broth as needed to have 2 cups of liquid. Then cook the gravy for a few minutes until it is thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve the gravy over mashed potatoes and your delicious turkey breast.
Tips for making Slow Cooker Turkey Breast:
- Make sure your turkey breast fits in your slow cooker!
- Make sure your turkey still has the skin on, this will add flavor, and hold the moisture in for your turkey breast.
- Make sure to cook the turkey breast on low. It already cooks in just a few hours, so don’t cook it on high or your turkey breast will dry out.
How much Turkey should I get per person?
If you’re using a boneless turkey breast, you can plan on 1/2 pound per person. If you’re using a bone – in Turkey breast then plan on 1 pound per person.
How to store leftover turkey breast?
Store any leftover turkey pieces in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze any leftovers in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
The leftovers can be enjoyed cold straight from the fridge, or you can heat them back up. Heat the turkey in a baking dish with a little water, or chicken, or turkey broth at 325 F for about 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F again.
The leftovers are delicious eaten on their own, or added to sandwiches, salads, or soups (like our chicken noodle soup is great with turkey!)
What to serve with Slow cooker turkey?
- Dinner Rolls
- Stuffing – try this Slow Cooker Stuffing too!
- Frozen Green Bean Casserole
- Mashed Potatoes
- Salad
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Crockpot Mac and Cheese
- Sweet Potato Patties
This slow cooker turkey is moist, and so delicious. It’s packed full of flavor with the perfect crispy skin and is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas for a small group, or for a delicious dinner any day of the year.
Looking for turkey recipes?
- Turkey Orzo Soup
- Turkey or Chicken Noodle Soup
- Turkey or Chicken Pot Pie
- Turkey Tetrazzini on Spend with Pennies
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Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
Ingredients
For the Rub:
- 6 TBS unsalted butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
For the Turkey:
- 6-8 lb skin on turkey breast (bone in or boneless is fine)
- 1 onion (peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces)
- 1 head of garlic (cut in half)
For the Gravy:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- chicken broth
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Equipment
Instructions
For the Rub:
- Add the rub ingredients to a medium sized bowl, and stir them together until you have a nice butter paste.
For the Turkey:
- Loosen the turkey skin, and spread half the butter mixture under the skin of the turkey. Spread the other half of the top and sides of the turkey. Set it aside.
- Place the onion, and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the turkey breast on top of the onion in the slow cooker.
- Cook the turkey on low for about 4 to 6 hours, or until a thermometer can be inserted and reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit. (Check the temperature at 4 hours, then every 30 minutes, to try and keep it from being over cooked)
- Transfer the turkey breast to a baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to a high broil.
- Place the turkey pan into the oven on the low cooking shelf.
- Let it broil for 3 to 6 minutes, or until the skin is crispy. (Watch it very closely, it can brown very quickly).
- Let the turkey rest for about 5 minutes, then slice it up and serve!
For the Gravy:
- Add the butter to a medium sauce pan and heat over medium high until the butter is melted.
- Add in the flour and whisk it to combine. Let it cook for about 2 minutes until the mixture starts to get fragrant.
- Strain the liquid from the bottom of the slow cooker to remove all the chunks.
- Slowly whisk the liquid into the flour mixture. Add more chicken broth as necessary to reach 2 to 2.5 cups.
- Bring the gravy to a simmer, and let it cook until thickened.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Slice the turkey and serve it with the gravy and mashed potatoes as desired.
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