Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Herb Butter

From the roundup: 24 High Protein Dinner Recipes Easy Enough for Busy Weeknights

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Slow cooker turkey breast is the recipe I come back to whenever I need a real dinner with almost no active effort. Ten minutes to mix the herb butter, get it under the skin, and set the breast in the pot. After that the slow cooker runs on its own for six to seven hours while I’m doing everything else.

The butter goes under the skin and over it, so the meat stays moist through the whole cook instead of drying out at the edges. When it’s done, the drippings sitting in the bottom of the pot are already halfway to a pan sauce. Two minutes with cornstarch and you have something worth spooning over the slices.

I usually make this on a Sunday. We eat it for dinner that night and I pull the rest for lunches through the week. It works with whatever your store has, bone-in or boneless, as long as the breast is skin-on so the butter has somewhere to go.

Why you will love this

• Only 10 minutes of actual hands-on work before the slow cooker takes over for the day
• Butter under the skin keeps the breast meat from drying out during the long cook time
• The drippings collect in the pot and become a quick pan sauce with just cornstarch and water
• Works with bone-in or boneless, so you use what’s available at your store
• One cook gives you dinner plus several days of sliced turkey for sandwiches, grain bowls, or soup

Tips for success

• Pat the turkey completely dry before buttering it. Moisture on the surface is what causes the skin to turn rubbery instead of golden, and no amount of butter fixes that after the fact.
• Cook on LOW only. I tried HIGH once thinking I could shorten the time, and the meat was noticeably tighter and harder to slice. Six hours on low is worth the wait.
• Start checking the temperature at the 6-hour mark, not the 7-hour mark. Slow cookers vary, and a 3.5 lb breast can easily hit 165 degrees before you expect it. Overcooking by even 30 minutes dries it out.
• When you make the pan sauce, pour the drippings through a fine mesh strainer first if there are any herb bits you don’t want in the sauce. It takes 20 seconds and the sauce looks much cleaner.

Leftovers: what actually works

• Store sliced turkey with a spoonful of the cooking juices poured over it before sealing the container. It stays noticeably more moist after a day or two in the fridge.
• Cold slices work well in a wrap with whatever you have: leftover roasted vegetables, a smear of hummus, or just mustard and greens.
• Chop leftover turkey into a pot of broth with white beans and a handful of kale for a fast soup. The herb butter flavor carries into the broth and you don’t need to add much else.
• Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Substitutions

No fresh herbs? Use half the amount of dried: 1/2 teaspoon each of dried thyme, rosemary, and sage. Dried herbs are more concentrated, so the flavor is still there. For a dairy-free version, softened coconut oil or a good olive oil can replace the butter in the rub. It won’t have the same richness but it still keeps the meat from drying out.

Chicken broth works exactly as well as turkey broth for the slow cooker base and the pan sauce. Low-sodium is worth using here because the drippings reduce and concentrate, and a regular-sodium broth can make the sauce taste too salty before you’ve added anything else.

Make-ahead and storage

You can mix the herb butter and rub it on the turkey the night before. Leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight so the surface dries out a little, which actually helps the skin during cooking. Pull it out about 20 minutes before it goes into the slow cooker so it isn’t stone cold going in. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, and pour any remaining juices over the turkey before sealing so it doesn’t dry out.

This freezes reasonably well. Slice the turkey first, then freeze it flat in a zip-top bag with a splash of the cooking juices. Reheat gently in a covered skillet over low heat with a tablespoon of broth. Avoid the microwave if you can since it tends to make the slices tough at the edges.

Brittany Stage

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Herb Butter

A bone-in or boneless turkey breast rubbed under the skin with garlic herb butter and cooked low and slow until juicy and tender. It takes about 10 minutes to prep and the slow cooker handles the rest.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 7 hours hrs

Total Time 7 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Calories: 390

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 3 1/2 lb turkey breast bone-in or boneless, skin-on
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped, or 1/2 tsp dried
• 1 tsp fresh sage finely chopped, or 1/2 tsp dried
• 1 tsp kosher salt plus more for seasoning the outside
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or turkey broth for the slow cooker base
• 1 tbsp cornstarch optional, for pan sauce
• 2 tbsp cold water optional, for pan sauce slurry

Equipment

• 6-quart slow cooker
• small mixing bowl
• instant-read thermometer
• small saucepan (for optional pan sauce)

Method

 

1. Pat the turkey breast completely dry with paper towels. Drying the surface is the single most important step for getting good flavor and a non-rubbery skin, so do not skip it.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, 1 teaspoon of salt, black pepper, and onion powder until everything is evenly combined and the herbs are distributed throughout the butter.
3. Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin away from the breast meat, working carefully so the skin stays attached at the edges. Slide about half of the herb butter directly under the skin and press from the outside to spread it across the meat. Rub the remaining butter all over the outside of the turkey, coating the skin and any exposed meat evenly. Season the outside with a light additional pinch of salt.
4. Pour the broth into the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the turkey breast in the slow cooker skin-side up. The broth keeps moisture in the bottom of the pot and prevents scorching while the turkey cooks.
5. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours. Do not cook on HIGH, as that makes the meat tighter and drier. Start checking at the 6-hour mark by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the breast without touching bone. You are looking for 165 degrees F. If it needs more time, check again every 30 minutes.
6. Once the turkey hits 165 degrees, carefully transfer it to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Resting lets the juices redistribute so they stay in the meat instead of running out when you cut it.
7. Optional pan sauce: Pour the cooking juices from the slow cooker into a small saucepan over medium heat. In a small cup, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth, then stir it into the juices. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Taste and adjust salt. Spoon over sliced turkey when serving.

Notes

Slice what you need for dinner and store the rest whole or in thick slices in the fridge for up to 4 days. The cooking juices are worth saving even if you skip the pan sauce; drizzle them over the meat before refrigerating to keep everything moist.

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