Slowcooker Boneless Turkey Breast with Herb Butter Gravy
This easy slow cooker boneless turkey breast recipe is the perfect budget-friendly alternative to a whole turkey when you’re cooking for a smaller holiday gathering. Prep it in under 10 minutes for a hands-off feast, then make the homemade pan gravy at the end. This is a great weekend prep recipe for easy weeknight dinners later.
We’ve been making our famous roasted herb butter turkey recipe for Thanksgiving for well over a decade.
It was impossible for us to imagine using any other turkey recipe for the holiday, until I discovered this super easy slow cooker boneless turkey breast recipe!
I found 4.75 pound boneless turkey breasts in the freezer section at Costco but I’ve also spotted them at our local grocery store even in the off season.
Knowing how much my family loves open face turkey sandwiches with gravy, I thought I’d surprise them.
The all-white meat turkey breast took just a few minutes to prepare and was the most tender and juicy turkey meat we’ve had in a very long time.
A few bites in and an unanimous decision was made to use this recipe for Thanksgiving this year!
Why This is the Best Recipe
It takes a lot to surprise me these days but this slow cooked turkey breast recipe is an absolute winner because:
- Budget-Friendly: The little turkey breast was just $20 at Costco. Compared to $40+ that I usually spend on a whole turkey, that feels like a steal.
- All-White Meat: Since you’re not paying for bones and parts of the turkey you may not want to eat, buying just the turkey breast pays off big dollar to meat ratio.
- Tender and Juicy: Turkey breasts have a bad reputation for being dry but when you slow cook them on LOW heat in an herb butter sauce, they remain perfectly tender and shockingly juicy.
- Full of Flavor: I used many of the same flavors as our traditional Thanksgiving turkey but stuck with budget-friendly dried herbs for our weeknight dinner. The turkey itself was amazing but the gravy was a total winner. For a simple holiday upgrade, I’m going to switch to fresh herbs.
- Amazing Pan Gravy: I wasn’t sure if I could get a decent gravy from a boneless turkey breast, especially in a slowcooker. But the melted butter filled with all those herbs for so many hours made an absolutely wonderful pan gravy for drizzling over the turkey slices.
Ingredients You’ll Need
I couldn’t believe just how few ingredients it takes to make such a tasty turkey breast!
All you need to have on hand is:
- Boneless, Skinless Turkey Breast: Ours came from the freezer section at Costco. You can find them all year long so there’s no need to wait for Thanksgiving season if you’d like to enjoy fresh turkey any time.
- Butter
- Italian Herbs
- Garlic Salt
- Seasoned Pepper: I’m obsessed with this pepper blend, but you could always use just fresh cracked black pepper, too.
- Fresh Lemon
Defrost the Turkey
The first step to do is to make sure your turkey is completely defrosted if you bought it frozen.
I placed our turkey on a rimmed baking sheet in the fridge to catch any leaks from the packaging.
The 4.75 pound turkey sat there for 3 days before I tried to cook the turkey.
Prepare the Turkey Breast
Boneless turkey breasts are packaged inside a net that should stay in place while it cooks.
Place the turkey in your kitchen sink and open the outer plastic packaging with a kitchen knife.
Be careful, there will be a lot of packing liquid that will begin to pour out as you cut open the package.
Drain as much of that liquid off the turkey as you can before placing it, still inside the baking net, into the bowl of your Crock Pot:
Place the bowl back inside the slowcooker base and prepare the seasoned topping.
Make the Butter Compound
Add the softened butter to a small mixing bowl.
Zest the fresh lemon over the butter and then add all the dried seasonings: Italian herb blend, garlic salt, and black pepper.
Use a fork to mash the butter together with the seasonings until well combined.
Even with softened butter, it is really difficult to spread the butter over the boneless turkey breast.
Instead, I just patted it into place into as even of a layer on top of the turkey as I could.
Don’t worry, the butter will melt and season the turkey as it cooks.
Slow Cooker Instructions
Place the lid on the slowcooker and turn the heat to LOW.
Cook the turkey breast for 5 – 5 1/2 hours or until it reads 165°F on a thermometer at the thickest part.
If you bought a slightly larger turkey breast, you’ll need more time.
The biggest benefit of slowcooking a turkey instead of roasting it in the oven is that the turkey is cooking at such a gentle temperature you have lots of wiggle room to finish up the side dishes for your meal.
For our busy weeknight, our turkey had to sit while I ran and picked up the kids from school. Even with an extra 30 minutes in the Crock Pot, the turkey wasn’t overdone.
Adjusting for a Different Size Turkey Breast
My recipe is built around the 4.75 pound turkey breast I was working with but this method scales up or down easily.
Here’s a general guide:
- 2 pound turkey breast: about 3 – 3 1/2 hours on LOW
- 3 pound turkey breast: about 3 1/2 to 4 hours on LOW
- 4.75 pound turkey breast: about 5 – 5 1/2 hours on LOW
No matter the size, don’t go by the clock alone. Start checking with a meat thermometer once you’re near the time frame.
Turn the slow cooker off as soon as the turkey hits 165°F at the thickest part.
Baste the Turkey
About an hour after I started cooking the turkey, the butter had finally melted.
Use a turkey baster to baste the herb butter over the turkey about once an hour or so as it cooks.
Half way through the cooking time, I used a pair of tongs to turn the turkey over inside the crockpot so that both sides got to cook in the pool of melted butter at the bottom of the bowl.
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Prepare the Turkey Pan Gravy
When the turkey is finally finished slow cooking, carefully transfer the meat to a carving board and loosely cover it with aluminum foil to keep warm and rest while you prepare the gravy.
You could use the drippings from the turkey to make my favorite Thanksgiving gravy. It has a few more fresh ingredients that make it taste extra delicious.
Set out a large liquid measuring cup or mixing bowl with a spout with a strainer set over the top.
Carefully pour all the liquid from the Crock Pot bowl through the strainer.
The herbs will pass through the strainer but the larger solids will be filtered out.
Add just 1/4 cup of the turkey drippings to a large saucepan on the stove.
Heat it over medium-high heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of flour. Keep whisking until the butter and flour are incorporated and bubbling.
Drizzle in the remaining butter and turkey drippings and keep whisking to smooth things out.
Drizzle in the chicken stock and lemon juice while whisking.
Bring the gravy to a bubble and reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue to cook until the gravy has thickened to your liking.
Turkey Tenderloin Crock Pot Recipe Variation
While I used a boneless turkey breast for my recipe, this method would also work for cooking a turkey tenderloin in the crock pot, too.
A turkey tenderloin is simply a specific cut of the turkey breast.
It is also the most tender portion of the turkey and would certainly be delicious with the herb butter pan gravy.
The only adjustment you should have to make to the recipe is the cooking time and quantity of butter. My recipe is based on a 4.75 pound portion of turkey breast so add or reduce the cooking time as needed for your turkey tenderloin.
FAQ
I always go LOW with this recipe. It gives the butter time to really melt into the meat and keeps everything tender. You technically could rush it on HIGH, but I’ve found the texture just isn’t as good.
The herb butter is doing most of the work here. As it melts, it bastes the turkey the whole time it cooks. Cooking on LOW instead of HIGH also helps a ton. It’s a gentler heat, so the meat doesn’t get a chance to dry out the way it can in the oven.
For my 4.75 pound turkey breast, it took about 5 – 5 1/2 hours on LOW. The real test is a meath thermometer though. Pull it from the heat once it hits 165°F at the thickest part. If your turkey breast is a different size than mine, just keep that temperature as your target and adjust the time up or down from there.
Serving Suggestions
When I made our first boneless turkey breast in the crock pot, it was intended to be used as leftovers for our favorite open face turkey sandwiches with gravy.
Assembling the open face sandwiches takes just minutes and it was a simple dinner for a busy night. It’s so nice having already-cooked turkey and gravy on hand for easy reheating.
I’ve used this recipe as our main Thanksgiving turkey several times and we’ve even enjoyed it as an easy Christmas Day dinner, too.
Often for a holiday meal, I’ll upgrade to fresh herbs, shallots, and white wine, like I do in my traditional homemade gravy recipe.
Then we’ll serve it with all the best Crockpot Thanksgiving side dishes.
I’ll add my favorite cranberry sauce with Grand Marnier and my mom’s famous Italian sausage stuffing made with homemade Italian bread from my bread machine.
Make Ahead Tips
This is an excellent Sunday prep recipe if you know you’ve got a busy week ahead and want quick dinners to grab in a pinch.
The cooked turkey and gravy can be stored separately in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I like to reheat the turkey meat in the gravy in a pan on the stovetop. Start by gently warming the gravy first so you can adjust with additional chicken stock if it thickens up too much in the fridge.
Then add the turkey into the warm gravy and let it come to temperature in just a minute or two.
Alternatively, you can freeze the turkey meat for longer storage. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight so you don’t overcook the meat while trying to thaw it out.
How to Use Leftover Turkey
Once you’ve finished your turkey dinner, you will be able to turn any leftovers into one of these incredibly delicious leftover turkey recipes.
If you don’t want to eat it all right now, simply freeze the leftover meat and your future dinner prep will be just that much easier!
Just be sure to look through how much turkey is called for in each of the recipes and freeze the right portion so you don’t have to thaw the whole container at once.
More Holiday Recipes
A slowcooker turkey works fantastically for an easy Thanksgiving dinner or a hands-off Christmas dinner. Here are some more festive holiday recipes to help you plan your menu:
Slow Cooker Boneless Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 5 lb boneless skinless turkey breast
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend
- 1 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 1 lemon
For the Gravy
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- Fresh parsley for garnish optional
Instructions Start Cooking
- Be sure you're starting with a completely thawed turkey breast. Open the packaging in the kitchen sink, the turkey will be wrapped in a netting. Leave the net on during the cooking but drain all the packing juices from the meat before placing it in the bowl of a 4qt slowcooker.5 lb boneless
- Place the softened butter in a small bowl. Add the garlic salt, Italian seasoning, pepper, and the zest from the lemon to the bowl. Mash it all together with a fork. Save the lemon for when you make the gravy later.6 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend, 1 teaspoon fresh black pepper, 1 lemon
- Spread the butter the best you can over the top of the turkey. It will be a little difficult at first but the butter will melt and be easier to work with later.
- Place the lid on the slowcooker and cook the turkey for 5 – 6 hours on LOW. Baste the turkey with the butter as it melts once an hour.
- The turkey is done when the internal temperature reads 165°F when you test it at the thickest part of the meat.
- To make the gravy, first transfer the cooked turkey breast to a cutting board and loosely cover it with aluminum foil. Let it rest while you prepare the gravy.
- Pour the butter and turkey drippings from the slowcooker through a strainer into a large measuring cup with a spout.
- In a large saucepan, add 1/4 cup of the butter and turkey drippings over medium high heat. Add the flour and whisk it together until it bubbles. Slowly drizzle the remaining butter and turkey drippings into the pan while whisking the whole time.1/4 cup flour
- Add the chicken stock, dried thyme, and the juice from just half of the reserved lemon to the gravy and whisk it in. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until it bubbles. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to stir it until thickened. You can add a splash of chicken stock to thin it out again if needed. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.1 1/2 cups chicken stock, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- Remove the netting from the turkey using a chef knife or kitchen scissors. Slice the turkey breast and serve with a drizzle of gravy.Fresh parsley for garnish
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About Tiffany
Tiffany is a home-cooking enthusiast, three-time cookbook author, and creator of the sites Peanut Blossom, Peanut Blossom Book Club, and Don’t Just Fly. She believes that family dinner can be manageable, fun, and — most importantly — tasty. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and two daughters and can often be found baking a loaf of bread with her beloved bread machine, reading a good book, or planning her family’s next adventure.
I cook for only the 2 of us and this is just right…. did not use the lemon…..opted for the onion soup mix, very good….. Thank you so much for the great recipes…
It came out moist and delicious, even I was only able to get a 3 lb turkey breast roast. However, I do not recommend using the lemon in the gravy when you make it because the lemon zest is plenty, unless you just really really love lemon I would not put the lemon juice in the gravy. That’s just wrong anyway. My family has elected this as an official make again dish.:-)
Ha, we DO really love lemon in our family. Thanks so much for your feedback, Juliette. I’m thrilled your family has asked for this dish again!
Can it be cooked on high? My cooker is old and doesn’t get very hot on low.
Hi Melissa, Yes, you could cook this on High but you’ll want to reduce the cooking time to 3 – 4 hours.
I opted for a bone-in turkey breast and got that softened butter all up under the skin. I then put dried onion soup mix on top and patted it down. I ended up with a moist turkey and the onion soup gave it a wonderful color and added a nice flavor to it.
The onion soup is a great idea, Lynne. I’ll have to try it sometime. Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Tiffany
This is not a boneless turkey breast. It is a boneless turkey breast ROAST. Very different. That’s why they have to wrap it up in netting- to hold it all together.
It was still very good though! Great recipe.
I don’t see any nutrition info. I need to know the possible sodium content before I make something. It seems simple enough and I would be using unsalted butter.