Juicy Crock Pot Turkey Breast with pan gravy

This Crock Pot Turkey Breast is the easiest way to cook a turkey breast and frees up your oven for all those yummy appetizers, sides, and desserts! Slow cooking in the crock pot keeps this turkey breast moist and juicy! Afterward, use the drippings to make a rich and savory pan gravy. After all, a turkey dinner isn’t complete without gravy! This Crock Pot Turkey Breast is perfect for a small gathering of between 1 and 6 people.

A plate of sliced slow-cooked turkey breast with dressing, green beans, cranberry relish, and turkey pan gravy. In the background, there is a gravy boat filled with pan gravy and a dish of cranberry relish.

Crock Pot Turkey Breast

Sometimes, it feels wasteful to cook a giant Turkey for just my husband, myself, and our daughter, so we looked for ways to have a small-scale holiday dinner without a ton of leftovers. This easy slow cooker [paid link] recipe lets us enjoy our Thanksgiving dinner without all the fuss.  A Crock Pot Turkey Breast is SO easy to make and is great for feeding a small group of guests. A carved turkey breast can easily feed up to 6  people.

If this is your first time cooking a turkey breast, the slow cooker [paid link] is a great choice. Since it holds in the steam, the very cooking method helps keep the turkey very moist making this recipe very forgiving.

A slow-cooked turkey breast on a platter surrounded by green beans. In the background, there is a gravy boat filled with pan gravy and a dish of cranberry relish.

How to Make a Crock Pot Turkey Breast

  • Rub the turkey with oil or butter – Butter imparts a rich flavor and adds moisture to your Thanksgiving turkey. First, rub some on the outer skin to help the herbs and spices adhere to the skin, and then add any leftovers under the skin. This will baste the turkey and help keep it moist.
  • Sprinkle with herbs and spices – Season turkey with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and minced rosemary. Any of these spices is optional and may be omitted. Thyme is also a very popular spice as well as cajun seasoning. Add the flavors your family enjoys!
  • Place the Turkey and vegetables in the slow cooker [paid link] for 5 to 6 hours on low – Place the turkey on top of the chopped onion, celery, and carrots. The vegetables keep the turkey elevated while slow cooking and they impart their flavors into the pan juices that come out of the turkey. This will form the pan gravy in the final step.
  • Broil or Bake to crisp up the skin (Optional) – As you might imagine, the turkey skin doesn’t crisp up the way an oven-roasted turkey but as a part of a low-fat diet, we don’t generally eat the skin anyway. However, if you wanted to crisp up the skin, you could pop the turkey in the oven for a few minutes under the broiler to brown it up as we’ve done here.
  • Prepare the pan gravyWhile the turkey is crisping up in the oven, finish the gravy on the stovetop.
An image of the ingredients for crock pot Turkey breast.

Ingredients for Crock Pot Turkey Breast

Turkey Breast

  • Turkey Breast ,(5-6 lb) bone-in fresh or defrosted
  • Butter, unsalted
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Ground Black Pepper
  • Rosemary optional, stem removed, minced
  • Poultry seasoning
  • Carrot
  • Celery
  • Onion
  • Chicken or Turkey cooking stock, unsalted

Pan Gravy

  • Pan drippings, reserved from cooking
  • Butter, unsalted
  • All-purpose flour or cornstarch
  • Turkey or chicken stock is optional, as needed for gravy
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Poultry seasoning to taste, optional

How to Carve a Turkey Breast

  1. Find the breastbone between the center of the two breasts. Insert your knife beside the side of that bone and slice down to the Carving board.
  2. As you slice, stay as close to that breastbone as possible and you’ll see the breast meat start to naturally separate from the bones.
  3. Set the breast aside and repeat these steps with the other breast. 
  4. Slice each breast as thinly as possible, place on the platter, and then gently fan the slices apart.
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What to serve with Turkey

Turkey breast is often the centerpiece for holiday dinners for many families for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. With that in mind, I offer the following side dishes as serving suggestions.

Tradition calls for Mashed potatoes, turnips & carrots, glazed carrots, and stuffing. Other family favorites include creamy mac n Cheese, corn pudding, cranberry relish, cranberry sauce, and homemade apple sauce.

For dessert, Pumpkin cake rolls are always a hit along with this pumpkin pie pudding.

For beverages, I suggest these Apple Mojitos, warm Holiday punch Mocktails, and Homemade eggnog.


Need recipes to use up leftover Turkey? Check out these recipes:

Creamy Turkey Rice Casserole

Crock Pot Turkey Breast 14

Want to try this Crock Pot Turkey Recipe?

Pin it to your TURKEY, THANKSGIVING, DINNER, OR CROCK POT board & SAVE it for later!

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©Kitchen Dreaming by KitchenDreaming.com


This Crock Pot Turkey Breast is the easiest way to cook a turkey breast. Slow cooking in the crock pot keeps this turkey breast moist and juicy! Afterward, use the drippings to make a rich and savory pan gravy. After all, turkey dinner isn't complete without gravy! This Crock Pot Turkey Breast is perfect for a small gathering of between 1 and 6 people.

Crock Pot Turkey Breast

Ronda Eagle | Kitchen Dreaming
This Crock Pot Turkey Breast is the easiest way to cook a turkey breast and frees up your oven for all those tasty appetizers, sides, and desserts! It is moist and juicy and takes just minutes to prepare. Afterward, use the drippings to make a superb pan gravy! A roast dinner isn't complete without gravy. This Crock Pot Turkey Breast (slow cooker [paid link]) is perfect for a small gathering of between 1 and 6 people.
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 602 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 6 pound Turkey Breast ,(5-6 lb) bone-in fresh or defrosted
  • 2 tbsp Butter, unsalted or oil
  • 1 tsp Salt (to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 sprig Rosemary optional, stem removed, minced
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground poultry seasoning
  • 1 carrot , rough chopped
  • 1 stalk of celery , rough chopped
  • 1/2 onion , rough chopped
  • 1/2 cup Chicken cooking stock, unsalted

Pan Gravy

  • 2 cups pan drippings , reserved from cooking
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour ,(4 tablespoons) [See Note 1]
  • Turkey or chicken stock optional, as needed for gravy
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Poultry seasoning to taste, optional

Instructions
 

  • Clean and rinse the turkey under cold water and pat dry. Coat the turkey with oil or butter. Place any leftover butter under the skin by making small pockets. his will help to baste the turkey while cooking.
  • Season the turkey with salt and pepper on all sides and inside the cavity. If desired, add also some poultry seasoning and freshly minced herbs like rosemary and thyme.
  • Into the bottom of a 6-quart crock pot, add the vegetables and stock, then transfer the turkey into the slow cooker [paid link].
  • Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the juices run clear.
  • Remove the turkey from Crock Pot. Reserve the vegetables and pan drippings in the crock pot. These will be used in step 2 below.
  • If crisping up the skin set it on a rimmed baking sheet [paid link] and transfer it into a preheated oven set to broil. Broil for approximately 1 minute on each side being careful not to burn. [See Note 2]
  • Remove the turkey from the oven and set aside to rest; for 10 to 15 minutes. While the turkey rests, prepare the pan gravy,
  • Once rested, carve the turkey breast and place it on a serving platter. [See Note 3]

Pan Gravy

  • Into a small saucepan [paid link], add the butter and melt of medium heat, Once the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk [paid link] to combine.
    This forms the roux which is the base of the gravy. The longer you cook the roux, the darker it will become. This will make your gravy a little darker and flavorful. For chicken and turkey gravy, try for a honey-colored roux.
  • Next, strain the pan drippings into the crock pot and discard the vegetables. You will need at least 2 cups of drippings for the pan gravy. If there are not enough drippings to fill 2 cups of liquid, use chicken or turkey stock or broth to make up the difference.
  • Whisk [paid link] in the 2 cups of pan drippings and season with salt, ground black pepper, and ground poultry seasoning, if desired.
  • Bring gravy to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly – removing any lumps. Once you reach a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until the gravy thickens to your desired consistency, about 2 to 5 minutes.
    If the gravy becomes too thick you may opt to thin it out with some additional chicken stock, turkey stock, or water.

Notes

  1. For gluten-free gravy, use cornstarch in place of the flour.
  2. When crisping the skin, place turkey breast on a sheet pan [paid link] or baking dish under broiler till you get the desired crispness on the skin. Be sure to key an eye on it, as a broiler can burn food quickly.
  3. Carving the Turkey Breast
    • Find the breastbone between the center of the two breasts. Insert your knife beside the side of that bone and slice down to the Carving board.
    • As you slice, stay as close to that breastbone as possible and you’ll see the breast meat start to naturally separate from the bones. Repeat with the top portion of the breast.
    • Set the breast aside and repeat these steps for the other breast. 
    • Slice each breast as thinly as possible, place on the platter, and then gently fan the slices apart. 

Nutrition

Serving: 60zCalories: 602kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 101gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 275mgSodium: 1450mgPotassium: 1242mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 2148IUVitamin C: 1mgVitamin D: 0.5µgVitamin E: 1mgVitamin K: 4µgCalcium: 80mgFolate: 46µgIron: 3mgZinc: 6mg
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