With the holidays approaching here is a great alternative to making your turkey in the oven you can cook it in your crockpot! Here are some simple tips and directions on How to cook a Turkey Breast in the Slow Cooker. Yes you can make your turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas in your slow cooker which means you save time and room in your oven. There are many different recipes for spices to use, but you can use what ever you want. I typically season my turkey breast as I would roasting a large turkey in the oven.
How to cook a Turkey Breast in the Slow Cooker
The first step is picking out a turkey breast that is 5-7 lbs, but you must keep in mind how big your slow cooker is. I used a 6 QT Oblong Crockpot and usually get around a 6 lb bone-in turkey breast.
I place my turkey breast on a plate and let it thaw in the fridge for a few days. I like to make sure the turkey breast is completely thawed (or use fresh) before I cook it.
When I am ready to cook the turkey, I clean it well and remove any gravy packets or turkey parts that may be placed in it. I leave the skin on my turkey breast, but you can remove yours if you like.
Place the turkey breast in the slow cooker, add 1/2 cup water and then season with 1 TBSP thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley. I prefer to rub real butter both on top of the skin and under the skin and then rub my spices all over.
You may also enjoy Turkey Breast of Wonder which is prepared in the Crockpot too!
Next place the lid on and let your turkey breast cook 8 hours on low. Then remove and let is sit for 10 minutes to allow Turkey to rest. At this point some people like to place the turkey breast in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp or brown the skin. I do not do this but some of my friends have and say it's wonderful.
Carve and serve with your favorite trimmings!
I love making my Turkey Breast in the Slow Cooker because I do not have to do any work and it helps take the stress away when cooking on the holidays. Be sure to try making your turkey this way for Thanksgiving and Christmas - you will not be disappointed!
Check out this slow cooker conversion chart as it helps to figure out if you are adjusting the time.
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Shelley is a boy mom, marine wife, and is blessed with an amazing family. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.
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Sue-ellen Bauer
Can you stuff this slow cooker turkey breast?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Yes, you can! Not necessary but you can!
Kerri
The turkey breast I purchased weighs in at a whopping 9 pounds - I think it will fit in my giant crock pot, but how much more time would I add to the 8 hours?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
I would say 2 hours max.
Kerri
Thanks! That was my thought too but wanted a 2nd opinion 🙂
april
Could you do this on high for 4 hours?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Yes.
Debra M
Good thanks mine has been in the crock since 9am and has to be ready by 2 so it can cook for 5 hours max
Liane
I tried this twice, at Thanksgiving with a 7 lb breast, and at Christmas with an 8 lb breast and stuffing. The Thanksgiving breast was ready way sooner than 8 hours, and was surprisingly dry by the time we ate it! So at Christmas, I decided to cook it on am"bed" of stuffing. The stuffing was delicious, and the breast was not dry, but the extra lb & the stuffing (and we suspect the breast was not as defrosted as we thought) led to a much longer cooking period - probably 10 hours in all. We did not eat it that night because it wasn't ready with the rest of the meal! I will be trying this one more time before I discard the method. There would be a lot of pluses to having it cook in the crock pot, but so far, we have not had 100% success.
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
So my questions for you would be - what size crockpot are you using? Did you thaw it completely the first time?
Lori
I used this method to make my first Thanksgiving turkey ever this past year! So good! When I told my grandma I cooked my turkey in the crockpot, she wanted the method for her Christmas turkey and my Papa said it was great as well!
Oh, and I found this via Pinterest btw. Great recipe!
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Thanks so much! 🙂
cat
2 1/2 hours into the cooking and the water has evaporated, do I need to add more or will it be ok?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Add more water if you want but it is not necessary. You should not open the lid while cooking.
Heather
My crockpot came with a metal rack for chicken. Do you put the turkey on the metal rack in the crackpot or do you put it directly in the water?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Directly in the water.
Heather
Thank you! Can't wait to try this Thursday!
Maggie
Thanks for the recipe. I think I'll try it this year. If I were to put it under the broiler, should place the turkey on a sheet pan? I have the removable crock in my slow cooker but I don't know if it's safe to put it under the broiler.
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
According to Crock Pot - Removable stoneware is ovenproof and microwave safe. Do not use removable stoneware on gas or electric burner or under broiler.
Ann
I have been cooking turkey breasts in crockpots for decades, both for holidays and for delicious dinners. I have never added any water to the crockpot and I have never had a dry turkey breast. I have also cooked frozen turkey breasts - putting them in the night before so they have longer to cook.
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
That is great to know Ann - thanks for sharing your experience!
Lisa Adams
Can I use chicken stock instead of water?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Yes.
Lorraine W.
Hello. I cooked an 8 pound bone in turkey breast using this method for the very first time yesterday for Thanksgiving. I set my slow cooker on low and let it cook for 8 hours, then I put the breast under the broiler for several minutes to crisp the skin and make it look "prettier". It came out absolutely perfect. I even got a comment about how juicy the meat was. I'm very glad I came across your recipe, I will definitely be making it again in the future. 🙂
Gayle
I made this for Thanksgiving this year and my husband stated that it was the best turkey he has ever had and it was incredibly tender!
Diane Dalton
I made the crockpot turkey breast today. OMG it was perfect. I rubbed butter all over then added my poultry seasonings. For the liquid, I found a small carton of Nature's Promise organic chicken culinary stock. It also contains all organic onion, carrot, celery, and turmeric. I will definitely do this again next year. I'm sharing this with my daughters.
Thank you for this amazing recipe.
(I found this on Pinterest)
Crissy
I make a recipe like this. I put a lemon halved as well as an onion, quartered on the bottom of the slow cooker. Thyme and rosemary sprigs scattered on the turkey adds wonderful flavor. I have heard of people putting the turkey breast side down so the bone is on top but I have not tried it. I love turkey this way!
Charlotte McNichols
This is the only way I cook turkey anymore. The only thing I do differently, is that I use a can of chicken broth instead of water because it makes a richer gravy.
Mary
Can you cook a frozen turkey breast in the crockpot
Melissa Jennings
I would suggest thawing it prior to cooking.