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Crockpot Turkey Breast

Prepare a juicy and tender turkey breast in your slow cooker with this easy, stress-free Crockpot Turkey Breast recipe! Your turkey breast will never be dry when you cook it in the crockpot and you save on oven space! Win-Win!

Crockpot Turkey Breast

You don’t need to be a skilled chef to enjoy a juicy turkey, let the crockpot do the hard work for you! This recipe uses your slow cooker and simple ingredients to make a tender and juicy turkey breast in your slow cooker.

I like cooking my turkey breast in the crockpot for a few reasons. First, if you are cooking turkey for Thanksgiving, using your crockpot saves you a ton of oven space! Second, it’s almost impossible to dry your turkey out. The crockpot cooks it low and slow in its’ juices, keeping the turkey extra tender and juicy.

This easy crockpot turkey breast is great for dinner on any occasion, but it’s also an excellent choice to prepare for holiday dinners with loved ones. Not only is it flavorful and healthy, but it’s extra easy to prepare and pretty foolproof!

ingredients for crockpot turkey

Crockpot Turkey Breast Ingredients

If you plan to make this crockpot turkey breast recipe, you’re going to need the following ingredients:

  • Turkey Breast. Be sure to choose a turkey breast that is at least four-pound or up to six pounds with the skin attached to it.
  • Olive Oil. You’ll use the olive oil as a rub for your turkey breast to get the seasonings to stick to it. You can also use avocado oil.
  • Seasonings: Black Pepper, Salt, Dried Thyme. A bit of freshly cracked black pepper adds flavor to your turkey without making it spicy.
  • Celery. Another great flavor addition to your turkey.
  • Large Carrots. Use up to three large carrots, peeling them and slicing them into long pieces before adding them to the slow cooker. You can also use baby carrots.
  • Yellow Onion. Add more flavor to your turkey breast with yellow onion sliced into ½ inch thick rings.
  • Fresh Herbs: Parsley, Thyme and Rosemary. While the fresh herbs are optional, they add a ton of flavor to your turkey breast.

You will want to use a large crockpot to give your turkey breast plenty of room. Our crockpot in these images is a 8 quart crockpot and our turkey breast weighed 6 pounds.

How to Cook A Turkey Breast In A Crock Pot

Rub: Spray crockpot insert with non stick spray. Rub olive oil on the outside of the turkey breast. If your turkey breast has skin, separate and lift the skin and rub olive oil between the skin and meat. 

Season: Cover the entire turkey breast with seasonings: salt, pepper and dried thyme. Use more if needed, to taste. Set turkey breast aside.

Place: Place carrots, onion, celery and fresh herbs into the bottom of the crockpot. Place turkey breast on top of vegetables and place lid on the crockpot.

Cook: Cook turkey breast on low for 6 to 8 hours, until a thermometer inserted into the the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F.

Broiler: This is an optional step that I highly recommend to give you crispy browned turkey skin! Move oven rack down to the lowest rack and turn broiler on to high. Place cooked turkey onto a sheet pan or casserole dish (cover pan with foil for easy clean up). Broil on high for 2-3 minutes. Watch carefully. You don’t want breast to burn, just brown and crisp the skin!

Variations to Try

  • Turkey with Potatoes. If you’d like to eat potatoes with your turkey breast, you can slice potatoes into small quartered pieces and toss them into the slow cooker with the turkey breast, carrots, and onion.
  • Turkey Leg Alternative. If you’d like to make this dish with something other than a turkey breast, you can also prepare it with turkey legs. They may take a little less time to cook, but it depends primarily on the size of the turkey legs selected. If you love turkey legs, you’re going to enjoy them prepared this way with the seasonings, olive oil, carrots, and onions.
cut up turkey from the crockpot

Tips for Success

  • Non-Stick Spray. Be sure to spray a generous amount of the non-stick cooking spray in your crockpot before you add anything to it. You don’t want your turkey, carrots, onions, or other ingredients to stick to the crockpot.
  • Crockpot Liner. You can use a crockpot liner to prepare a mess-free meal with easy cleanup if you’re trying to save time while making a homemade dinner.
  • Veggies On Bottom. Set your vegetables on the bottom of the crockpot and then place your turkey breast on top of it before setting it on low, attaching the lid, and allowing it to cook. The natural juices from the turkey breast will add flavor and moisture to the other ingredients, including carrots, celery, and onions.
  • Meat Thermometer. Use a meat thermometer to make sure your turkey has reached an internal temperature of 165°F before you remove it from the crockpot. You can leave a meat thermometer in the turkey the whole time it’s in the crockpot to know exactly when it reaches the desired temperature.
  • Turkey Gravy. You can make gravy with the broth that comes from the turkey breast. You can also prepare gravy using a packet of gravy purchased at the store combined with the turkey broth in the bottom of the crockpot. If you don’t have enough natural juices from the turkey breast, feel free to use turkey or chicken broth while making your gravy.
  • Brown Your Turkey. If you love crispy brown skin on your turkey breast, you can brown your turkey breast in the oven with the broiler. It’s an optional step, but I highly recommend it!

Serving Suggestions

When you prepare the Crockpot Turkey Breast Recipe, you’ll have enough meat to serve a minimum of six people and a maximum of eight people depending on the size of your turkey breast. The general rule of thumb for a turkey breast is to plan for 1 pound of turkey per person.

If you need to feed more people, you can buy a larger turkey and add extra ingredients, such as more celery, onions, and carrots. If you need to feed fewer people, you can follow this recipe using a small 4 pound turkey breast and save the leftovers to eat for lunch or dinner the next day!

Consider serving your delicious Crockpot Turkey Breast with some of your favorite sides, along with fresh-baked rolls. Here are a few of our favorites to go with Turkey:

turkey meal on a serving platter

Storing Your Leftovers 

If you have leftovers, you can store them together in an airtight container, placing them in the fridge to keep these ingredients fresh. You can also freeze leftover cooked turkey for up to 3 months.

When you want to reheat your turkey breast and the vegetables, you can place them in the microwave and heat them for several seconds or reheat them in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes, until warm. I wrap mine in foil to keep it moist when reheating in the oven.

How To Use Up Leftovers

You can use your leftover cooked turkey in any recipe that calls for cooked chicken. Here are a few great recipes you can use leftover turkey in:

turkey, carrots, and mashed potatoes on a plate
Overhead image of crockpot turkey breast sliced into pieces with gravy on top with carrots and mashed potatoes on a white plate.
4.6 from 44 votes
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Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Crockpot Turkey Breast

Prepare a juicy and tender turkey breast in your slow cooker with this easy, stress-free Crockpot Turkey Breast recipe! Your turkey breast will never be dry when you cook it in the crockpot and you save on oven space!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Additional Time10 minutes
Total Time6 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4-6 lbs turkey breast, with skin
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2-3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into long pieces
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rings
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 4-5 fresh thyme, optional
  • 4-5 sprigs fresh parsley, optional
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, optional

Instructions 

  • Spray crockpot insert with non stick spray.
  • Rub olive oil on the outside of the turkey breast. If your turkey breast has skin, separate and lift the skin and rub olive oil between the skin and meat.
  • Cover entire breast with seasonings: salt, pepper and dried thyme. Use more if needed, to taste. Set turkey breast aside.
  • Place carrots, onion, celery and fresh herbs into the bottom of the crockpot.
  • Place turkey breast on top of vegetables and place lid on the crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until a thermometer inserted into the the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F.
  • *Brown Turkey, Optional: Move oven rack down to the lowest rack and turn on broiler on to high. Place cooked turkey onto a sheet pan or casserole dish (cover pan with foil for easy clean up). Broil on high for 2-3 minutes. Watch carefully. You don’t want breast to burn, just brown and crisp the skin!

Notes

*Browning the turkey is an optional step, but it gives the turkey that golden brown color with crispy skin. It’s not necessary, but adds a whole lot to the dish!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 619kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 115g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 302mg, Sodium: 757mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g

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