Although I’ve mastered the fine art of roasting a whole turkey, I most often wind up cooking just a turkey breast for my family’s Thanksgiving meal. It’s a smaller cut of meat, so I’m able to cook it with more confidence – and so will you. And since I do not have a big extended family who I am sharing the meal with, my immediate family and I end up with a reasonable amount of leftovers. Personally, I don’t need a freezer full of turkey that will take months to get through! The best way to cook a turkey breast so it turns out moist and juicy every time? In a slow cooker! There are so many reasons to slow cook a turkey breast in your Crockpot this holiday season:
Using your Crockpot frees up oven space that can be used to make your favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas side dishes instead. You can set it and forget it when cooking turkey breast in a Crockpot. No babysitting or time-sensitive basting required! Crockpot roast turkey breast is much harder to overcook, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to have perfect results every time. Cooking just a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey is ideal for smaller to medium families or smaller gatherings so you end up with just enough leftovers to turn into turkey noodle soup or turkey tetrazzini, and then you’re done.
If you don’t want to commit to roasting a whole turkey this year, slow cook a turkey breast instead!
Slow Cooker Turkey Breast Recipe Ingredients
For a classic Thanksgiving recipe like this slow cooker bone in turkey breast, simple is better when it comes to the ingredients. Just tried-and-true common and easy to find fridge and pantry ingredients.
Onion Bone-in, skin-on turkey breast Butter Fresh garlic Fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage) Salt and pepper Smoked paprika Orange juice Reduced sodium chicken broth
For the turkey gravy using the drippings you’ll have in your slow cooker, you’ll need:
Unsalted butter All-purpose flour Reduced sodium chicken broth Salt and pepper
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Cook a Bone-In Turkey Breast in a Slow Cooker
This Crockpot turkey breast recipe takes less than 10 minutes of hands-on prep to make! After that, the slow cooker does the work for you.
More Holiday Main Dishes:
Foolproof Oven Roasted Turkey — Learn how to make juicy, flavorful herb-roasted turkey that’s not dry! This turkey has all the flavor that grandma’s used to have, minus the hassle. No brining, no basting, and no stress! …OR you can take the time to crisp up the skin using your oven’s broiler.
- To crisp up the skin, preheat the broiler to 500ºF or HIGH broil depending on your oven.
- Before the broiler gets screaming hot, place an oven rack on the second to the top rung, or high enough that the turkey will be close to the broiler, but still have clearance to enter and the space isn’t too tight because remember the breast is likely quite thick.
- Place the cooked turkey breast on a baking tray and cook under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or just until the skin becomes crispy and is browned. Broiling comes with a huge caveat: DO NOT WALK AWAY from your kitchen, DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR OVEN, do no get distracted with chatting up Aunt Peggy, or start some other task or prep work that you plan to do ‘real quick’ because broilers are HOT. Watch your turkey breast very closely. To reheat individual servings of turkey: I usually just nuke my plate in the microwave at 30-second intervals. To reheat larger servings: Place thicker turkey slices in a baking dish with a little broth, cover the pan with foil, and warm at 325ºF for about 10 minutes or until heated through. Personally, that sounds like a lot of work, but not every has a microwave. Easy 30-Minute Turkey Noodle SoupHawaiian Roll Turkey and Cheese SlidersTurkey TetrazziniEasy Turkey Pot PieSweet Potato and Chicken (or Shredded Turkey) SoupTurkey Pasta SaladEasy 30-Minute White Chicken (or Shredded Turkey) Chili Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Beef Tenderloin Roast with Garlic Herb Butter — An EASY yet IMPRESSIVE dish that’s ready in under an hour! Roasting beef tenderloin in the oven results in perfectly MOIST and TENDER meat every time, and the garlic herb butter adds tons of flavor without overwhelming the beef. Glazed Pork Loin Roast — Pork loin is first coated in a FLAVOR-PACKED dry spice rub, then topped with a tangy brown sugar glaze before being roasted. EASY enough to make on busy weeknights, but IMPRESSIVE enough to serve to guests or make for the holidays! Pineapple Glazed Ham — When you’re looking for a holiday ham or family celebration ham recipe, look no further than this one! This pineapple ham is so juicy and moist thanks to a dry spice rub made with brown sugar and citrus and then the most delectable pineapple glaze! Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin — Tender and juicy boneless pork tenderloin is slow cooked with hearty vegetables for a complete and EASY meal! Reminiscent of a hearty and rustic recipe, yet fancy enough for a special dinner or holiday entertaining!
