No need for a big turkey at Thanksgiving? Try this turkey recipe that gets cooked right in the crock pot with minimal ingredients. Flavorful, moist, and tender flaky turkey breast that is so easy and perfect for Thanksgiving dinner. No cleaning the bird! Let the slow cooker do all the work and it even makes it’s own cranberry gravy.
TURKEY RECIPE IN THE CROCK POT
Words can’t describe how excited I am to share this turkey recipe with you all. I am not a big meat eater, especially when it comes to turkey. Turkey to me tastes exactly like it smells when it’s raw. My husband says that’s the weirdest thing ever, but it’s true!
I love Thanksgiving but I’ll be honest…. I don’t eat the turkey. I should say traditional turkey. You know the 20 lb bird that you have to clean out, wash it, season it, and then stuff it, try to figure out how to get that nice brown color, cook it to perfection?! That one. I don’t care for it.
So with that said, hopefully I can convey to you (through a screen 🙂 ) that this crock pot cranberry turkey breast recipe is so dang good.
Like so good that I, the turkey hater, ate it for lunch and I’m even having a hard time saving enough of it for dinner so the rest of the family can eat it.
I couldn’t stop. The tender, flaky, juicy, and flavorful turkey paired with the cranberry orange gravy. It’s turkey perfection.
The thing that’s probably better than the flavor is how easy it is. Get yourself a 5-7 pound boneless turkey breast and unwrap it. Place it in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Combine whole berry cranberry sauce, onion soup mix, and orange juice. Pour it over the turkey and cook on low heat.
Ingredients needed for this turkey breast recipe
- 5-7 pound boneless turkey breast
- 1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 packet of onion soup seasoning mix
- 1/2 cup of orange juice
- salt & pepper
- water & cornstarch to thicken the gravy
My tips for making this recipe
- The turkey will come wrapped up in three layers. A green netting on the outside, the wrapper, and then the turkey breast inside the package will have netting around it. DO NOT remove the netting from around the turkey breast. Remove the outer two layers but keep the netting. The netting helps the turkey keep it’s shape while cooking. Just remember to cut it off before serving!
- If the turkey is a little less then 5 lbs that’s fine. The turkey I used was 4.75 and it turned out great.
- I buy the boneless turkey breast from Costco in the freezer section. I have found it to be the best quality, “natural” and very little fat.
- Mine took 3 days to thaw in the fridge. It was probably thawed on day 2 but I did not get around to cooking it until the next day. Just remember to put it in the fridge 3 days before Thanksgiving.
What temperature do I cook turkey to?
When a thermometer inserted into the largest part of the turkey breast it should read 165 degrees. I’ll be honest and say that mine was more like 180 degrees. I am terrified of meat not being cooked all the way through so I just cook it a little bit hotter to be safe.
If you use a larger turkey breast, closer to 7 lbs, your cook time may take longer than mine. Just check the temperature starting at 5-6 hours. The beauty of using the slow cooker is that no matter the meat temperature the turkey will stay juicy and moist because of all the liquid. It’s basically fool-proof!
We loved this turkey so much that it will be on regular dinner rotation. And of course it will make an appearance on Thanksgiving too. Because I am not fond of 10+ cups of leftover turkey…. I never know what to do with it!
Serve this turkey with these other favorite recipes
- Praline Sweet Potato Casserole
- Homemade Stove Top Stuffing
- One Hour Dinner Rolls
- The Best Green Bean Casserole Ever!
Crock Pot Cranberry Turkey Breast
Turkey recipe that gets cooked right in the crock pot with minimal ingredients. Flavorful, moist, and tender flaky turkey breast that is so easy and perfect for Thanksgiving dinner. No cleaning the bird! Let the slow cooker do all the work and it even makes it's own cranberry gravy.
Ingredients
- 1 (5-7 lbs) boneless turkey breast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 can (14 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 packet onion soup seasoning mix
- 1/2 cup orange juice
Gravy
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
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Unwrap turkey breast, making sure to leave the netting on the turkey, and place into a slow cooker. I use a 6-qt crock pot.
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Sprinkle salt and pepper over the turkey and rub it in. In a mixing bowl combine cranberry sauce, onion seasoning mix, and orange juice. Pour over the turkey.
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Cook on LOW heat for 5-7 hours. Internal temperature needs to be at least 165 degrees. Mine cooked for 6.5 hours.
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Take turkey breast out of the crock pot and place onto the serving plate. Cover with tin foil to keep it hot. Skim the fat pieces from the crock pot. Pour the remaining liquid from the crockpot into a medium saucepan.
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Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Bring the sauce from the slow cooker to a boil. Once boiling add the cornstarch mixture and stir with a whisk until it's thickened. You may have to turn the heat down while doing this to prevent it from boiling too much and burning. It should only take between 1-2 minutes for it to thicken.
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Pour some of the gravy over the turkey breast and serve. I pour the extra sauce into a jar and set that out with the turkey so you can serve additional gravy with the turkey servings.
Recipe Notes
Calorie information is for 5 ounces of turkey breast (size of your palm) with 1/4 cup gravy.
Keep the netting on the turkey breast while it's cooking. Remove it only after the cook time. The netting helps the turkey keep it's shape during the cook time.
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