Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast With Lemon-Garlic Gravy

Name: Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast With Gravy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 4 h 20 min
Total time: 12 h 30 min
Yield: 5 to 7 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt; 1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme; 1 1/2 tablespoons dried rosemary; 1 tablespoon onion powder; 1 tablespoon sweet paprika; 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar; Freshly ground black pepper; 1 (5- to 7-pound) bone-in, skin-on whole turkey breast; 2 carrots, scrubbed (no need to peel or cut); 1 large yellow or red onion, sliced into 3 or 4 thick rings; 1 large garlic head, halved crosswise; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened; Chicken or turkey broth or stock, if necessary; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; Juice of 1 lemon; Freshly ground black pepper

By Sarah DiGregorio

Published Nov. 5, 2024

Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast With Lemon-Garlic Gravy — Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.

Total Time: 12½ hours
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours and 20 minutes, plus overnight brining
Rating: 5(167)
Comments: Read comments

This browned and succulent, slow-cooker roast is largely hands-off and can solve several Thanksgiving conundrums, such as lack of oven space and a majority of white meat lovers at the table. Make it in addition to a whole turkey or as a substitute for it. The herbed dry brine helps to ensure moistness and flavor, but white meat doesn’t cut you much slack, so make sure to check the internal temperature: Pull the turkey out as soon as the thickest part of the breast is 155 degrees, or even a few degrees cooler. (Food safety is achieved by both heat and the amount of time the meat stays at that temperature, so the long cooking time plus carryover heat ensure safety here.) This recipe calls for a whole, skin-on, bone-in turkey breast. Standard slow cookers are between 6 to 8 quarts. If yours is 6 quarts, be sure to look for a breast on the smaller side, as anything more than about 6½ pounds may not fit. If you plan to serve fewer people, see the tip for variations.

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Ingredients

Yield:5 to 7 servings

For the Turkey

1½tablespoons coarse kosher salt
1½tablespoons dried thyme
1½tablespoons dried rosemary
1tablespoon onion powder
1tablespoon sweet paprika
1tablespoon packed light brown sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
1(5- to 7-pound) bone-in, skin-on whole turkey breast
2carrots, scrubbed (no need to peel or cut)
1large yellow or red onion, sliced into 3 or 4 thick rings
1large garlic head, halved crosswise
4tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

For the Gravy

Chicken or turkey broth or stock, if necessary
1tablespoon unsalted butter
2tablespoons all-purpose flour
Juice of 1 lemon
Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the turkey: Combine the salt, thyme, rosemary, onion powder, paprika, brown sugar and several generous grinds of black pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Pat the turkey breast dry and put it in a very large bowl. (Remove and discard the pop up thermometer if there is one.) Coat the meat all over with the salt mixture, including the bone and under the skin. (Gently slide your fingers under the skin to loosen it and generously season the meat underneath.) Arrange the turkey skin-side up in the bowl and refrigerate uncovered overnight (8 to 12 hours).
Step 2
Remove the turkey breast from the refrigerator about an hour before you’re ready to cook. Put the carrots, onion and garlic (don’t worry if it falls apart) in the bottom of a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Put the turkey on top, skin-side up. Smear the softened butter under the skin of the turkey (don’t worry about being even or neat). Cook on low until the thickest part of the turkey just registers 155 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Depending on your slow cooker and the size of your turkey breast, this will take between 4 and 6 hours. (Start checking the temperature at the thickest part of the breast at around 3 hours and 45 minutes, so that you can get a sense of how quickly it is cooking.)
Step 3
Using tongs, pull the turkey breast out of the slow cooker and put it on a sheet pan. If the turkey is done much sooner than you are ready to eat, tent it with foil and let it sit at room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.
Step 4
Position a rack about 8 inches from the broiler heat source (farther than usual) and turn the broiler on high. Broil the turkey to brown and crisp the skin, checking and rotating it every 3 minutes, for 6 to 9 minutes total.
Step 5
Let the turkey rest for at least 10 minutes.
Step 6
Meanwhile, prepare the gravy: Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove and discard the onion and carrots from the slow cooker. Squeeze the soft garlic out of the papery skins into the drippings, and discard the skins. Pour the drippings and garlic into a liquid measuring cup. If you don’t have 2 cups of drippings, add chicken or turkey broth to make up the difference.
Step 7
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine into evenly moistened, sizzling crumbles. Pour in the 2 cups of turkey drippings and bring to a simmer, whisking, until the gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 3 minutes. Squeeze in the lemon juice and smash the garlic bits with a fork; season with black pepper to taste. (This gravy is rustic with garlic bits — if you’d prefer it smooth, strain it through a fine sieve before serving.)
Step 8
Carve the turkey breast and serve it with the warm gravy.

Tips

If your turkey breast is frozen, allot a day or two to completely defrost it in the refrigerator; don’t put frozen meat into the slow cooker.
To serve 2 to 4 people, use a half turkey breast, preferably skin-on and bone-in, though you can use boneless, skinless. (The skin is more important than the bone.) For a 2- to 3½-pound half breast, use a dry brine of 1½ to 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt (the smaller amount for under 3 pounds), mixed with 2 teaspoons each dried thyme, dried rosemary, onion powder and paprika, 1½ teaspoons light brown sugar, plus several generous grinds of pepper. Use the same aromatics in the bottom of the slow cooker, and rub the turkey with 2 tablespoons softened butter before cooking. Cook on low for 2½ to 3½ hours. Start checking the temperature at 2 hours and 15 minutes. Make the gravy with 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 cup drippings/broth and juice of ½ lemon.

Ratings

5 out of 5

167 user ratings

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Comments

Erica Yahr Rader7 months ago

Test drove this recipe today using a less than ideal boneless, skinless breast as that's what I could find. The turkey was moist (I know, terrible word but it's turkey breast so the word matters). Some general thoughts: * The technique (dry brining, crock pot) is spot on. * Bit too salty. FWIW…used Diamond Crystal/followed adjustments. Will half it if I make it again. * I cut back on the amount of butter as I didn’t have a bird with skin. * Too much rosemary/not enough thyme (and I miss sage).

Elena7 months ago

@Laurie Good thoughts! Using less salt and olive oil instead of butter sounds like a great alternative for a lighter version—it’s nice to see how the recipe can be adjusted to fit different preferences. The salt and butter do add flavor and keep the turkey moist, especially for freezing or using in sandwiches, but trying it your way could definitely work well too! It’s always fun to experiment with these little tweaks.” For a balanced view, you could mention some advantages and disadvantages of the original recipe: Advantages: • Butter adds richness and a creamy flavor that pairs well with turkey. • Salt helps with flavor and can act as a preservative for frozen portions. • High moisture content keeps the turkey juicy for sandwiches or reheating. Disadvantages: • The recipe may be higher in sodium than some people prefer. • Butter can increase the calorie and fat content. • Using olive oil could provide a healthier fat option and still keep the turkey moist.

William Wroblicka7 months ago

The amount of kosher salt called for is not excessive for the size of the breast in the recipe. It's a technique called dry brining (not pickling), which seasons the breast through and through and helps it retain moisture while it cooks.

Togue3 months ago

I forgot to add lemon juice and the gravy was still delicious. I used the low cook on my InstaPot, and a 7 pound breast took only 3.5 hours. One thing I really liked: because it was cooked so much earlier than I expected, I it had cooled to room temperature by supper time, so I was able to tear both breast halves off the bone broil skin side up (no bones) in my toaster oven. I pureed half the carrot in the gravy; next time I'll cook the lemon with turkey and use the mellowed juice in gravy.

Angela H4 months ago

Used this rub to marinate turkey for about 3 hrs prior to roasting in oven. Started at 425 and then dropped temp to 350. It was delicious, though too salty.

Dophis5 months ago

Careful not to broil too long at the end. 4 minutes probably would have been enough.

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