How Long To Cook 7lb Turkey Breast In Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast- Moist, tender, full of flavor and so easy to prepare! Instructions included for making a delicious gravy from the drippings!

*** Check out The Best Thanksgiving Recipes! ***

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

Cooking a turkey can be so intimidating but not with this recipe! It's extremely simple and the flavor is outstanding! This is the perfect recipe for a small turkey/Thanksgiving dinner or to prepare turkey for a week of lunches/meals. I've made this recipe many times now and it always comes out juicy, moist, and so flavorful!

A few years ago both of our families happened to be out of town for Thanksgiving so we did it on our own! Just my husband and I and our 2 boys. (I was pregnant with Carina at the time.) It ended up being a wonderful experience and we made so many great memories! (It was actually my son's birthday that day too.) At first, the idea of Thanksgiving dinner on our own seemed like too much work but we made it simple and it worked out perfectly!

To keep things easy we made this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast. It was SO simple to prepare and came out moist and delicious.

Thanksgiving on a Budget

Buying a turkey breast instead of an entire turkey for Thanksgiving is a great way to save money while still enjoying the most important dish of the holiday! The cost is so much cheaper and if you really need to save money you can even buy a turkey breast without the bone. It tastes great both ways!

Other Tips:

Keep things simple- Choose a few dishes for your Thanksgiving dinner that are important to you and keep the rest of the menu simple. I personally always like to have my Cranberry Salad and Chocolate Silk Pie but I'm okay with having other side dishes that aren't too fancy and simple like for example just using a can or bag of frozen corn.

Plan your menu ahead of time. That way you can find the best deals for the grocery items you need as well as planning when you can make each dish so you aren't making all the dishes on Thanksgiving morning but some the day or two before.

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

How to make Slow Cooker Turkey Breast:

1- Brush on olive oil and then rub in the seasonings. I bet you already have everything in your pantry you need for this turkey! The seasoning blend is simple but so full of flavor. And the color is so beautiful! You'll just need garlic, seasoned salt, paprika, Italian seasoning, and pepper.

2- Add a little chicken broth or water to the bottom of the slow cooker then put the turkey in. The slow cooker will do the rest of the work! You can add vegetables to the bottom of the slow cooker before adding the turkey for more flavor for the drippings if you'd like. See the recipe for more instructions on this.

3- It's up to you if you want to remove the skin before you cook it. If you keep it on you can rub the seasonings under the skin to enhance the flavor. I have included a recipe for making turkey gravy from the drippings as well and that is so yummy too! Sometimes if we don't need gravy we just cut up the turkey into smaller pieces and add the turkey drippings over it so the turkey is extra moist. It's delicious this way!

My kids loved this turkey so much too. My oldest kept asking for more! It is awesome how easy it is to make something so fancy!

Important Tip:

Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey! This is important because every turkey will be a little different so I can't tell you the exact time you need to cook it. Check the thickest part of the turkey. The temperature needs to reach 165 degrees F to be fully cooked.

Another tip is I've learned is if possible, to put some vegetables (at least an onion) cut up below the turkey to help it not to get soggy on the bottom. This is NOT mandatory because I've made this plenty of times with no vegetables and it comes out fantastic! But it does help because as the turkey cooks more liquid will be produced on the bottom of the Slow Cooker. (Which is great for the drippings to make gravy!)

Slow Cooker Turkey

Making Gravy from the Drippings:

You'll find instructions on how to make gravy with the drippings in the note section. I've included two ways to make the gravy.

Method 1: Thicken the drippings using cornstarch and add salt and pepper to taste.

Method 2: For a thicker gravy, you'll use butter and flour. With this method, you can double the butter and flour and broth (just add chicken broth or stock) to get to 4 cups, if you are wanting to make a big batch of gravy. I have done that before for a family party and it worked out great!

Enjoy!

I know you will love this!

You might also like:

Chocolate Silk Pie

Kale Salad with Craisins, Apple & Feta

Classic Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel Topping

Quick Dinner Rolls

Cranberry Salad

Five-Cup Fruit Salad

Pistachio Pudding Salad

Check this out * FAVORITE THANKSGIVING RECIPES *

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 32 minutes

Ingredients

1 bone-in turkey breast (6 to 7 pounds), completely thawed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried minced garlic (or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chicken broth or stock (or water)
Gravy instructions are included below in the recipe notes.

Instructions

Remove the turkey skin if desired. Brush turkey with olive oil.
In a small bowl combine the garlic, seasoned salt, paprika, Italian seasoning, and pepper; rub over turkey.
Add the 1 cup of chicken broth or water to a 6-qt. slow cooker. If using vegetables add them now. (See notes.)
Transfer the turkey to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours or until the turkey's internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F and is very tender.
For a crispier skin, transfer cooked turkey to an oven-safe serving dish or baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes or until the skin is crispy. Keep your eye on it as it will brown very quickly!
Slice and enjoy!
(Gravy recipe below. If you aren't making gravy, it's delicious to add the turkey drippings over the cut turkey.)

Notes

Sometimes I double the seasonings, depending on the size of my turkey.

You can also add chopped onions, celery, and carrots to the bottom of the slow cooker to give the turkey and gravy even more flavor.

Boneless turkey breast works great as well.

For the gravy instructions below, if there aren't 2 cups of liquid, just add more chicken broth until it measures 2 cups.

To Make Gravy:
Strain the liquid into a pot (you need 2 cups) and heat over med.-low heat for 5-10 minutes or until it starts to thicken. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir until completely smooth. Whisk that mixture into the gravy and boil for 1 minute then simmer over low heat until it's completely thickened, whisking the entire time. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For a Thicker Gravy:
In a medium saucepan, melt ¼ cup butter over medium-low heat. Mix in ¼ cup all-purpose flour constantly whisking to combine, whisk for about 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the 2 cups strained turkey drippings, whisking to combine. Cook at a low boil until gravy is to desired thickness. Turn the heat to low and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Slightly adapted from Taste of Home

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Slow Cooker Turkey