Slow Cooker Bone-In Turkey Breast {2-pound}

This is a super simple slow cooker bone-in turkey breast recipe you can make any night of the week and any time of the year. The small size makes it perfect for the 2 person household. If I'm going to family or friends' home for Thanksgiving dinner I'll slow cook a turkey breast the night before. Now I'm not missing out on leftovers and can have cold turkey sandwiches the next day.

Homemade cranberry sauce is a classic condiment to serve with turkey.

Jump to:

• Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
• Instructions
• Equipment
• Storage
• 📖 Recipe
• Food safety

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Bone-In Turkey Breast : A 2pound ½ turkey breast is usually easy to find any time of the year. If you cook a larger one then increase the slow cooker time.
• Onions: The onions impart a nice flavor to the turkey juices for a fantastic gravy.
• Carrots: I used multi-colored baby carrot. You can use regular sliced carrots or add in a few parsnips.
• Butter: The softened butter mixes easily and makes a nice easy to spread paste. You can substitute a vegetable.
• Dried Celery Seed : If I have fresh celery in the house I'll lay down a couple of ribs over the onions and omit the celery seed from the butter mix.
• Onion Powder: Adding this won't be over powering, it just and adds another layer of onion flavor.
• Garlic Salt: I mentioned earlier I don't use much salt, but you can also use a garlic powder.
• Black Pepper:

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Preheat the slow cooker while you are preparing the ingredients. Lightly coat the slow cooker insert with cooking spray.

Start with soft butter and mix in the celery seed, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. I cook with very little salt so please add a little if you like. I use my smaller spatula to quickly mix the rub.

Lift up the turkey skin and use about ⅓ of the seasoned butter and under the skin. The remaining amount should be rubbed over the top of the turkey breast.

Slice up the onions and place them on the bottom of the slow cooker. 3 or 4 slices on a medium onion should give you enough to cover the bottom of the 6-quart slow cooker.

Transfer the bone-in turkey breast to the slow cooker and skin side up. Using a roasting rack to lift up the turkey breast keeps the meat from sitting in the liquid while cooking.

Arrange the carrots around the sides of the slow cooker. I used multi-colored baby carrots but sliced is just as good. Cook on the high setting for 4 hours.

Check the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165° F before removing it. I do cook mine to 175° F, that's just my personal preference. Let the turkey rest for about 10 minutes transfer to a sheet pan. Broil for a few minutes, to brown and crisp the skin.

The turkey skin will crisp up nicely under a broiler, it shouldn't take more than 3 or 4 minutes to get a nice browned skin.

Equipment

You need a 6-quart crock pot to accommodate the size of the turkey breast.

A quarter sheet pan is perfect for broiling.

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Storage

Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Food safety

Check out these slow cooker safety tips and general cooking safety guidelines at USDA.gov.