Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

A whole turkey is a wonderful thing and a completely unnecessary one when eight people are coming for dinner. This slow cooker turkey breast gives you everything the holiday table actually wants — juicy sliced meat, crisp golden skin, real pan gravy — with about fifteen minutes of hands-on work and no oven-juggling, no basting schedule, and no carving performance in front of guests. The breast cooks gently in its own juices all afternoon — the pale, tender slices in the photograph — and a few minutes under the broiler gives it a golden top.

The trick is not overcooking it, and the slow cooker makes that almost hard to do. A bone-in breast stays moist in a way a boneless one rarely manages, because the bone slows the heat and the skin bastes the meat as it renders. The herb butter goes under the skin, not just on top of it, so the flavour is in the meat rather than sitting on the surface. Cook it on low, trust the thermometer rather than the clock, and pull it at 160°F (71°C) — carryover heat finishes the job while it rests, and resting is what keeps the slices juicy instead of weeping all over the board.

It sits in our Slow Cooker & Casseroles collection next to our green bean casserole tart and our whole-berry cranberry sauce — the two sides that complete this Thanksgiving plate. Make the gravy from the cooking juices while the breast rests, slice it thick, and serve it warm with the juices spooned over.

The thermometer is the whole recipe

Turkey breast dries out in a narrow window, and time alone cannot tell you where you are in it — breasts vary by a pound or more, and slow cookers vary by more than that. A probe thermometer in the thickest part, away from the bone, is the only honest guide: pull the breast at 160°F (71°C), tent it loosely with foil, and let it rest for 20 minutes. Carryover heat carries it to a safe 165°F (74°C) while the juices redistribute, so the slices stay moist. Past 175°F (79°C), the same breast turns chalky, and no gravy fully rescues it.

Why the broiler step is worth the bother

Slow cookers steam, and steamed skin is pale and soft — perfectly edible, but it is not what anyone pictures when they think of roast turkey. Five to eight minutes under a hot broiler, skin side up, crisps and browns the skin without drying the meat underneath, because the breast is already rested and the heat is brief and from above. Watch it the entire time; broilers go from golden to burnt in under a minute, and the butter in the skin browns fast. If your insert is not broiler-safe, lift the breast onto a sheet pan first.

Ingredients

• 1 (5 lb) bone-in turkey breast (2.3 kg)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (57 g), softened
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (3 g)
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves (2 g), chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (1 g), finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (6 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1 g)
• 1 medium yellow onion (150 g), quartered
• 2 stalks celery (80 g), cut into chunks
• 1 medium carrot (60 g), cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth (120 ml)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (16 g), for the gravy
• 1 tablespoon cold water (15 ml), for the gravy

Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Butter the breast. Pat the turkey breast completely dry with paper towels — dry skin browns, wet skin steams. Mash the softened butter with the garlic, thyme, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper. Gently loosen the skin over the breast with your fingers, taking care not to tear it, and spread about two-thirds of the herb butter directly onto the meat under the skin. Rub the rest over the outside of the skin.
2. Build the vegetable bed. Scatter the onion, celery and carrot over the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker and pour in the chicken broth. The vegetables lift the breast out of the liquid so it roasts rather than boils, and they flavour the cooking juices that become the gravy. Set the breast on top, skin side up, and tuck any loose skin underneath.
3. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, or on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until a probe thermometer in the thickest part reads 160°F (71°C). Do not lift the lid during the first few hours — every lift drops the temperature. The breast is done when the thermometer says so, not when the clock does.
4. Rest before you crisp. Lift the breast onto a sheet pan or broiler-safe dish and tent it loosely with foil. Rest for 20 minutes while you start the gravy. Resting lets the temperature climb to a safe 165°F (74°C) and lets the juices settle, so the slices hold together instead of falling apart on the board.
5. Broil the skin golden. Heat the broiler to high. Uncover the breast and broil it 6 to 8 inches from the element for 5 to 8 minutes, watching constantly, until the skin is deep golden and crisp. If the skin browns unevenly, rotate the pan once. This step is brief — the meat is already cooked, and the broiler is only finishing the skin.
6. Make the gravy and slice. Strain the cooking juices into a saucepan, skim off the fat, and bring to a simmer. Whisk the flour with the cold water into a smooth slurry, whisk it into the juices, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the gravy thickly coats a spoon; season with salt and pepper. Carve the breast into thick slices, just like the platter in the photograph, and serve warm with the gravy spooned over.

Nutrition estimate

Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.

Storage & reheating

Leftovers keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; slice only what you need and keep the rest in one piece so it dries out less. Reheat slices gently in a covered skillet with a splash of broth or gravy. The cooked breast freezes well for up to 3 months if wrapped tightly in foil and then a freezer bag; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. The gravy keeps separately for 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 months frozen. Nutrition figures are estimates per serving and vary with the size of the breast and how much skin is eaten; estimates vary.

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

Recipe by Ahsan ul Haq, FryDaily editor · Published 2 November 2026

Juicy, herb-buttered, hands-off Thanksgiving

Yield: 8 servings  ·  Scale: 1x2x3x

Prep15 minutes

Cook5 hours

Total5 hours 15 minutes

Servings8 servings

Calories260 kcal

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Ingredients

• 1 (5 lb) bone-in turkey breast (2.3 kg)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (57 g), softened
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (3 g)
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves (2 g), chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (1 g), finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (6 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1 g)
• 1 medium yellow onion (150 g), quartered
• 2 stalks celery (80 g), cut into chunks
• 1 medium carrot (60 g), cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth (120 ml)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (16 g), for the gravy
• 1 tablespoon cold water (15 ml), for the gravy

Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.

Instructions

1. Butter the breast. Pat the turkey breast completely dry with paper towels — dry skin browns, wet skin steams. Mash the softened butter with the garlic, thyme, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper. Gently loosen the skin over the breast with your fingers, taking care not to tear it, and spread about two-thirds of the herb butter directly onto the meat under the skin. Rub the rest over the outside of the skin.
2. Build the vegetable bed. Scatter the onion, celery and carrot over the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker and pour in the chicken broth. The vegetables lift the breast out of the liquid so it roasts rather than boils, and they flavour the cooking juices that become the gravy. Set the breast on top, skin side up, and tuck any loose skin underneath.
3. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, or on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until a probe thermometer in the thickest part reads 160°F (71°C). Do not lift the lid during the first few hours — every lift drops the temperature. The breast is done when the thermometer says so, not when the clock does.
4. Rest before you crisp. Lift the breast onto a sheet pan or broiler-safe dish and tent it loosely with foil. Rest for 20 minutes while you start the gravy. Resting lets the temperature climb to a safe 165°F (74°C) and lets the juices settle, so the slices hold together instead of falling apart on the board.
5. Broil the skin golden. Heat the broiler to high. Uncover the breast and broil it 6 to 8 inches from the element for 5 to 8 minutes, watching constantly, until the skin is deep golden and crisp. If the skin browns unevenly, rotate the pan once. This step is brief — the meat is already cooked, and the broiler is only finishing the skin.
6. Make the gravy and slice. Strain the cooking juices into a saucepan, skim off the fat, and bring to a simmer. Whisk the flour with the cold water into a smooth slurry, whisk it into the juices, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the gravy thickly coats a spoon; season with salt and pepper. Carve the breast into thick slices, just like the platter in the photograph, and serve warm with the gravy spooned over.

Calories: 260 kcalProtein: 44 gCarbohydrates: 2 gFat: 8 gSaturated fat: 3 gSodium: 480 mgFiber: 0 gSugar: 1 g

Recipe by Ahsan ul Haq · FryDaily. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.

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