Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

🧺Ingredients

• 1 bone-in turkey breast (5–6 lbs), fully thawed
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water (optional, for gravy)

👩‍🍳Instructions

1. Make the herb butter. Mash the softened butter with the garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika until well combined.
2. Butter the turkey. Pat the turkey breast completely dry — dry skin browns and crisps better. Gently loosen the skin with your fingers and rub two-thirds of the herb butter underneath it, then spread the rest all over the outside.
3. Load the slow cooker. Scatter the quartered onion in the bottom of a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker. Set the turkey breast on top, skin-side up. Pour the chicken broth around the turkey — not over it, so you don't wash off the butter.
4. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 6–7 hours (or HIGH for 3½–4 hours), until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part. Don't lift the lid — every peek lets out heat and adds time.
5. Crisp the skin (optional but worth it). Transfer the turkey to a sheet pan and broil 3–5 minutes until the skin turns golden and crisp. Watch it like a hawk — broilers go from golden to burnt fast.
6. Rest and slice. Rest the turkey 20 minutes so the juices redistribute, then slice against the grain. Strain the cooking juices for an instant gravy: whisk in the cornstarch slurry and simmer until thickened.

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