Slow Cooker Turkey Breast Recipe

Cranberry sauce on sliced crockpot turkey breast.

5 from 13 votes

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast Recipe

This Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe is the easiest way to make a turkey for the holidays. It's moist and cooked perfectly in the crock pot and gives you oven space to make all of the sides.

Prep Time20

Total Time5

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Roasted Turkey and Gravy, Thanksgiving, turkey

Servings: to 8

Calories: 534kcal

Author: Tara Teaspoon

Ingredients

For the turkey

5 to 6 pound turkey breast, mostly or completely thawed bone-in, skin on
1½ teaspoons kosher salt divided
1 large yellow onion
2 celery stalks
2 tablespoons butter softened
2 bay leaves
1 small bunch parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 cups chicken or turkey broth can be made from Better Than Bouillon

For the gravy

1 cup chicken or turkey broth can be made from Better Than Bouillon
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon dried thyme or sage
½ cup cold water
2½ tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

For the turkey

Remove any giblets from the cavity of the turkey breast and trim any excess skin you don't want. Sprinkle the inside of the cavity with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Fill cavity with some of the onion and celery.
Place remaining onion and celery in a 6-quart slow cooker. Set the turkey on top, breast side up. Brush or spread butter over turkey then sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Add the bay leaves and parsley to the slow cooker.
Pour in the 2 cups broth, cover slow cooker and set on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165ºF in the thickest part of the breast. (Cover slow cooker with a kitchen towel to keep the heat in if desired)

For the gravy

Remove turkey breast from the slow cooker and rest on a cutting board or baking sheet, tented with foil, until ready to slice and serve.
Strain the juices and drippings from the slow cooker into a fat separator if using. Let sit for a few minutes and then pour the drippings into a saucepan, leaving any fat in the fat separator to discard.
Add the 1 cup broth to the drippings in the pan with the Worcestershire sauce and dried herbs, and bring to a low boil.
In a separate bowl whisk together the water and cornstarch. Whisk mixture into the boiling gravy and let boil until gravy thickens and is translucent, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Season with salt and extra herbs if desired. Serve with sliced turkey.

Notes

Hint: I cover my slow cooker with a clean kitchen towel to insulate it. I find this helps cook the turkey breast evenly and quickly. You can also plug the slow cooker into an outlet in the garage or on your patio so the smell doesn't fill your house or apartment!

Nutrition