Christmas Delight Slow CookerTurkey Breast
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| Photo: Pinterest |
Hi Sweet Friends!
Merry Christmas to You and Yours!
Today on Friday Foods we are cooking up a nice juicy slow cooker turkey! The first recipe is from Recipe Tin Eats and is from Nagi. Because Matt, the Chef, likes to alter recipes to fit our personal taste and family size, the second recipe is Matt's Christmas Delight Turkey Breast in Slow Cooker. Both recipes are great. There are only a few minor adjustments on the flavors. I suggest you try both and see which one you and your family like the best!
Course:
Turkey, Poultry, Slow Cooker
Cuisine:
Christmas, Festive
Servings: 8 - 10 people
Calories: 323 kcal
- 2 kg / 4 lb turkey breast, skin on, bone in or boneless (if using frozen, thaw it) (Note 1)
- 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally
- 1 onion (brown, yellow or white), unpeeled, cut in half
- 5 sprigs of thyme (or 2 tsp dried thyme leaves)
Rub
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 5 grinds of black pepper
- 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp olive oil
Gravy
- Chicken stock/broth (or water), for topping up liquid (see Gravy step 1)
- 4 tbsp / 50g butter
- 1/4 cup / 35g flour
- Salt and pepper
For Matt's Christmas Delight Turkey Breast in Slow Cookerhere is the altered recipe:
Ingredients:
- 8lb whole turkey breast, skin on, bone in, thawed, cut the lower half off and place it on top as show in photo.
- 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally
- 2 onion (yellow or white), unpeeled, cut in half
- 5 sprigs of thyme, whole (or 2 tsp dried thyme leaves)
Rub:
- 2tsp salt
- 1/2tsp pepper
- 1/2tsp poultry seasoning
Gravy:
Pan drippings/oil separated out
Chicken Broth
Corn Starch
Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions:
Place the Rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix together. Rub the mix on the rinsed turkey, using the most for the side and top.
Place the garlic, onion face up in the slow cooker. Put in the thyme sprigs around the bottom of the pot.
Place the turkey breast on top so it is elevated off the bottom of the pot and won't stew in it's juices, but rather slow roast.(ours is a whole turkey breast, so the bottom had to be cut off to fit into the crock)
Place the turkey breast on top so it is elevated off the bottom of the pot and won't stew in it's juices, but rather slow roast.(ours is a whole turkey breast, so the bottom had to be cut off to fit into the crock)
Cover and slow Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours for a whole turkey breast and 6-8 for a half side breast (do not use HIGH, will dry out, do not use pressure cooker).
I check at 6 hours with a meat thermometer and it needed another 4 hours, for sure - it's ready when it reads 165F/75C when inserted into the middle. It is important to keep the turkey breast cooking until this desired temp. otherwise the turkey will be undone and rubbery.
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| Browning the Turkey Breast makes it look golden brown. |
Remove turkey from the slow cooker (do not leave in slow cooker on Warm setting as it will dry out!) and let it rest for 20 minutes, on a cooking tray, before crisping the skin.
Crisp the SkinPreheat broiler to high.
Place an oven shelf 30cm / 1 foot from the heat source.
Place turkey, on cooking tray, into oven.
Place on the oven shelf and broil for 3 to 5 minutes until the skin is crispy. Keep an eye on it - it browns very quickly! (Ours took 4mins.)
Serve immediately with gravy on the side.
Gravy
Strain the liquid with a mesh sieve, squishing the garlic, etc. to extract all the flavor. If you are short of 2 cups, top up with chicken broth. (Ours had more than enough liquid, it was a wet bird and we used a separating measure cup to get the oil/grease out.)
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| Walmart Gravy separator (not a paid endorsement, just where I purchased mine) |
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with turkey.
"Sorry, no photo of the gravy. We were so hungry smelling this turkey breast all day that we dug in and forgot to take a photo of the delicious gravy!" ~ Matt Dunkle
Additional Recipe Notes from Nagi, edited to our recipe.
"1. Turkey breast can come in all sorts of sizes and cuts. A single boneless breast can be as small as 1 kg / 2 lb. A double bone in breast (also known as turkey "buffe" or "crown") can be as large as 6 kg / 12 lb.
This can be made with any cut of turkey breast - but it needs to have skin if you want the nice color you see in the photos.
2. Because turkey is so lean, it is far better made as close as possible to serving time. But if you need to make ahead, slow cook the turkey but do not brown the skin. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature. Cover with cling wrap and microwave for 3 minutes on LOW (if high, you run the risk of drying out the edges of the turkey), then grill/broil per instructions to brown and crisp the skin. The gravy can also be made ahead then reheated in a saucepan or in the microwave.
3. COOK TIMES: Ready when the internal temp is 165F/75C. Slow cookers are very forgiving so don't stress too much about cooking time, an hour or 2 over and it will still be moist. The worst that might happen is that the meat falls apart a bit when you lift it out of the slow cooker, but still juicy! DO NOT try to save time by using HIGH! "It makes the turkey tough and good only for the dog", said Matt.
Bone in skin on turkey breast (I used this), start checking internal temp at the short cook time provided:
1 kg / 2 lb: 5 hours on low
2 - 3 kg / 4 - 6 lb: 6 - 7 hours on low
4 kg / 8 lb: 7 hours on low (see 8 June '17 report from reader Tony)
5 kg / 10 lb: 8 - 9 hours on low
4. No water is required for this, the turkey steams in its own juices. It won't dry out or burn but it is important to elevate the breast off the bottom with the onion and garlic!
3. COOK TIMES: Ready when the internal temp is 165F/75C. Slow cookers are very forgiving so don't stress too much about cooking time, an hour or 2 over and it will still be moist. The worst that might happen is that the meat falls apart a bit when you lift it out of the slow cooker, but still juicy! DO NOT try to save time by using HIGH! "It makes the turkey tough and good only for the dog", said Matt.
Bone in skin on turkey breast (I used this), start checking internal temp at the short cook time provided:
1 kg / 2 lb: 5 hours on low
2 - 3 kg / 4 - 6 lb: 6 - 7 hours on low
4 kg / 8 lb: 7 hours on low (see 8 June '17 report from reader Tony)
5 kg / 10 lb: 8 - 9 hours on low
4. No water is required for this, the turkey steams in its own juices. It won't dry out or burn but it is important to elevate the breast off the bottom with the onion and garlic!
5. SLOW COOKER: The slow cooker I am using, saying it looks like a press cooker. I am using a slow cooker called a "Proctor Silex Slow Cooker". This recipe is cooked using the slow cooker low function. ~ Matt Dunkle
6. More ways to cook turkey:
- Garlic Herb Butter Roast Turkey Breast: Smearing butter under the skin takes this over the top!
- Dry Brined Whole Turkey: the most practical way to brine a whole turkey AND you can do it while it's still defrosting
- One Pan Cajun Roast Turkey Breast and Dressing: Epic reader recipe from last year! Cajun rubbed turkey baked in the same pan as a fabulous sausage dressing (stuffing)."
8. Nutrition per serving, including gravy is lower in calorie than Nagi's butter gravy.
6. More ways to cook turkey:
- Garlic Herb Butter Roast Turkey Breast: Smearing butter under the skin takes this over the top!
- Dry Brined Whole Turkey: the most practical way to brine a whole turkey AND you can do it while it's still defrosting
- One Pan Cajun Roast Turkey Breast and Dressing: Epic reader recipe from last year! Cajun rubbed turkey baked in the same pan as a fabulous sausage dressing (stuffing)."
8. Nutrition per serving, including gravy is lower in calorie than Nagi's butter gravy.
"This turkey breast is great for a small gathering where you don't want leftovers. The turkey cooks all day while you are doing other Christmas preparations. It is juicy, tender and delicious! Try either of these recipes for your next Christmas Luncheon, Christmas Dinner or Company anytime!" CJD.Sign
Enjoy!
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| 2015 Christmas, can you see the Walmart bag there in front? That is the gravy separator! A good gift for the cook in your family! And the gravy really does taste better when the oil is removed! |
Enjoy!
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