Tender slow cooker turkey breast recipe in a flavorful gravy. No canned soups or gravy mixes. Serve over warm mashed potatoes with a dinner roll and this will be every kid's favorite holiday meal.

The inspiration for this meal comes from. 1996 Paris Gibson Middle School (and I am sure EVERY school cafeteria in the 1990s). Turkey and Gravy day was everyone's favorite hot lunch at school.

The gravy is quick and easy to make on the stovetop without turkey drippings and no "canned" soups or gravy packets.

Traditionally, for Thanksgiving dinner, our family always had a brined and roasted turkey. Our gatherings were never less than 15 people. When we moved to Texas, I knew I had to scale it back big time, and it gave me the opportunity to make a few adjustments. This slow cooker turker recipe makes for an easy Thanksgiving day and a wonderful Christmas dinner. Simple ingredients for a shredded juicy turkey breast.

This recipe is specifically for a boneless turkey breast. I have not tested it with a whole turkey or a bone-in turkey breast.

Ingredients

Turkey Breast

4 lbs boneless turkey breast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

Gravy

This is the best turkey gravy recipe. I make it anytime we have poultry and want gravy to serve with it.

½ cup salted butter
⅓ cup flour
8 cups chicken broth, divided
2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon chicken Better Than Bullion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon dried Parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

DIY Poultry Seasoning (makes ~6 tsp)

2 teaspoon ground dried sage
1 ½ teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon ground marjoram
¾ teaspoon ground dried rosemary
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon finely ground white pepper

Instructions

This has become a holiday favorite. It freezes beautifully to save leftovers or make ahead. You can quickly reheat on the stove top with extra broth or slowly in a slow cooker. The boneless turkey breast is seasoned and cooked in delicious gravy then simply shred and serve.

Dry off your boneless turkey breast and sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning.
Place turkey breast (skin side up if there is skin) in the slowcooker and turn on low, cover with lid.
Make your gravy on the stovetop. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add flour and stir for 1 minute to make a paste.
In a glass measuring cup, combine 1 cup of broth and cornstarch. Whisk together well and set aside.
Add remaining 7 cups of broth, Better Than Bollion, and seasoning (spices). Whisk until mixed well and heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes while whisking.
Slowly pour in the broth with cornstarch and whisk well. Remove from heat and separate out 4 cups of gravy into a sealed container for the fridge.
Pour remaining hot gravy over turkey breast in the slowcooker. Ccover with lid and let tcook on low 6-8 hours.
When the turkey is falling apart, remove the skin from the top and shred the turkey. Serve over mashed potatoes with extra gravy.
If your turkey is ready to shred before you are ready to serve it, just turn the slow cooker to the warm setting until you are ready to serve it.

Shred the turkey by hand or in a stand mixer. Using a mixer only takes about 20-30 seconds with the paddle attachment.

To make ahead, make the recipe as written and then let it cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge.  The day you want to serve it, heat on the stovetop with extra broth.  

This meal freezes well.  When I have leftover turkey that we won't eat, I simply freeze it for up to 3 months.

How much turkey do I need per person?

For a boneless turkey breast, you will need to plan about ½ to ¾ pound per person. I like to use a 4lb turkey breast for 6 people and that also leaves us with plenty of leftovers.

Storage

To store leftovers, keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze this in an airtight ziptop bag or container for up to 3 months. Reheat with extra broth.

Looking for more holiday meal recipes? Try these: