Easy Crockpot Turkey Breast (Bone-In Slow Cooker Recipe)
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Free up your oven this Thanksgiving! This Crockpot Turkey Breast is seasoned, hands off, and comes out perfectly juicy every time.
Cooking a turkey breast in the crockpot (or slow cooker, same thing) is perfect for small gatherings when you’re not feeding a crowd, or if you don’t want a mountain of leftovers. I’ve made this more Thanksgivings than I can count, it’s become my go to whenever a whole turkey is more than my family needs.
Don’t save this one for November. A turkey breast is easy enough that I make it for a random Sunday dinner just as often as I make it for Thanksgiving.
Try my 5 ingredient Mississippi Pot Roast, or my Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken, too!
Step-by-step photos and instructions are below. Jump to the recipe card if you wish!
Can you cook a turkey in a crock pot?
Yes, absolutely! A slow cooker is actually one of the easiest ways to cook a turkey breast. It frees up your oven for sides, and the low, slow heat keeps the meat juicy without you having to babysit it.
Why you’ll love this
- This is a great recipe for beginners or first time thanksgiving cooks. It’s a super easy recipe and hands off. Just mix up the butter and seasoning, chop up some veggies, and off you go!
- Slow cooking instead of roasting will free up oven space to make rolls, sides and pies.
- The best part is, you’ll get cooking juices to make the best gravy with!
How Much Turkey Do You Need Per Person?
I go with 1.25lb per person to allow for leftovers. So, if you have 6 people, you’ll need a 7.5lb turkey breast.
What to serve with Turkey
Round out your plate with a few classic sides. My Easy Stuffing Recipe and Sweet Potato Casserole are must haves at our table every year, and an Easy Green Bean Casserole rounds things out with a little crunch. Don’t forget something to mop up all that gravy with, my 30 Minute Dinner Rolls come together fast and taste like you spent all day on them. And since you’ll have all those flavorful drippings from the crockpot, my Make Ahead Gravy is the perfect way to put them to use.
Step-by-step photos and tips and tricks are below. Jump to the full recipe card instead
Key Recipe Ingredients
Note: This highlights some ingredients. Full list is in the recipe card.
- Bone-in turkey breast. Grab a 6 to 8 pound bone-in turkey breast, and make sure it’s fully thawed before it goes in the crockpot. The bone helps keep the meat from drying out, plus it adds a ton of flavor to your gravy. No bone-in on hand? A boneless turkey breast works too, it’ll just cook a bit faster, so start checking the temperature earlier, probably around the 4 to 5 hour mark. Keep in mind bone-in tends to come out juicier and gives your gravy more flavor, so it’s worth using if you can find it.
- Onion, carrots, and celery. These three go in the bottom of the slow cooker to make a bed for the turkey to sit on, and they flavor all those drippings you’ll turn into gravy later. Roughly chop the onion and celery, but leave the carrots whole, they hold up better over the long cook and are easy to pull out later. Don’t have celery on hand? Just skip it, the onion and carrots will still do the job.
- Fresh sage. Adds a warm, earthy flavor that just says “holiday” the second it hits the pan. Totally optional if you don’t have any on hand, or swap in fresh thyme or rosemary instead.
- Salted butter. Melted and mixed with the seasonings, this is what gives the turkey all that flavor. If all you’ve got is unsalted, that’s fine too, just add a pinch more salt to the seasoning mix to make up for it.
- Poultry seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. This is your flavor blend, melted right into the butter before it goes over the turkey. Poultry seasoning is a shortcut mix of herbs like sage, thyme, and rosemary, so store-bought works great, or make your own with my homemade poultry seasoning if you want to control what’s in it. No garlic powder on hand? A little extra salt will make up for the missing savory note. Regular paprika works in place of smoked, you’ll just lose a bit of that smokiness.
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How to make this recipe
This is a step-by-step photo guide. Full ingredients and instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
Get prepped. Peel the onion, and chop roughly. Peel the carrots, keep them whole. Slice the celery into large chunks. Place the onions, carrots and celery and sage in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place your turkey breast on top of the vegetables.
Blot your turkey dry of any moisture with paper towels (this will help the butter/seasoning stick to your turkey).
Melt the butter, and add the poultry seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine
Pour the butter and seasoning mixture over the turkey breast.
Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours. Cook time will vary, so you will need to cook until a digital meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reads 165°F.
Remove the turkey from the slow cooker and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Slice and serve with gravy and cranberry sauce.
Kylee’s Notes
Loosen the skin before seasoning. Gently work your fingers between the skin and the meat, then rub some of the butter mixture directly underneath before pouring the rest over the top. Getting flavor right against the meat, not just sitting on the surface, makes a real difference in taste.
Keep the lid on. Every time you lift it to peek, you let out heat and add extra cook time. Trust the clock for most of the cook, then check with a thermometer only near the end.
Place the turkey breast-side up. This lets the seasoned butter run down over the meat as it cooks instead of pooling underneath, and sets you up for better color if you broil the skin after.
Pull it a few degrees early and let carryover cooking finish the job. Take the turkey out around 160 to 162°F instead of waiting for a full 165°F on the dot. The internal temperature keeps climbing for several minutes after it’s out of the slow cooker, so this actually helps you land right on 165°F without drying out the meat by overshooting.
Rest it tented in foil before slicing. Skipping this step means the juices run out onto the cutting board the second you cut in, instead of staying in the meat where they belong.
Broil it for crispy skin. After the turkey comes out of the slow cooker, place it on a baking sheet and briefly broil until the skin crisps up. Keep a close eye on it, it can go from golden to burnt fast under the broiler.
Swap in other veggies. Add other vegetables to the slow cooker like garlic, lemon, or different fresh herbs to change up the flavor underneath the turkey.
Try the onion soup mix shortcut. Mix a packet of onion soup mix into the melted butter for an easy, no-fuss flavor boost.
What to do with leftover turkey
Leftover turkey is great in my Turkey Rice Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, or in Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders.
Storage
Store leftover turkey in a covered or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To freeze, let the turkey cool completely, then store it in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Reheating
The best way to reheat sliced turkey is low and slow so it doesn’t dry out. In the oven, cover the turkey with foil and a splash of broth or gravy, then warm at 300°F until heated through. In the microwave, cover with a damp paper towel and heat in short bursts, checking often. On the stovetop, warm it in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of broth, stirring occasionally.
What temperature should turkey be cooked to?
Turkey should be cooked to 165°F internal temperature when tested with a instant read thermometer in the thickest part.
Recipe Tips & Troubleshooting
- My turkey turned out dry. This usually means it cooked past 165°F before you caught it. Slow cookers vary a lot in actual heat output, so always go by a thermometer instead of the clock, and pull it a few degrees early since it keeps cooking a bit after you take it out.
- The skin is rubbery instead of crispy. That’s totally normal, slow cooking keeps everything moist, which means the skin never gets a chance to crisp up on its own. That’s exactly why the broiling step at the end exists, don’t skip it if you want crispy skin.
- It’s taking way longer than 7 hours. A couple things could be going on. Check that the turkey was fully thawed before it went in, any icy spots in the middle will add serious time. Also try not to lift the lid to check on it, every peek lets heat escape and resets the clock a bit.
- The turkey breast doesn’t fit in my slow cooker. You’ll need a large oval slow cooker, at least 7 quarts, a round one just won’t have the room. If yours is on the smaller side, look for a smaller turkey breast (closer to 5 to 6 pounds) rather than forcing a bigger one in.
- My gravy turned out watery. This happens when there’s more liquid in the pot than your gravy recipe expects. Strain out the vegetables, then simmer the liquid on the stovetop for a few minutes to reduce it before thickening with your flour or cornstarch slurry.
- The vegetables on the bottom burned or dried out. This is usually a sign the slow cooker ran hotter than expected, or the veggies were chopped too small. Stick to larger, rough chopped pieces so they hold up over the full cook time.
FAQs
Plan on at least 1 day of thawing in the refrigerator for every 4 pounds of frozen turkey. So an 8 pound turkey breast needs about 2 full days in the fridge to thaw safely.
It’s not recommended. For food safety, your turkey breast needs to be fully thawed before it goes in the slow cooker. Cooking from frozen means the outside can sit in the “danger zone” temperature range too long before the inside catches up.
You will need a large, oval shaped slow cooker. At least 7 quarts. A round one will not be big enough.
Nope! The turkey and vegetables release plenty of their own juices as they cook, so you don’t need to add any water or broth. Adding extra liquid can actually water down the flavor of your gravy later.
A 6 to 8 pound turkey breast will take about 6 to 7 hours on low. Cook times can vary a bit depending on your slow cooker, so don’t rely on the clock alone, use a meat thermometer to be sure. Don’t be tempted to cook on high to speed things up, low and slow really is the way to go here.
More recipes to love
- Easy Scalloped Potatoes. There’s a video on this one, showing how EASY this is to make!
- Twice Baked Potatoes. A drool-worthy side dish, these Twice Baked Potatoes are SO good! Make a lot and freeze some for another day.
- Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts. Roasted Brussels sprouts, paired with delicate shallots, salty bacon and a bit of parmesan – YES PLEASE
- Glazed Carrots. A simple side dish, using the sweetness of brown sugar combined with fresh rosemary. These Rosemary Glazed Carrots are great for holidays or just a regular Tuesday!
- Sautéed Green Beans. Garlic and shallots gently flavor these sautéed green beans making them a wonderful weeknight or holiday side dish!
- All Thanksgiving Recipes
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Slow Cooker Turkey Breast (bone in)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 4 carrots
- 4 celery stalks
- 2 sprigs fresh sage optional
- 6-8 pound bone in turkey breast thawed
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Get Prepped: Place the 1 onion, 4 carrots, 4 celery stalks, and 2 sprigs fresh sage in the bottom of your slow cooker. Place a 6-8 pound bone in turkey breast on top of the vegetables. Blot the turkey dry with paper towels (this helps the butter and seasoning stick)
- Make the Seasoning Butter: Melt 4 tablespoons butter, then whisk in 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Pour the mixture over the turkey breast.
- Cook: Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, or until a digital thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 165°F. Remove the turkey from the slow cooker and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Serve: Slice and serve.
Notes
- Go by temperature, not the clock. Every slow cooker runs a little different, so start checking at the 6 hour mark with a digital thermometer. Pull it around 160 to 162°F, it’ll climb the rest of the way to 165°F as it rests.
- You’ll need a large oval slow cooker, at least 7 quarts. A round one won’t fit a bone-in breast this size.
- Don’t toss those drippings! Strain them and use them to make gravy while the turkey rests.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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About Kylee Ayotte
I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee
