Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

Go easy on yourself this Thanksgiving by making this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe! Your slow cooker not only frees up oven space but it yields incredibly moist turkey AND the base for a quick flavorful gravy! Great for a small gathering this recipe will feed 6 to 8 servings.

Course Mains & Entrees

Cuisine American-Italian

Keyword slow cooker, Thanksgiving, turkey, whole turkey breast

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Total Time 8 10

Servings servings

Calories 133

Author Laurie McNamara

Equipment

Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
Fat Separator
Polder Digital In-Oven Meat Thermometer

Ingredients

For THE SLOW COOKER TURKEY:

8 pound whole turkey breast see notes
2 bulbs garlic halved horizontally
4 short celery stalks chopped
1 large carrot chopped
1 large yellow onion chopped
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup turkey stock
1/2 cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
olive oil spray

FOR THE GRAVY:

1/4 cup drippings from fat
4 cups turkey juices from cooking fat separated

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

FOR THE TURKEY:

2 to 3 days in advance, place your frozen turkey into a deep-sided dish or pan and place into your refrigerator to thaw.**
Day of: remove the turkey from it's packaging and pat dry with paper towel.
Stuff the halved heads of garlic into the chicken breast cavity and place into your 6 to 8 quart oval slow cooker. Depending on the size of your turkey, you may need to angle it to fit.
Surround the turkey breast with the chopped vegetables and bay leaf.
Next, in a bowl, combine the stock, tamari and white wine before pouring overtop of the turkey breast.
In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, rubbed sage and thyme. Sprinkle over the turkey and vegetables.
Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (or on high for 5 to 6 hours) or until a thermometer reads 165° when inserted into the thickest part of the turkey breast.
Once cooked, carefully transfer the turkey to a oven safe roasting dish. Make sure the pan is next to the slow cooker so the transfer is easy.
Spray the turkey skin with olive oil and slide the turkey breast under the broiler (on the lowest rack) until the skin is crispy and golden. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
Allow the turkey to reast for 10 to 20 minutes before carving.
Remove the breasts from the bones to a carving board. Slice and serve with gravy.

FOR THE GRAVY:

With a slotted spoon remove the vegetables and bay leaf from the slow cooker and disard.
Pour the turkey drippings into a fat separator. Pour the juices out through a strainer (to catch any impurities) and into a separate liquid measuring cup - reserving the fat. You will need 4 cups.
Into a saucepan, add 1/4 cup of the fat and heat on medium heat. Sprinkle in 4 to 6 tablespoons of wondra flour (eyeball it) and whisk to form a paste. Cook the roux for a minute or so.
While whisking, pour in the reserved (4 cups) turkey juices (not fat) into the sauce pan and bring to a low-boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the gravy has thickened. If need be, you can make a cornstarch slurry by combining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and whisking it into a bubling gravy.

Notes

*Times will vary depending on size of your turkey.

**allow 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey.

NOTE: This recipe is for a whole turkey breast (two breasts with backbone and without legs and wings) and not a whole turkey.

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Nutrition