Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast Recipe

This Gradual Cooker Turkey Breast is indubitably, that is the best, most secure and tastiest option to cook dinner turkey breast with out brining. It’s moist and juicy, takes 3 minutes to organize, then simply depart it to cook dinner in your sluggish cooker (crock pot). Then use the juices to make a killer gravy!

Even when you’re a primary timer, you may believe on this turkey breast recipe. It’s a 5 star reader favorite with over a thousand glowing critiques!

Turkey breast is notoriously lean so the one option to assure it comes out juicy when you roast it within the oven is to brine it. If you happen to don’t brine it, then even when you use a meat thermometer, this can be very tough to roast the turkey breast completely.

I created this Gradual Cooker Turkey Breast after making an attempt a handful of recipes for turkey breast and being dissatisfied by the tasteless wanting pores and skin, dry meat and mediocre gravy. So I tossed out all the pieces I’d learn and determined to provide you with my very own model utilizing a sluggish cooker. That is by far the juiciest turkey breast I’ve ever had – with out brining. And my buddies agreed!

It’s virtually magical how a recipe this straightforward can yield such extraordinary outcomes. Moist turkey with unimaginable flavour and a gravy that’s off the charts!

I promised you simple – and straightforward it’s! Right here’s the way it goes down:

1. Slather turkey with a easy magical rub;

2. Place in a sluggish cooker on a mattress of onion and garlic (these flavour the juices that comes out of the turkey and varieties the premise for the gravy + retains turkey elevated out of liquid whereas sluggish cooking);

3. Gradual cook dinner for five to six hours;

4. Briefly broil/grill or bake to crisp the pores and skin; then

5. Use sluggish cooker juices to make a killer gravy. It’s unimaginable as a result of it’s basically made with one of the best selfmade inventory – the turkey juices!

PS That’s a multi operate cooker you see. I take advantage of the sluggish cooker operate for this recipe.

• Kind of turkey breast – bone in or boneless turkey breast is okay. Pores and skin on is really useful as a result of the fats beneath the pores and skin melts whereas the turkey is cooking and it bastes the turkey (helps with flavour and moisture). Additionally pores and skin is required to get that beautiful browned seasoned crust you see within the images.

• Single or double breast? Both is okay. These images present a single turkey breast. See right here for what a double turkey breast appears to be like like (on the bone, additionally known as a turkey buffe or turkey crown)

• What dimension? Turkey breast differ drastically in dimension – they will vary from 1.5/3lb to over 5kg/10lb! The fantastic thing about this recipe is that it’s going to work for any turkey breast dimension – so long as it suits in your sluggish cooker! Word the completely different cook dinner instances within the recipe.

• An awesome rub goes a good distance with turkey breast! It not solely provides flavour, it seasons the broth and it offers the turkey breast nice color!

• How lengthy to cook dinner turkey breast within the sluggish cooker – A 2 kg / 4 lb turkey breast will take about 5 to six hours on LOW in a sluggish cooker. See recipe notes for cook dinner instances for different sizes.

• The best way to inform when turkey breast is finished – When the inner temperature is 165F / 75C. That’s optimum perfectly-cooked juiciness, permitting for a slight temperature improve whereas the turkey rests.

• Elevate the turkey breast with a halved garlic and onion to make sure even cooking as a result of in any other case the breast shall be half submerged and poaching in liquid (you may be amazed how a lot liquid the breast leeches whereas cooking)

• Crisp the pores and skin beneath the broiler. The additional flavour you get is price it – and it solely takes a couple of minutes

• Use sluggish cooker juices for GRAVY – the turkey juices are loaded with flavour and are the greatest broth ever to make an absolute killer gravy!

• Gradual Cooking is FORGIVING!  Due to the low temperature, there’s far much less danger of drying out the turkey from overcooking. So even when the turkey is within the sluggish cooker for 1 or 2 hours longer than essential, it is going to nonetheless be beautiful. Plus – talking actually frankly – that gravy can save something. ANYTHING!

Desire ROASTED turkey breast? Use this Garlic Herb Butter Roasted Turkey Breast.

Turkey breast is as a rule a centrepiece for vacation feasting in lots of households world wide. So with this in thoughts, listed here are some facet dish options for Thanksgiving and Christmas menus!

And you may additionally discover these useful: Thanksgiving recipe index and Straightforward Thanksgiving Menu options

Conventional Thanksgiving sides for turkey

Baked Mac and Cheese

Inexperienced Bean Casserole perfection!

Browned Butter Savoury Candy Potato Casserole

Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

CRISPY Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts (addictive!)

Thanksgiving Heat Sides

Thanksgiving Recipes

Straightforward Thanksgiving Menus

Christmas facet options

Actually Crunchy Roast Potatoes

Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts and Cranberries

Creamy Broccoli Casserole (Gratin)

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)

Wild Rice Salad

Christmas Sides: Heat & Hearty

Christmas Sides: Mild & Contemporary

I do know it may be nerve racking, making an attempt a brand new recipe – particularly you’re new to cooking, and it’s a centrepiece for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Gradual cookers are a particularly forgiving means to cook dinner lean proteins as a result of they use such a low warmth so there’s a a lot larger window wherein the turkey is completely cooked (as in, 2 hours or so) in comparison with the oven (lower than 20 minutes from good to overcooked-dry).

And in all honesty – worst case? Your turkey goes a bit over and it’s not fairly as juicy as you hoped. After all, I’m doing all the pieces in my energy to assist keep away from this – together with sending over digital optimistic vibes.😂

But when it does – don’t fret! That Turkey Gravy is so insanely good, it is going to completely make up for it!  – Johnsat x

SLOW COOKER: Many individuals have mentioned that my sluggish cooker appears to be like like a strain cooker. They’re really right, it’s a sluggish cooker and strain cooker in a single (however no, it isn’t an On the spot Pot). It’s known as a Breville Quick-Gradual Cooker (it’s an Australian product). I take advantage of the sluggish cooker operate for this recipe.

Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast Recipe

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Serves: 8 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 8 hours 8 hours

Nutrition facts: 323 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 2 kg / 4 lb turkey breast, skin on, bone in or boneless (if using frozen, thaw it) (Note 1)
• 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally
• 1 onion (brown, yellow or white), unpeeled, cut in half
• 5 sprigs of thyme (or 2 tsp dried thyme leaves)
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp salt
• 5 grinds of black pepper
• 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp olive oil
• Chicken stock/broth (or water), for topping up liquid (see Gravy step 1)
• 4 tbsp / 50g butter
• 1/4 cup / 35g flour
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Place Rub ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine, it should be a wet paste.
2. Pat the turkey dry all over with paper towels. Slather with the Rub, using most for the side and top.
3. Place the garlic, onion and thyme face down in the slow cooker. Place the turkey breast on top so it is elevated.
4. Slow Cook on LOW for 6 hours (do not use high) or until internal temperature reads 165F/75C when thermometer is inserted into the middle. Check internal temperature at 5 hours if you can. (To roast, follow this recipe). 
5. Remove turkey from the slow cooker (do not leave in slow cooker on Warm setting) and let it rest for 20 minutes before crisping the skin.
6. Preheat gril/broiler to high.
7. Place an oven shelf 30cm / 1 foot from the heat source.
8. Remove turkey breast from the slow cooker into a heatproof serving dish.
9. Place on the oven shelf and broil for 3 to 5 minutes until the skin is crispy. Keep an eye on it – it browns very quickly!
10. Serve immediately with gravy on the side.
11. Strain the liquid into a measuring jug, squishing the garlic etc to extract all the flavour. If you are short of 2 cups, top up with chicken broth (I usually get 2 cups of liquid from a 4 lb / 2 kg turkey breast).
12. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and mix to combine. Pour about 1/2 cup of liquid into the flour mixture and mix until it forms a paste. Slowly add remaining liquid, stirring as your go. Use a whisk if required to make the gravy smooth. Simmer until thickened – take it off before it is as thick as you want because it will continue to thicken.
13. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with turkey.

Notes

1. Turkey breast can come in all sorts of sizes and cuts and you can use this recipe for any of them, see Note 3 for cook times. Single boneless breast can be as small as 1 kg / 2 lb, mine (pictured) is 2 kg/4lb. A double bone in breast (also known as turkey “buffe” or “crown”) can be as large as 6 kg / 12 lb. Some turkey breasts also come with the leg still attached.
You need skin on the turkey if you want the nice colour you see in the photos, though the recipe works with skinless too.
⚠️ BRINED TURKEY: Some frozen turkey sold in boxes are pre-brined (i.e. marinated in salty water to make it more moist once cooked). Check the label / ask the butcher – if the ingredients include salt, your turkey is brined. Here in Australia, generally anything that is sold in boxes / vac packed in the frozen section of supermarkets (e.g. Steggles), it is brined.
If it has been brined, no problems, just cut the salt in half. But if the surface has been pre-seasoned with another sort of rub, I’d suggest either scraping the rub off before adding my rub, or skip mine and just cook the turkey breast.
2. Making ahead: Because turkey is so lean, it is far better made as close as possible to serving time. But if you need to make ahead, slow cook the turkey but do not brown the skin. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature. Cover with cling wrap and microwave for 3 minutes on LOW (if high, you run the risk of drying out the edges of the turkey), then grill/broil per instructions to brown and crisp the skin. The gravy can also be made ahead then reheated in a saucepan or in the microwave.
3. COOK TIMES: Ready when the internal temp is 165F/75C. Slow cookers are very forgiving so don’t stress too much about cooking time, an hour or 2 over and it will still be moist. The worst that might happen is that the meat falls apart a bit when you lift it out of the slow cooker, but still juicy! DO NOT try to save time by using HIGH! 
Bone in skin on turkey breast (I used this), start checking internal temp at the short cook time provided:
1 kg / 2 lb: 4 – 5 hours on low
2 – 3 kg / 4 – 6 lb: 5 – 6 hours on low
4  kg / 8 lb: 6 – 7 hours on low (see 8 June ’17 report from reader Tony)
5 kg / 10 lb: 8 – 9 hours on low
4. No water is required for this, the turkey steams in its own juices. It won’t dry out or burn but it is important to elevate the breast off the bottom with the onion and garlic!
5. My SLOW COOKER: Some people have questioned the slow cooker I am using, saying it looks like a press cooker. I am using a slow cooker called a “Breville Slow Fast Cooker” which is a slow cooker AND pressure cooker in one. This recipe is cooked using the slow cooker function. This recipe is not suited to a pressure cooker.
6. Got turkey leftovers? Use it up in White Turkey Enchilada Soup,  Garlic Bread Leftover Turkey Pot Pie or Muffulettas!
7. Nutrition per serving, including gravy.

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Sarah Miller

Hi, I’m Sarah Millar!
I’m a food blogger who loves creating quick and easy recipes that bring big flavor without the fuss. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated — and I’m here to share simple, fast food ideas that anyone can make at home. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll usually find me tasting new dishes, exploring cafés, or coming up with fresh food hacks to make everyday meals more fun.

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