You may be hosting a small Thanksgiving dinner with too few dinner guests to justify a giant turkey, or maybe you’re out of oven space. You may be intimidated about cooking a whole turkey. You may highly prefer turkey breast over dark meat. You may love turkey so much that you want to eat it all year long, even when whole raw turkeys are hard to come by. If any of these scenarios describe you, never fear! This Herbed Turkey Breast turns out juicy and flavorful every time. Switch up the herbs for whichever kinds are your favorite, as long as you use the same total amount, and don’t even think about skipping out on the (easy!) homemade gravy. The one kitchen tool that I would definitely recommend for this recipe is a probe-type digital meat thermometer that can hang out in your turkey the entire time it slow cooks. Turkey breast is really easy to overcook and, depending on the thickness of your turkey breast and the power of your slow cooker, it may even be done in under three and a half hours. But the only way to know for sure, thereby avoiding dry, overcooked turkey, is to use a meat thermometer. So enjoy the star of Thanksgiving dinner any day of the year, thanks to this slow cooker wonder!
YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
TURKEY
6 lb (2.7 kg) bone-in, skin-on whole turkey breast
1 tbsp (12 g) House Seasoning, divided
2 tbsp (6 g) minced fresh parsley
1 tbsp (2 g) minced fresh sage
2 tsp (2 g) minced fresh thyme
4 tbsp (56 g) butter, at room temperature
Sprigs of fresh parsley, sage and thyme, as needed
1 cup (240 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
TURKEY GRAVY
Butter, as needed
Low-sodium chicken broth, as needed
6 tbsp (45 g) all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Season the bottom of the turkey breast with 1 teaspoon (4 g) of the House Seasoning and place it in a large slow cooker, skin-side up. Mix the parsley, sage, thyme and the remaining 2 teaspoons (8 g) House Seasoning into the butter until well combined.
Slip spoonfuls of the herb butter under the turkey skin and gently smooth over the top of the skin to spread out the butter in a thin layer. Drop sprigs of parsley, sage and thyme on each side of the turkey and pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the slow cooker.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 3 ½ to 6 hours, until the internal temperature of the turkey breast reaches 170°F (77°C) in multiple areas, including the thickest part of the breast. Remove the turkey to a cutting board, tent it with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes.
While the turkey breast is resting, pour the juices from the bottom of the slow cooker through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup, discarding the solids. Allow the juices to sit for 5 minutes and then use a spoon to skim any fat from the surface, transferring the fat into a medium saucepan.
There should be a total of 6 tablespoons (90 ml) fat in the saucepan; if necessary, add enough butter to make up the difference. There should be a total of 3 cups (720 ml) turkey juices in the measuring cup; if necessary, add enough chicken broth to make up the difference.
Heat the saucepan over medium-high heat until the fat-butter mixture is bubbly, and then whisk in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes while continuously whisking. Continue to whisk while slowly pouring in the turkey juices–chicken broth mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, still whisking, for about 5 minutes or until it has thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cover it to keep the gravy warm. Carve the turkey breast and serve with the Turkey Gravy.