This Slow Cooker Turkey Breast is a show stopper that’s bursting with buttery garlic-herb flavours, an outrageous super crispy skin and a Garlic Butter Gravy that’s absolutely to-die for!
Slow cooking is without question the safest and easiest way to cook turkey breast without brining or marinating. The flesh is juicy, it’s completely hands off, and it’s a forgiving recipe. And it’s ideal to prep ahead!
Slow Cooker turkey breast
This is the slow cooker version of last years’ Roasted Garlic Herb Butter Turkey Breast. The slow cooker option was in such high demand, I ended up creating it and cramming the recipe in the notes, putting it in the running for the world’s longest recipe directions.
And as Christmas and Thanksgiving approaches for another year, I finally got my butt into gear and filmed the slow cooker version properly so I could share it with you.
So it’s here. Garlic Herb SLOW COOKER Turkey Breast. Just 12 months after it was originally requested!!😂
This is what you get with this recipe
✅ Easy, forgiving recipe made in the slow cooker, freeing up your oven for other things;
✅ Juicy flesh – no dry turkey breast around here! Proof -> see reader feedback on the classic Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast, there’s plenty! This Garlic Herb Turkey Breast uses the same cooking technique;
✅ Garlic-Herb-Butter flavour – all that flavour slathered under the skin so it drips down and bastes the turkey while it’s cooking…..
✅ Crispy skin – you are going to be BLOWN AWAY how crispy the skin is! It’s way crispier than traditional roasted turkey – and it stays crispy. It takes mere minutes under the grill/broiler just before serving!
✅ Garlic Butter Gravy – As if all that’s not enough, we’re topping all that off with the most incredible gravy… The favour in that gravy is outrageous. OUTRAGEOUS! It’s buttery, garlicky, a bit herby, but mostly it’s the turkey juices. You will be amazed how much juice comes out of the turkey!
Garlic Herb Butter for Slow Cooker turkey breast
The garlic-butter slather is the key flavour base for this recipe. Lots of butter, lots of garlic, plus herbs of choice – fresh or dried.
Fresh herbs are extra great so try to get at least one if not two fresh herbs if you can. I’ve used thyme, sage, parsley and rosemary – the dried version of all of these are great too.
Slather everywhere!
Get that butter all over the turkey, in all the crevices and folds, but most of all, get it under the skin. This is where you get the most mileage out of the butter because it’s trapped between the skin and the flesh so while some drips down the turkey while it cooks, some of it also stays under the skin.
Just imagine all the good things happening during all those hours while it slow cooks!!
You’re going to cop a great eyeful of my unmistakable hands in the recipe video doing all the slathering action. No cheeky comments! 😂
Tip to loosen skin
Use an upside down tablespoon. Perfect shape to hug the curves and avoids piercing skin.
Cooking turkey breast in slow cooker (crockpot)
I like to place the turkey breast on top of a halved onion and head of garlic. This serves two purposes:
1. Elevates the turkey breast so it doesn’t braise in its own juices (cooks faster, can dry it out); and
2. Infuses the liquid from the turkey with extra flavour which is used to make the amazing garlic butter gravy.
Slow cook for 6 hours on LOW, but to be on the safe side, check the internal temperature at 5 hours. Variables such as how chilled the centre of your turkey is, the strength of your slow cooker, thickness of the breast can all affect how long it takes.
Internal temperature of cooked turkey
75C / 165F using a meat thermometer inserted into the centre of the turkey breast.
A MEAT THERMOMETER IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Even a cheap one from Ebay or Kmart. It’s a very worthwhile investment – and will take the guesswork out of cooking.
It’s especially important for things like turkey breast which are lean and prone to drying out when overcooked.
Crisp the skin – don’t skip this!
This is an essential step and it’s the crowning glory of this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast. Just pop the turkey under the grill/broiler for a mere 5 minutes, and watch with amazement how the pale, unappetising looking skin transforms into a deeply bronzed, ultra crispy skin…
DOESN’T THIS LOOK AMAZING??!! And don’t forget there’s GARLIC-HERB-BUTTER UNDER THE SKIN!!
*Sorry for shouting, just overly excited*
I know I said the crispy skin is the crowning glory, but I forgot – there’s another one:
The turkey garlic butter gravy
All those flavours from the Garlic-Herb-Butter we slathered on the turkey, mingling with the juices from the turkey with the added flavour from the onion and garlic on the base of the slow cooker….
It’s a gravy unlike any other!!
What to serve with turkey
Turkey breast is more often than not a centrepiece for holiday feasting such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here are some traditional and some of my personal favourite side dish suggestions!
Thanksgiving sides for turkey
Christmas sides for turkey
DON’T STRESS. This is a forgiving recipe!
Turkey breast has a reputation for being notoriously difficult to cook because it’s so lean, so it can go from perfectly juicy to dry in a flash in the oven. You don’t need to stress about precise timing in this recipe because slow cookers are far more forgiving than ovens because they cook at such a low temp – PLUS we’re adding (plenty!) of fat into this recipe with the butter.
One or two hours over, and the turkey breast will still be juicy.
But if you do accidentally overcook it slightly, don’t fret. Slice the turkey thinly and pass around plenty of that fabulous Garlic Butter Gravy, and I bet no one even notices!!! ~ Nagi x
PS For neatly categorised Thanksgiving recipes, head here!
More turkey recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
It is quite ridiculous how small my hands look compared to that GIANT turkey breast! 😂
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Garlic Herb Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 2.5 – 3 kg / 5-6 lb single turkey breast , skin on, bone in (Note 1), NOT BRINED
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- 1 brown onion , halved
- 1 head of garlic , halved horizontally
- 3 sprigs rosemary, 8 sprigs thyme (optional)
- Oil , for drizzling (for skin)
Garlic Herb Butter (Note 2):
- 150 g / 10 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 large garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp EACH finely chopped fresh sage, rosemary leaves, thyme leaves and parsley , fresh
Garlic Butter Gravy:
- Chicken broth/stock, for topping up (if required)
- 1/3 cup / 50g flour
- 1/2 tsp + dark soy sauce (or gravy colouring) (Note 3)
Instructions
- Garlic Herb Butter: Mix ingredients together.
- Loosen skin (video helpful): Pat breast dry. Use small knife to cut slit on one side to separate skin from flesh. Slide upside tablespoon between flesh and skin, all over turkey.
- Slather: Slather about 2/3 of the butter under the skin, then the remaining all over the surface including underside.
- Season skin: Sprinkle surface with 1/2 tsp salt + pepper. (Can leave overnight – 2 days at this stage)
- Put in Slow Cooker: Place garlic and onion in slow cooker (mine is 5L / 5 qt). Place turkey on top, skin side up. Top with thyme and rosemary sprigs.
- Slow Cook: Cook 6 hours on low, first checking at 4 hours to be safe, until internal temperature reads 75C/165F when inserted into the middle.
- Rest: Transfer turkey to baking tray (reserve juices). Cover loosely with foil, rest for 20 minutes.
- Crisp: Remove herb sprigs, drizzle turkey with oil (not butter, it burns / not as crispy). Place under a broiler/grill on high (~30cm/12″ from heat source) for 5 to 10 minutes until skin is crispy and bronzed – keep an eye on it, it’s quick.
- Serve turkey with gravy on the side (below), or Cranberry Sauce.
Gravy:
- Strain slow cooker juices into a bowl. Press juices out of onion and garlic. If you've got less than 2.5-3 cups (675-750ml) of liquid, top up with store bought broth/stock.
- When liquid settles, spoon off about 1/4 cup fat/butter from surface.
- Place in saucepan set over medium heat. When it bubbles, add flour and mix for 1 minute.
- Add all slow cooker juices into saucepan. Stir until lump free (use whisk if necessary). Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until it thickens.
- Add dark soy (if using), pepper and salt to taste. Pour into jug and serve with turkey.
Recipe Notes:
1 kg / 2 lb: 4 – 5 hours on low
2 – 3 kg / 4 – 6 lb: 5 – 6 hours on low
4 kg / 8 lb: 6 – 7 hours on low
5 kg / 10 lb: 7 -8 hours on low * Check internal temp at the earliest time, until internal temperature reads 165F/75C when inserted into the middle.* Cook time can be variable – affected by things like turkey thickness, strength of slow cooker, how chilled the centre is etc. Slow cookers are very forgiving so don’t stress too much about cooking time, an hour or 2 over and it will still be moist. Other cook methods: Recipe not suitable for slow cooking on HIGH, or pressure cooker. Instant Pot – use slow cooker function on low and follow recipe, do not use pressure cooker function. See here for roasting. 5. GENERAL NOTES:
* Butter Sauce alternative to gravy: Pour strained slow cooker juices into a saucepan and reduce by about half. Also nice with a spritz of fresh lemon juice! Add more butter for richness.
* No water is required for this, you wil be amazed how much liquid is leached by the turkey (see video). 6. SERVING:
Amount per person: Allow 300g / 10 oz UNCOOKED weight per person for bone in turkey.
Slice thinly from the fat end of the breast. If you know the turkey is 100% perfectly cooked to right internal temp, can also slice thickly.
Serve warm: Because breast is so lean, it needs to be warm when served for optimum juiciness. So it’s best to slice as required. Otherwise, cut thickly (like pictured) then cover with cling wrap and warm gently just before serving. If the turkey is a bit overdone and not as juicy as desired, slice thinly and pass around plenty of gravy! 7. MAKE AHEAD / REHEATING:
Prep ahead: Can slather with butter then leave in fridge overnight to 2 days (in fact, this brines the turkey a bit which = extra juiciness!).
Cooked early: If the turkey is ready early, turn slow cooker off and leave it in there for a couple of hours (better than leaving on warm setting as if your slow cooker warm setting is too strong, can dry turkey out). Crisp skin just prior to serving.
Reheating: Turkey breast is best cooked fresh because it’s a leaner meat. However, if it can’t be avoided, slow cooked breast (pre crisping) can be reheated on low in the microwave, then crisp before serving. 8. Got turkey leftovers? Use it up in White Turkey Enchilada Soup, Garlic Bread Leftover Turkey Pot Pie or Muffulettas! 9. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 servings and that all the gravy is consumed.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published November 2018, writing cleaned up and re-edited video added November 2019. No change to recipe!
LIFE OF DOZER
Oh those tantalising smells…..
OK, I love the way this sounds – so good! But question. I’m cooking a frozen turkey breast 6.51 lbs for about 5 – 6 hrs using an olive oil/spices rub. (I did not put under the skin before and should have.) When you put it in the crock pot do you put it in breast up or breast down? In the recipes I’ve used I did breast up and it’s really dry. Thanks for the help.
Hi Bonnie! Breast side up 🙂 If it’s been dry, it sounds like it’s been overcooked. Are you sure you had your slow cooker on low? Start checking the internal temp early! N x
If I am to cook a 10lb boneless turkey breast, how long shall I cook it for in my crockpot? Thank you!
A lot of frozen turkey breasts I’m finding in Australia are crowns – double breast, and self basting. How will this affect the cooking?
Hi Lisa! Skip the salt in the garlic herb butter, just add a pinch instead (self basting frozen turkey already has a ton of salt injected into the flesh). Then proceed to apply the rub per recipe, then also cook per recipe. The cook times for crowns are about the same as a single breast if they are the same size 🙂 Just be sure to start early checking the internal temp! N x
Thank you. Cooking for 12 on Christmas day. Eek!
Will this recipe work well with dark meat turkey cut?
ABSOLUTELY!!!! So SO good. What cut / weight are you thinking?? N x
Will this work as well on a boneless, skinless turkey breast if it’s just rubbed on it?
Yes! What I would do: rub half the butter all over the breast, the place in slow cooker. Refrigerate the rest for a while in a “log” shape, then place it on top of the breast in the slow cooker. The melting action will help baste baste baste! 🙂 N x
I am looking forward to preparing this for Thanksgiving. My only glitch is my stove’s broiler is inoperatable. How can I achieve the crisp for the turkey? I am thinking possibly the oven somehow?? It is only a 6 lb breast….I suppose I could use a neighbor’s broiler in desperation!!
Any suggestions? It’s the best part of the turkey….have to have that crispy skin!!
Thank you,
Barbara
Hi Barbara! Crank up the oven as high as it will go, that will have the same effect 🙂 Just don’t walk away – the skin crisps up real fast! You don’t want it in there for long because otherwise the turkey keeps cooking! N x
How big is your crock pot? I have 6 quarts one and thinking if it will fit there. Thank you!
6 quarts will be fine Arina! Mine is 5 quarts 🙂 N x
Awesome!!! Thank you so much! And happy thanksgiving!
Will the turkey breast fall apart in the crockpot?
No! Definitely not 🙂
What if I dont have a slow cooker big enough Can i cook it in the oven
Hi John! Here’s the roasted version of this recipe 🙂 -> https://salesdock.info/garlic-herb-butter-roasted-turkey-breast/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Can I do this in the oven if I don’t have a slow cooker? 300 degrees?
Hi Patty! Use this recipe – it’s the baked version of this recipe! https://salesdock.info/garlic-herb-butter-roasted-turkey-breast/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Could you use this recipe on a 12 lb spatchcock Turkey? And what would the cooking time be?
Hi Judy! Depending on how the spatchcock Turkey fits in your slow cooker, it will probably range from 6 to 8 hours on low. It’s hard to say without knowing the size of your slow cooker. It will take longer if your turkey is “squished” (I’m imagining the shape of a spatchccok turkey in a slow cooker). 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi,
I made this turkey today, 7lbs, double breast. It came out so dry. I had to broil it 10 mins per breast. Do you think that dried it out?
The gravy was so good!
Hi Vanitha – I’m so sorry sorry to hear that! Are you sure you had it on the low setting?? It’s so odd that a double breast that size could overcook in the time per the recipe 🙂 N x
I honestly wasn’t going to make anything for Thanksgiving this year, since it’s just me and my boyfriend and I have to work thanksgiving afternoon (I work in healthcare). However, after seeing this video, I have absolutely changed my mind and will be giving this recipe a shot next week. I’ll have to search around to see if I can find some non-brined turkey breast but I’m glad alternatives are listed for the recipe in case I cannot. Eager to report back how it turns out. Thanks in advance for posting this. I always wanted to try to make some meat for the holidays but most recipes are for so much food that I could never finish myself.
Hi Amber! This one isn’t brined so there’s no having to prep the day before! Though you CAN if you want to, to make your day easier 🙂 Thank you for what you do – where would the world be without people like you? If we were in the same area, I’d deliver Thanksgiving dinner to you! N x
Hi Nagi,
Do you dry brine the turkey breast, or is this not needed for this cooking method?
Thank you!
Hi Rebecca! It’s not required for this recipe, SO MUCH BUTTER! And also it’s slow cooked 🙂 N x
What can i use besides onion and garlic on the bottom of the crock pot?
Hi Lori! A handful of scrunched up green onions would be terrific! 🙂 N x
Thank you for your response.
Any more suggestions. We are a non onion eating family.
Carrots and celery?
Ah! In which case just skip it! There’s plenty of flavour from the herbs here. You won’t be lacking flavour! N x
Where can I buy this turkey breast?
How long would you recommend cooking a whole turkey about 20 pounds or so???
Looks yummy. What can be done with leftovers.
Your recipe looks absolutely delicious. Could I do this with thighs instead?
Does that turkey breast hav a leg too? Would I have to special order this cut?
Hi Toni! Definitely not! This works with any turkey breast cut, with or without bone, single or double. 🙂 Have a read of Note 1 which explains all the different turkey cuts ! N x
Toni–Surely you are “pulling” our leg. That must be the wing with the pointy end cut off. You could cut the rest of the wing off (it’s just like a chicken, only smaller) the joint is up next to the breast meat. You could roast it separately, with seasonings, and use it to make the turkey broth for the gravy, or just drop it in the slow cooker with the turkey. Kitchen Bouquet is a great product to use in gravies and meat sauces to add color without affecting the taste. It is a concentrate so use sparingly. This is found stateside, may have a different name in AU. Have a great Thanksgiving! TexasGal
Hi Dee! Actually, you’re right. I always assumed it was the leg but looking at a whole turkey, it’s the wing drummette! 🙂 N x
Will it taste like it was boiled? For example I can’t stand boiled chicken.
NO!!! It basically roasts inside the slow cooker 🙂