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 5 hours, until internal temperature reads 165F/75C 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, 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…..
If its only possible to get a boneless, skinless breast, could I cover it with turkeybacon and tie a string around it?
Do you think that could work?
It would be a completely different recipe – something I’ll add to my list Heidi! N x
So I’ve been using this recipe for almost two years now. It is GREAT! Making it today for Easter.
I don’t have full heads of garlic. I DO have minced garlic in a jar & I also HAVE a jar with full cloves of garlic. How do I adjust the recipe so I can use one of these products that I already have?????
Hi Lori, I really don’t recommend the jarred minced garlic as it’s almost bitter as it’s sort of pickled to keep fresh. The full cloves you have, are they in a brine or just cloves? N x
Just cloves now, The liquid that was in the jar is gone.
Made this christmas day and 2 days after, worked fantastic both times! had plenty of compliments, the gravy was delicious aswell, love all your recipes and can’t wait to try more
This was amazing. We made it yesterday for Christmas and was nice to “set it and forget it”! Also made your hummus and spinach dip! DELICIOUS
Said to my wife today don’t worry about Nagi it’s this cook you need to worry about. Followed this pretty much to the letter but it wasn’t very juicy. Forgot to check after 5 hours so didn’t check until 6 and a half hours. Was 3.4 kg buff, Internal temp was about 85+ so I knew I was stuffed from that moment.
Either it was the new slow cooker used for the first time or some idiot thing I did. Anyway that’s life will try again.
Well, the Turkey buffe that I got delivered was waaay bugger than I thought it would be. Miles too big for my slow cooker! I was making your recipe somehow Nagi, coz I just knew it would be epic. I just got out my kitchen scissors, did a bit of a spatchcock number on the thing (to cram in in the biggest roasting pan I own), gave it your herby garlic butter treatment then got up at 4.30am to chuck it in the oven at 100 degrees c till lunchtime. Bit of a grill at the end and OMG. It was amazing. So delicious and juicy. Thanks for the recipe Nagi. Merry Christmas 🙂
Hi, I’m making this for the first time & it sounds amazing! Prepping it 2 days early, but I didn’t see anywhere how to store the turkey after early prep. Covered with saran wrap or how?
Hi! So I couldn’t find the turkey breast bone in, the only thing they had was roast turkey breast, would it work with this recipe or do I need to change my menu?
SOS from Canada,
I am so excited to try this. However I could not find turkey breast skin on, bone-in anywhere. So I got chicken breast skin on bone in. Do I need to adjust the cooking times? And will it be any good? Making this for Christmas Eve.
Any advice suggestions Would be sooo appreciated. Thanks and cheers everyone !
HI Jacqualine – this would work with a whole chicken perfectly. What size breast did you get as I imagine it’s significantly smaller than a turkey. N x
Hmmm, i do have a frozen frying chicken in my freezer (1.8kg) so should I use that instead?
I got 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts .634 kg total weight.
Let me know what you would do in my shoes. I would go and look for the actual proper turkey breast but there is a huge snowstorm coming through.
PS: thanks for being sooo responsive! I just recently discovered your site your recipes and I’m in love. It is so thorough but still very user-friendly. Clear and concise. I made the beef stroganoff in the crockpot on Sunday and it was absolutely delicious!
Thank you 🥰
Made this last Christmas for the first time. It is outstanding, juicy and flavorful. My whole family raved about it. Will be making it again on Friday.
Hi Nagi, I love all your recipes. We just bought a turkey breast it’s boneless and skinless. Can I still do the same method?
If there is no liquid will the turkey burn? If i am cooking 1kg turkey breast do i check at 4-5 hrs? This is my 1st time using slow cooker with no liquid.
Can I use this cooking method for a whole turkey that fits in a slow cooker?
Hi Julie, a whole turkey is rather large – do you have a slow cooker big enough to fit a whole turkey? N x
Wow! This came out soooooo good. The gravy is excellent. I should’ve followed instructions exactly because I put a lot of the seasoning underneath the skin too and I feel like that could have dried out the breast more than necessary. That is just my suspicion. Maybe I should’ve checked it sooner. It was still super tender and good though. No complaints here! I don’t think I’ve made anything from this site I wasn’t happy with. Thank you for sharing awesome recipes. You’re a great cook. I made your “crispy smashed potatoes” to eat with this. 10/10
I followed this recipe exactly as written and it was amazing!!! So juicy and flavorful, can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
So good! This was my first time making a turkey and it turned out great!
I made this today and it was just as good as you said it would be!
My bird was a pound heavier than the recipe called for, yet when I went to check on it after 5 hours, it was done! I’m guessing our slow cooker burns hotter than yours. But hey, it all worked out.
I just wish our turkey breast had more skin on it!
The gravy was really good!
Thanks, Naga!
Help! I bought turkey breasts but it’s not flat like yours. It just looks like a whole turkey without legs and wings. And it’s nine pounds so it doesn’t fit in my slow cooker! Should I use your garlic butter oven turkey breast recipe or the whole turkey recipe???
I ran into the same problem last year (the turkey fit but was too tall for the lid). I just covered the top of the slow cooker with foil and a folded bath towel while it cooked and it came out great
Hi Mims, sorry for the late reply, what did you end up doing? N x
I used this recipe last year and it was a hit!! I bought drumsticks for this year since it’s just a few of us eating Turkey. Will this recipe work for Turkey drumsticks? I want to pop them in the slow cooker since we’ll be using the oven all day!
Hi Melissa, I assume you could although I’d need to test for timing – you want the meat tender just not falling off the bone, and finishing in the oven would give them a nice golden colour too. N x
Made this for Thanksgiving last year and it was a big hit! Thank you, Nagi!
Question…Im attempting to make this again for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving. All grocery stores are out of fresh thyme. What is a good substitute for it during the slow cooking process? I already substituted dried thyme with the butter marinade.. I have some lemongrass. Can I use that with rosemary?
I wouldn’t recommend lemongrass Joy, however a little dried thyme can be used in its place. N x
Thanks! It turned out just as great 🙂 I have a feeling this is going to be part of our little family’s Thanksgiving tradition.