Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: All the flavors just meld together and are all intensified in the rich gravy. Turkey is not my favorite and even I LOVED this.
Texture: Tender, juicy, moist, and meaty. Yum.
Ease: The easiest way to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey.
Appearance: While this is definitely not as impressive as pulling an entire golden brown bird out of the oven, the carved meat and gravy just looks so tender and mouthwatering your guests will be happy either way!
Pros: Easy, much more hands-free, doesn’t take up valuable oven space on Thanksgiving, and is super duper juicy and tender. You really can’t beat that! It’s perfect for serving a smaller group so you’re not drowning in turkey for weeks.
Cons: Absolutely none!
Would I make this again? For sure.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
This Thanksgiving turkey recipe has so many things going for it. Not only is it some of the most tender and moist turkey breast I’ve ever tasted (I’m usually a dark meat girl) but it’s so ridiculously easy to make.
Just plop everything into the slow cooker or and move on to the rest of your Thanksgiving recipes. No brining, no marinating, and no basting required for this crockpot turkey breast.
Best of all, no taking up precious space in your oven! That means you don’t have to plan and strategize your side dishes nearly as much which takes away a lot of the holiday cooking stress. AND the gravy is so simple with so much flavor, no need for that weird pre-packaged stuff.
This Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe is especially perfect if you’re cooking for a smaller group and don’t want to spend a pretty penny on a huge bird that will likely go to waste.
I LOVE using my Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker for recipes like this best turkey recipe because I can use the thermometer probe and program the slow cooker to automatically turn to the “warm” mode once it reaches the internal temperature I want. No babysitting, and no worrying about overcooking.
Every slow cooker heats differently, so keep this in mind as well as the actual size of your turkey as you program your cooking. I would err on the side of caution and less cooking time, because you can always remove the lid and stick an instant-read thermometer inside the meat to test for doneness. If the meat thermometer show it’s not done yet, simply keep cooking.
How to Make Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
Ingredients for Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe:
- Onion
- Bone-in turkey breast with skin
- Low sodium chicken broth
- Bay leaves
- Seasonings: salt, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried sage, cornstarch, black pepper
How to Cook A Thanksgiving Turkey in the Slow Cooker:
- Place the onion, turkey breast, broth, and bay leaves in a slow cooker. Sprinkle with the seasonings.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. This may vary depending on the size of your turkey.
- Carefully place turkey breast on a carving board and loosely tent with foil.
- Prepare the gravy while the turkey rests.
- Remove the skin and discard before carving the turkey into slices.
Tips for a Juicy, Tender Turkey Breast:
- I always take poultry out of the slow cooker or oven once it reaches 160°F because the temperature will continue to rise as it’s resting, this helps ensure juicy and tender turkey breast.
- Another thing that helps ensure a juicy turkey breast is to actually cook the turkey breast side down and rest it breast side down so all the juices accumulate in the actual breast meat.
What to Serve with Thanksgiving Turkey:
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Soft Pretzel Stuffing
- Roasted veggies (carrots, potatoes, Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts)
- Ultimate Macaroni & Cheese
How Can I Use Up Leftover Turkey Breast?
These recipes make great use of any crock pot turkey breast leftovers:
More Thanksgiving Recipes:
P.S. Check out ALL my Thanksgiving recipes here!
Become a Baking Genius!
Sign up for our free email newsletter for NEW recipes & baking science secrets.
Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 1 (5 to 7 pound) bone-in whole turkey breast with skin
- 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for the gravy
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place the onion, turkey breast (breast side down), broth, and bay leaves in a 6-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle with the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, rosemary, and sage.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
- Carefully transfer the turkey to a carving board and loosely tent with foil while preparing the gravy.
- Strain the liquid in the slow cooker into a saucepan. Let it settle for five minutes then skim the fat from the surface. Bring the gravy to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until slightly thickened. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and stir into the gravy. Simmer for another 2 minutes, stirring, until thickened completely. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Remove the skin and discard before carving the turkey into slices. Serve alongside warm gravy.
Recipe Notes
This post was recently updated with new photos by Patty Kraikittikun-Phuong.
Well it’s in the crockpot now but I bought too big of a turkey breast (8+lbs) and I almost couldn’t fit it in. I had to put it on its side. (omg) Hopefully after it cooks awhile I can move it breast side down. Idk. This will be an interesting thanksgiving. Lol Anyone else have this issue?
I made this recipe last year and I am doing it again this year. It was delicious, juicy and tender, everybody loved it and so easy to make. Turkey breast is perfect for small families like mine.
I have always made a large whole turkey in the oven, but we usually only eat mostly the white meat, and a good bit of the dark meat ends up getting thrown out. About 4-5 years ago I came across this recipe and decided to try it. BEST DECISION EVER! Well, for cooking, anyway…lol. It says to cook it breast side down, and I knew I had a winner because one year I accidently cooked mine in the oven breast side down and it was so much more tender than usual. There always seems to be quite a bit of herbs left after I douse the turkey in it, and I don’t often make homemade dressing, so I make 2 boxes of dressing, but I add the left over herbs I’ve made up for the turkey and OH! MY! GOSH! You have GOT to try it. Whether you make homemade or box, you will have the best stuffing/dressing EVER if you use the herbs from this recipe in it. I also make my tsp or TBS rounded instead of flat, so there’s plenty. Merry Christmas, everyone. Happy Cooking, and thanks SO much for this recipe!! It sure has made my Thanksgiving and Christmas meals so much easier <3
Aw yay! So happy you love this recipe so much, thanks for taking the time to comment with your rave review!
I have a PRO TIP I forgot to mention in my original comment. Before adding the turkey to the crock pot, take some heavy twine/thread/shoelaces and put 2 of them short ways across the crock pot across the sides and to the bottom. Then when your turkey is done, you can get it out much easier by pulling it up by your twine/thread/shoelaces, letting most of the juices drip back into the crock pot to use for the gravy, and you don’t have a big mess on your counter. Silly me forgot to ‘tent’ it while waiting for my rolls to cook so it could have been more tender for left-overs, but when I went to cut it, it was just falling off the bones so I did most of it with my hands. All leftovers were gone in less than 2 days, though 🙂
I will try this recipe this Thanksgiving, I’m only cooking a 5.5 turkey breast in crockpot. I only eat turkey once a year, so i hope it comes out great! Thanks so much…keep you posted.
Excited to hear how your Thanksgiving turkey is, I hope you enjoy! 🙂
The recipe looks amazing! Any thoughts on using turkey thighs and/or drumsticks instead of turkey breast? Our family prefers dark meat over white.
Could you brine the turkey breast before cooking?
I will be trying this recipe this Thanksgiving. My husband is dairy free and has a hard time finding a gravy he likes. And talk about ease, this sounds great. I will post comments and hopefully I’ll remember to take a picture before eating, thanks!
I hope this turkey is a hit at your Thanksgiving! Enjoy! I would LOVE to see your Thanksgiving turkey photos.
Should turkey breast be thawed before going in crockpot? Thank you.
Can I use a skinless, boneless turkey breast?
I have made this recipe several times both with and without bone in breast, so yes, you can use a skinless, boneless turkey breast. I have discovered that I can cook 2 boneless ones at the same time in my crockpot, but can only cook 1 of the bone in. Today, my 2nd bone in that I bought for Christmas is in the crock pot. Happy Cooking.
I’m so excited about this slow cooker option. I’m using a 7lb boneless breast. How long do you suggest as your recipe is a bone-in?
Thanks.