Use the crockpot this Thanksgiving with this recipe for slow cooker turkey breast made with sage, lemon and white wine for a perfectly moist turkey breast.
Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday; but cooking an entire turkey is pretty intimidating. And it takes up your entire oven. This recipe is the best possible solution to you; make your Thanksgiving turkey in the slow cooker.
You’ll still get that delicious turkey flavour and gravy, but without it taking up your entire oven for hours and hours.
Then you can use your oven for the best Thanksgiving stuffing recipe with sausage, or a simple vegetarian stuffing option.
Now, if it’s your first time hosting Thanksgiving I think this recipe turkey breast is the perfect way to get your feet wet and host a successful Thanksgiving dinner.
This slow cooking method is best if you’re serving a smaller crowd of 2-4 people, or if you’re having a potluck where people are bringing all sorts of other dishes.
The crockpot won’t fit an entire turkey or enough to feed a crowd, so keep this saved for smaller gatherings.
How to flavour turkey breast?
I stuff fresh herbs (sage, rosemary or thyme) underneath the skin of the turkey for maximum flavour. The breast will be infused with the slightly woodsy taste from the herbs, but it won’t overwhelm the flavour of the turkey.
Here I’ve stuffed about six leaves or so between the skin and meat of the turkey. I’ve also seasoned the turkey with lots of salt and pepper and then seared it off for a few minutes per side to get that beautiful golden skin before adding it to the slow cooker.
This gives it more flavour and much better presentation at the table (which is pretty important for Thanksgiving if you ask me).
Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1.8 kg 4 lbs bone-in turkey breast
- 6-8 fresh sage leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup no-salt chicken broth
- 2 tbsp white wine
- 2 tbsp butter, cubed
Instructions
- Loosen skin of turkey breast: slide fingers underneath, careful not to tear the skin and arrange sage leaves. Season all over with salt and pepper.
- Heat canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Sear turkey, skin side down for 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to slow cooker insert.
- Reduce heat to low, add chicken broth and white wine, scraping brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour broth mixture over turkey. Arrange cubed butter over turkey. Cover and cook on low for 4 1/2-6 hours or until an instant read thermometer reaches 165F.
- Remove and let rest for 10 minutes, then thinly slice. (Reserve the bones for homemade turkey broth).
To make a simple pan sauce:
- Strain liquid form the slow cooker, boil in a small saucepan until reaching desired thickness, about 12-15 minutes.
Notes
Enjoy this slow cooker turkey breast, let me know if you give it a try.
