Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe – seriously delicious! Just season the turkey breast and throw it in the slow cooker. Ready to eat in about 5 hours. Such an easy way to make your Thanksgiving turkey! Bone-in turkey breast, olive oil, garlic powder, seasoned salt, paprika, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and onion powder. Low-carb, keto-friendly, and gluten-free. Great for Thanksgiving and Christmas or just when you have a craving for a good turkey sandwich!!
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Pin This RecipeEasy Crockpot Turkey Breast
This Slow Cooker Turkey Breast is our go-to turkey recipe for the holiday season. It is such an easy recipe to make and it is packed full of great flavor. Just season the turkey, pop it in the crockpot, and let it work its magic. The end result is a tender and juicy turkey breast. SO good! I could eat the entire turkey myself! LOL!
This cooking method is basically foolproof. Slow cooking at a low temperature reduces the risk of overcooking the turkey and drying it out. If you have a programmable slow cooker, you can program it to switch to the warm setting at the end of the cooking time. This recipe is great when you have small gatherings and don’t need a whole turkey or just get a hankering for an amazing turkey sandwich! I’ve already been to the grocery store and picked out my turkey for our holiday meal. I can not wait to eat this again on the big day!
How to Cook a Bone-In Turkey Breast in the Slow Cooker
The cooking process is effortless. Thaw the turkey breast if frozen. Remove any giblets and rinse the turkey under cold water. Pat the turkey dry with some paper towels. Brush the outside of the turkey with olive oil or melted unsalted butter. In a small bowl, whisk together garlic powder, seasoned salt, paprika, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and onion powder. Rub the seasoning mixture all over the turkey. Place turkey breast in the crock pot breast side up. Cover and cook on LOW until it reaches an internal temperature of 170ºF. Remove the turkey and place it on a carving board. Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing it with a sharp knife.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- I use a bone-in skin-on turkey breast. You can remove the skin to reduce calories.
- I used a 6-pound turkey breast and it took about 5 hours to cook in the slow cooker. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 170ºF in the turkey breast meat.
- Once the turkey breast was cooked, I transfer it to a baking dish or roasting pan and pop it under the broiler for a few minutes to get that yummy crispy skin. Watch the turkey and broil it just until the turkey skin starts to turn golden brown.
- If you aren’t a fan of the skin, you can remove the skin before cooking. Either way, it will be great!
- If the lid won’t fit on the slow cooker with the turkey inside, cover the crockpot with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Can I cook the turkey on HIGH in the crockpot? Yes. It will take about half the time to cook on HIGH. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 170ºF.
- You can use any seasoning combination that you enjoy. Fresh herbs, poultry seasoning, cajun seasoning, BBQ seasoning, or a packet of onion soup mix are all delicious.
- For extra flavor, add some fresh veggies and herbs such as onion, celery, thyme, and garlic to the bottom of the crockpot.
- Use the turkey drippings to make a flavorful gravy.
- Can I cook a frozen turkey breast? Yes! Cooking a turkey breast from frozen or partially thawed is perfectly safe. It will just take longer to cook from frozen, so make sure to plan accordingly.
- This turkey breast is low-carb/keto-friendly and gluten-free.
- Store leftover turkey meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in a resealable freezer bag and freeze to eat later.
- Leftover turkey is great in soups, casseroles, and of course, turkey sandwiches!
What to Serve with Thanksgiving Turkey
This is the easiest way to make a turkey for your upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. This is such a simple recipe that packs tons of great flavor. Even if this is your first time making a turkey, this crock pot turkey breast is sure to turn out perfectly for the big day!
The best part about using this slow cooker recipe is that it frees up oven space for all those delicious side dishes. Green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, carrots, rolls, and pecan pie are all a must!
Here are a few of our go-to recipes from the blog that do great with this tender turkey breast!
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Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 1 (6 to 7-lb) bone-in turkey breast, thawed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp seasoned salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp onion powder
Instructions:
- Brush turkey with oil.
- Combine seasonings and rub over turkey.
- Place turkey, breast side up, into 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours.
Notes:
- This turkey takes about 5 hours to cook in the slow cooker. Once the turkey breast was cooked, I transferred it to a baking pan and popped it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the skin.
- If you aren’t a fan of the skin, you can remove the skin before cooking. Either way, it will be great!
- Can I cook the turkey on HIGH in the crockpot? Yes. It will take about half the time to cook on HIGH. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 170ºF.
- You can use any seasoning combination that you enjoy. Cajun seasoning, BBQ seasoning or a packet of onion soup mix are both delicious.
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Cajun Seasoning: https://www.plainchicken.com/creolecajun-seasoning-secret-recipe/
- Here is our recipe for Homemade BBQ Seasoning: https://www.plainchicken.com/bbq-seasoning/
- Can you cook a turkey breast from frozen? Yes! Cooking a turkey breast from frozen or partially thawed is perfectly safe. It will just take longer to cook from frozen, so make sure to plan accordingly.
- This turkey breast is low-carb/keto-friendly and gluten-free.
Steph
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Thank you for this recipe. First time cooking a turkey breast because we only had a small group for Thanksgiving and I didn’t want to do a whole bird. Simple and delicious! I was so surprised at how juicy this was, and so much flavor! This is a keeper for sure, and will be my go-to recipe for turkey breast. Many thanks!
We enjoyed your recipe so much! I wanted some breast meat to make sandwiches but made a simple dinner first. I only had a 5 pound bone in breast and cooked it on low about 5 hours. I let it rest 20 minutes before slicing. It was moist and tender. Thank you for making my life simple and delicious. I also liked using dries herbs rather than spending money on fresh.
I plan to brine my bone-in breast and then put it in the crock. I won’t fit breast-side up, only on its side, but I figure that will be OK. Just wondering if I should flip it over half-way through the cook. It’s only a 6.5-pounder.
You can, but I think it will be just fine leaving it on one side.
Thanks!
Can I do this from Frozen Bone in turkey breast?
yes – it will just take a lot longer to cook.
How long do you recommend to cook if frozen bought that morning ?
I’m not sure of an exact time. Use a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 165ºF.
This sounds delicious! What cook time would you suggest for a smaller turkey breast? Like 3 lbs.
I made this for Thanksgiving this year. I cannot believe how simple and easy it was. I seasoned my 10lb turkey breast the day before while it was in the refrigerator. I cooked it on low for 9 hours. I lined the bottom of the crockpot with onions and fresh rosemary. This gave the turkey such a great flavor. I got several compliments on how delicious it was. This will be the way I make a turkey breast from now on!
Very impressed with the outcome of our Thanksgiving turkey breast. So juicy. I used carrots, celery and onion. I saved the remaining broth and will use it to make soup. Thanks for the great idea.
What happens if I add a can of chicken broth to the bottom? I know it doesn’t need it but for flavoring I guess.
You really don’t need any liquid. I’m sure what happens if you add it – probably nothing bad.
Will there by drippings on the bottom to make a gravy? My guess is yes but wanted to make sure.
yes – there will be plenty of drippings once it is cooked.
I have a 10 lb turkey breast. How long do I cook it ina crock pot
about 8 1/2 hours on LOW heat – make sure to check the internal temperature of 165º with a meat thermometer
Do you not put in chicken broth in there for it to cook in?
Nope – doesn’t need it.
This was so moist. It was delicious, everyone loved it.