Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
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Moist, tender, perfectly seasoned crockpot turkey. No oven space. Includes THE BEST turkey gravy using drippings!
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I just had to tell you that this is BY FAR the best turkey I’ve made in the 15 years I’ve been cooking Thanksgiving turkeys! It was so incredibly moist, juicy, and flavorful! Mine was an 8 lb. bone-in breast, so I increased the amounts of everything and upped the cooking time, but otherwise kept everything else the same. Winner, winner, turkey dinner!!! I was actually sad that there were no leftovers, which has NEVER been the case in the past!
Thank you for an amazing recipe that I will use every Thanksgiving from now on (and maybe even on an ordinary weeknight!)
Thank you for an amazing recipe that I will use every Thanksgiving from now on (and maybe even on an ordinary weeknight!)
reasons to make slow cooker turkey breast
- Saves on oven space. Cooking a holiday meal can be stressful! Between all the side dishes that need to be prepped and warmed in the oven and the constant basting of your turkey, there’s a lot happening in the kitchen. But the turkey can be one less thing to worry about this year – and it frees up all the oven real estate.
- Juiciest and tender meat. With its long, low-heat cook and covered (and also very forgiving) environment, the turkey slowly simmers in its juices, preventing the lean turkey meat from drying out, and yielding a very, very juicy turkey breast and turkey meat that is exceptionally tender.
- Scaled-down turkey dinner. Skipping a big holiday gathering this year? Need extra turkey to complement your big bird? This no-fuss turkey breast is here for you.
- Great any time of year. Turkey breast is not just for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. With its hands-off, super easy approach, this can be made any time, even those super busy weeknights!
- Uses up all those juicy drippings. All those leftover drippings are used for the most flavorful turkey gravy for serving.
what are turkey breast halves
Also known as a split turkey breast.
This is simply half of a whole turkey breast, typically sold with skin-on. The smaller portion makes it ideal for a scaled down turkey meal, and more manageable pieces to cook with.
tips and tricks for success
- Use the right size crockpot. A 6-qt slow cooker, or bigger, is ideal for this recipe. The turkey breast halves may not fit in anything smaller.
- Thaw the turkey breast. If using frozen turkey breast halves, allow 24 hours to thaw completely in the fridge or 1-2 hours in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes.
- Use your favorite seasoning combination. Dried herbs, fresh herbs, paprika, poultry seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder are all great options.
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. Check your turkey breast halfway through cooking, around 2 1/2 hours, inserting through the thickest part of the breast but avoiding the bone. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
- Crisp the skin. This is completely optional but you can also choose to crisp the skin under the broiler for a few minutes. Not a fan of the skin? You can remove it altogether!
- Let your bird rest. Let your turkey breast rest for at least 15-20 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt slow cooker
Slow Cooker Turkey Breast: Frequently Asked Questions
What if I bought a frozen turkey breast? How long will it take to thaw?
To defrost boneless turkey breast halves in the refrigerator, we recommend allowing 24 hours to thaw.
Do I have to use white wine?
Additional chicken stock can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
What if I don’t have a slow cooker?
We have a recipe for roasted turkey breast here.
Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
Moist, tender, perfectly seasoned crockpot turkey. No oven space. Includes THE BEST turkey gravy using drippings!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 celery ribs, cut into thirds
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 2 boneless, skin-on turkey breast halves, about 1 1/2-2 pounds each
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature and divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Equipment
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine paprika, thyme, poultry seasoning, onion powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Place onion and celery into a 6-qt slow cooker; add chicken stock and wine.
- Using your fingers, carefully loosen the skin from the breast meat, spreading 4 tablespoons butter under the skin. Secure skin over the butter with wooden picks; brush skin with 1 tablespoon melted butter and season with paprika mixture.
- Place turkey, breast side up, on top of the vegetables. Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove turkey from the slow cooker; let rest 10-15 minutes.
- Strain slow cooker drippings through a fine-mesh sieve; discard solids.
- Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in pan drippings. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5-10 minutes.
- Serve turkey immediately with gravy.
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Is there a replacement for white wine? Typically I’d be able to finish up the extra wine but not right now!
I have read that white wine vinegar is a good sub
You can buy the little bottles of wine (the single serving bottles); that’s my trick.
I used ginger ale last year and it was amazing!
How do I find the carbs and salt info for this recipe? It looks great but why make it if it’s too high in those areas.
I can’t speak to the sodium, but I put it through My Carb Manager and it came to one carb per serving without the gravy and 3
carbs per serving with the gravy (I said 10 servings for my 4 lbs of turkey). You could use light salt and reduced sodium chicken broth if you need to stay low there.
Many thanks for this great alternative recipe for turkey. I tried it and it was very good. The only thing I did differently was that I cooked it a bit ahead and removed the turkey breast and put it in the oven and broiled it on top so that it looked more like the traditional turkey that we all know and love.
I don’t really cook or collect recipes but I tried this one because my husband loves turkey. It was so successful and delicious, I bookmarked it and that’s what I will be fixing next week for our Covid Thanksgiving for two.❣
I am doing the same thing. It sounds great and we get to smell it cooking too!!
My husband and I will have Thanksgiving at home, just the two of us, this year to help keep our families safe during the pandemic. I bought turkey tenderloins – would this recipe work with tenderloins? Would the cook time need to be adjusted?
Can you buy turkey breast “halves”? I want to make this for Thanksgiving, and all I could find at the store was a 2.75 lb frozen turkey breast that had some seasoning…
I use this recipe with a 4 pound turkey breast. Works great but it takes about 6 to 7 hours. Wonderful flavor.
Should the turkey breast be thawed?
Never use frozen meat in slow cooker. Thaw in refrigerator
YES thawed! Good luck.
Very good, especially the gravy, and a great alternative to roasting a turkey—frees up a lot of oven space and doesn’t heat up the house. A perfect amount of turkey for our intimate COVID-era (Canadian) Thanksgiving dinner. It was a tad dry for my taste, but that’s probably because I prefer dark meat. Next time I make this, I’m going to make one breast half and two thighs so everyone gets the part of the bird they prefer.
This is sooooo good!!! And just as easy!!! Thinking this may be our new Holiday Turkey!!! I made it with a 5lb double Breast with bone in and cooked it in high for about 5.5 hours…..turned out perfect! Also do yourself a favor and make more gravy then you think you will use….trust me you will use it! It’s delicious…I added a little nature seasoning because I love it but again super easy and damn delicious!! Thank you!!!
Best gravy I’ve ever made (Ive never started gravy with my butter before but I’ll make it that way from now on). The Turkey was falling apart tender. Thanks for a great and easy recipe.
Thank u put Recipes online they are easy to follow and the food taste so great
I don’t usually leave reviews, but this recipe deserves one! Phenomenal recipe for turkey breast, without heating up the kitchen/house by running the oven during the summer. Also, works as an amazing, worry free chicken and/or chicken soup recipe! I’ve been sick, sleeping a lot and working out of my freezer, so this has really been a Godsend for me! Used boneless, skinless thighs, a huge no-no for broth making! And, still, came out as one of the best chicken soup stocks I’ve ever made (and I make normally make a killer stock)! I didn’t have paprika or celery, so I exchanged for a couple carrots and added garlic, rosemary, sage, a few scratches of freshly grated nutmeg. The ratios of stock to wine were perfect for the turkey, but I did increase the wine in my soup stock. I think the butter made up for the lack of fat, bones and skin on the chicken. Had the bullion and extra canned stock ready expecting something that tasted like weak chicken tea. But, it came out savory and delicious. Absolute winner! Gotta love a fantastic base recipe, that you can also play with, and easily modify if you have to. Using it again today for the 3rd time in 4 weeks! This time with leg quarters. So excited to see how it comes out!
Hello-making this today–when do you add chicken broth and vinegar?
Hi Angela, Hoping I can edit this in a few minutes and add my actual review… Add the stock and white WINE, not vinegar, to the cooker before you turn it on.
Hi there! Quick question— I know the recipe says to “ Place turkey, breast side up, on top of the vegetables,” but does this mean that the skin is facing down & into the liquids? Just looking for a bit of clarity here since I’m unsure how the skin browns & crisps if this is the case.
Thanks so much!
Yes I too was wondering since the entire thing is a breast.. which side is “up”. Also, I’ve never had anything go crisp and brown in a crock pot
WOW was this good. I also had a bone in breast but I managed to get it into a large crock pot. Doubled the spices because the breast was about 5-6 pounds. Cooked it in the crock pot for about 6 or 7 hours on low, then crisped the skin in the oven for half an hour. Made stuffing, mashed potatoes and beet soup in acorn squash. Thanksgiving in April!
I used a bone in, skin on turkey breast that was about 5 lbs. I had to cook it longer, because of the bone and weight. I cooked it on high for about 5 hours. It turned out great, and the gravy was delicious. To the drippings, I mixed 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons of melted butter. I boiled it for 2 minutes, added some pepper, and it was some of the best gravy that I’ve ever had. I will make this again.
The Crockpot Turkey was fantastic. So nice for a small group. For years a have cooked turkeys in the oven and they would turn out dry, this was simple and easy. I did mine bone-in for three hours on high then pulled the breast right off the bone, let it rest and sliced it. Delicious.
Easy, delicious and few ingredients. The turkey is very tender and moist. Also, the kitchen smells wonderful!
This was amazing!!! Better than any Thanksgiving turkey that we’ve had!! And it was SO easy to prepare!! 🙂
Wonderful flavors. Infact I’m cooking this again today. Family loves it.