Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

This easy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast is tender, juicy, and perfect when you want all the flavor of a traditional turkey dinner without roasting a whole bird. A bone-in turkey breast cooks over vegetables, herbs, broth, and white wine, creating a flavorful homemade gravy right in the slow cooker.

This slow cooker turkey breast is an easy way to make a beautiful turkey dinner for a smaller Thanksgiving gathering—or anytime you’re craving turkey without cooking a whole bird. A bone-in turkey breast cooks gently over onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and fresh herbs, keeping the meat moist and flavorful while the drippings create the base for a rich homemade gravy. And because everything cooks in the Crockpot, your oven stays free for all those important Thanksgiving side dishes.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This is one of the easiest ways to put turkey and homemade gravy on the table, especially when you don’t need an entire Thanksgiving bird.

• Tender and juicy: Slow cooking helps the turkey breast stay moist and flavorful.
• Homemade gravy included: The vegetables, herbs, broth, wine, and turkey drippings create a delicious gravy right in the slow cooker.
• Frees up valuable oven space: Especially helpful on Thanksgiving when casseroles, rolls, and pies are competing for room.
• Perfect for a smaller gathering: A turkey breast gives you plenty of beautiful sliced turkey without the quantity—or work—of a whole turkey.
• Mostly hands-off: Once everything is in the slow cooker, it does most of the work for you.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You only need a turkey breast and a handful of simple vegetables, herbs, and pantry ingredients to make both the turkey and its gravy.

Turkey breast: Use a bone-in, skin-on turkey breast. Bone-in turkey breast stays especially juicy during the long, gentle cooking time.

Vegetables: Onion, carrots, celery, and garlic add flavor to both the turkey and the gravy.

Fresh herbs: Rosemary and sage give the turkey classic holiday flavor.

Chicken broth: Creates the liquid base for the gravy.

Dry white wine: Adds depth and acidity to the gravy.

Flour: Thickens the cooking liquid into gravy.

Butter: Adds richness and helps with browning.

How to Make Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

This slow cooker turkey breast starts with a flavorful gravy base on the stovetop before everything moves to the slow cooker. After cooking, a few minutes under the broiler gives the turkey beautifully browned, crisp skin.

• Cook the vegetables. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook until the onion is softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
  
• Make the gravy base. Stir in the flour and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1 cup chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits and whisking until smooth.
  
• Transfer to the slow cooker. Pour the gravy mixture into the slow cooker, then add the remaining 2 cups chicken broth, wine, thyme, and bay leaves.
  
• Add the turkey breast. Season the turkey generously with salt and pepper and place it skin-side up in the slow cooker.
• Slow cook the turkey. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or until the thickest part of the breast registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. The temperature will continue to rise as the turkey rests.
• Crisp the skin. Transfer the turkey to a foil-lined baking sheet and brush the skin with melted butter. Broil on HIGH for about 4 to 5 minutes, watching closely, until the skin is golden brown and crisp.
  
  
• Rest the turkey and finish the gravy. Place the turkey breast-side down on a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, skim the fat from the slow-cooker liquid, strain it into a saucepan, and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste, then carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.

Finish the gravy. Use the flavorful cooking liquid and softened vegetables to finish the gravy while the turkey rests.

 

How Long to Cook a Turkey Breast in the Slow Cooker

The exact cooking time depends on the size and shape of your turkey breast and your individual slow cooker, so use the recipe timing as a guide and rely on temperature to determine when the turkey is done.

This is an H2 I’d definitely want because cook time is such an important search/user question for this recipe. Underneath it, we should preserve whatever tested size/timing guidance you currently have and make it very easy to scan.

How to Get Crispy Skin on Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

The slow cooker keeps the turkey moist, but it won’t give the skin the browned, crisp finish you get from roasting. A quick trip under the broiler after cooking solves that problem.

Then keep your existing instructions for transferring/broiling. This deserves its own little section because it’s one of the obvious objections to cooking turkey in a Crockpot.

And that’s it! I can’t think of an easier way to get your turkey dinner on the table with made-from-scratch gravy.

How to Carve a Turkey Breast (Easy Tips for Juicy, Even Slices)

Slicing meat from a turkey breast doesn’t have to be tricky! For best results, use a large serrated knife. Start by making a vertical cut down each side of the backbone, going as deep as your knife will allow. Then, make a horizontal cut along the bottom of the breast, carving inward until it meets your first cut.

Once the breast meat is free, transfer it to a cutting board and slice to your desired thickness—thick slices for serving or thin slices for sandwiches. After the main pieces are cut, use your fingers to gently pull off any remaining meat from around the bones to get the most out of your turkey breast.

Homemade Turkey Gravy

One of the best parts of this recipe is that the turkey creates its own flavorful gravy base as it cooks—there’s no need to start a separate gravy from scratch.

This is another section I want to strengthen, because it’s one of the best features of your particular recipe. We can explain briefly how the vegetables, aromatics, broth, wine and drippings come together and how you turn that into the finished gravy.

What to Serve with Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

This turkey breast works beautifully for Thanksgiving or a traditional turkey dinner, so pair it with your favorite holiday sides.

Then your existing internal links/serving suggestions can follow. This is a particularly good internal-linking opportunity for your Thanksgiving recipes.

Tips for the Best Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

A few simple details make the difference between turkey that’s merely cooked and turkey that’s juicy, flavorful, and worthy of the holiday table.

Here I’d keep this concise and useful—probably 4–5 genuinely important tips, especially thermometer/doneness, turkey size, slow-cooker fit, resting and browning the skin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a few helpful things to know when cooking a bone-in turkey breast in the slow cooker.

Can I cook turkey breast on high in the slow cooker?

Yes, but cooking on low is recommended for the most tender, juicy turkey. Slow cookers vary, so use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness rather than relying only on cooking time. The turkey is done when the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F.

Can I cook a frozen turkey breast in the slow cooker?

No. Always fully thaw the turkey breast before slow cooking. Frozen poultry can take too long to reach a safe temperature, increasing the risk of bacterial growth.

What size turkey breast will fit in my slow cooker?

Choose a turkey breast that fits comfortably with the lid completely closed. If the lid won’t close securely, use a smaller turkey breast or a larger slow cooker.

How do I store leftover turkey?

Refrigerate leftover turkey in an airtight container within 2 hours and use within 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze it in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

 

What to Serve with Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

This slow cooker turkey breast is perfect for Thanksgiving or a smaller holiday dinner, and it pairs beautifully with all the classic comfort-food sides. Here are a few of my favorites to round out the meal:

• Ina Garten’s Mac and Cheese – Rich, creamy, and always a favorite alongside turkey and gravy.
• Make-Ahead Green Bean Casserole – A classic holiday side you can prep ahead, which makes Thanksgiving dinner that much easier.
• Mashed Potato Casserole – Creamy mashed potatoes are a natural match for the homemade turkey gravy, and the casserole makes serving a crowd easy.
• Mashed Cauliflower and Potatoes – A lighter alternative to traditional mashed potatoes that still pairs beautifully with gravy.
• Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes – A pretty, special-occasion potato side when you want something beyond traditional mashed potatoes.
• Butter Fan Rolls – Soft, buttery homemade rolls that belong on any holiday table.

Whether you’re planning a smaller Thanksgiving dinner or simply want an easier way to cook turkey, this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast delivers tender, juicy meat with rich homemade gravy and very little hands-on work. Add a few favorite holiday sides, and you have a classic turkey dinner without roasting a whole bird—or giving up valuable oven space.

The original recipe is courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen cookbook Slow Cooker Revolution. I modified a few steps after making the recipe several times for repeated success in getting a moist turkey and added a step for achieving that golden crust everyone loves.