Orange Bourbon Crock Pot Turkey Breast
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Fresh squeezed orange juice & bourbon make a delicious glaze on this super easy crock pot turkey breast recipe, great for Thanksgiving or dinner any time of the year!
Two simple ways to make cooking a turkey so much easier:
- Cook a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey.
- Make it in a slow cooker!
This is seriously the easiest turkey recipe you’ll ever make! You can simplify your Thanksgiving dinner by making this recipe, add it to your Christmas menu, or prepare it anytime of the year for a delicious and simple dinner.
I love using my army of slow cookers to help me prepare Thanksgiving recipes, from Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Stuffing to Crock Pot Pumpkin Apple Monkey Bread for breakfast, to this Crock Pot Turkey Breast for the main course.
The “set it and forget it” nature of a crock pot is so helpful on Thanksgiving and not to mention, it frees up a ton of space in the oven!
How do I cook a turkey breast in the crock pot?
Start by making a spice rub for the turkey breast. In a small bowl, combine paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, ground cumin and ground cloves. Rub this spice mixture on the turkey breast and place it in a slow cooker.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine bourbon, fresh squeezed orange juice, orange zest and honey. Pour this mixture over the turkey in the slow cooker.
Set to low and cook for 6-8 hours.
After the turkey breast has finished cooking, remove from the crock pot and slice. I like to use a ladle to spoon the orange bourbon sauce from the crock pot and serve on the side or drizzled over the turkey breast.
Do I use a bone-in or boneless turkey breast?
I prefer a boneless turkey breast for this recipe as it’s guaranteed to fit in your slow cooker and easier to slice after cooking.
If you have a bone-in turkey breast that you’d like to use for this recipe, you definitely can, just make sure the turkey breast fits in your slow cooker before you begin the cooking process.
Do I leave the skin on the turkey breast or remove it?
This is a personal preference. I remove the skin as my family prefers the turkey served without the skin.
If you want to leave the skin on, but get it crispy, after the turkey breast has cooked in the slow cooker, place it on a baking sheet and under the broiler in the oven on low for 2-3 minutes. This should be enough time to get the skin crispy without drying out the turkey.
Can you cook a turkey breast from frozen in the crock pot?
Yes, simply add an hour to the cooking time, so cook on low for 7-9 hours.
Can I make this crock pot turkey breast recipe in an Instant Pot?
Absolutely! Add the spice rubbed turkey breast to the Instant Pot, pour the orange bourbon sauce over the turkey, place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure it’s set to sealing.
Press the “poultry” button on the Instant Pot or set it to manual on high pressure for 30 minutes. After the cooking time finishes, allow 15-20 minutes for a natural release.
Remove from the Instant Pot, slice the turkey and serve with the orange bourbon sauce on the side.
How many people does a turkey breast serve?
A 3-4 lb boneless turkey breast will serve approximately 6 people.
If you’re cooking for more than 6 people, I recommend making 2-3 turkey breasts. That’s what we do at our house!
In addition to this Orange Bourbon Crock Pot Turkey Breast, try these other favorites:
- Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast
- Cranberry Glazed Turkey Breast
- Sous Vide Turkey Breast
- Maple Apple Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
- Roasted Turkey Breast with Blue Cheese Mushroom Gravy
Don’t forget to pin this Orange Bourbon Crock Pot Turkey Breast for later and when you make it, be sure to share a pic on Instagram and tag me @WhitneyBond or use the hashtag #WBRecipes!
Orange Bourbon Crock Pot Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 3-4 lb boneless turkey breast
- ½ cup bourbon
- ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- ½ cup honey
Instructions
- Combine the paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cumin and ground cloves in a small bowl.
- Rub the spice mixture on the turkey breast and place in the crock pot.
- In another small bowl, whisk the bourbon, orange juice, orange zest and honey together.
- Pour this mixture over the turkey and slow cook on low 6-8 hours.
Nutrition Facts
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7 Comments on “Orange Bourbon Crock Pot Turkey Breast”
So much flavor in the turkey breast and so easy in the crock pot.
Is this a bone-in or deboned turkey breast? Did you leave the skin on or take it off ? Which do you prefer ? Did you put it under the broiler afterwards because it looks so brown at the or is that from the liquid ? Looks and sounds fantastic .Sorry for all the questions.
Thank you !
Hi Dottie, it is a boneless turkey breast. I left the skin on, but that’s totally a matter of personal preference, you could leave it on or take it off! The brown is just from the seasonings on the turkey breast, I didn’t put it in the broiler afterwards, just simply served it right out of the crock pot. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Whitney, Thank you for your quick reply….. but now I have one more question. Do you think this recipe will work with my already purchased bone-in turkey breast ? Should I cook it longer ? Woops, that’s 2 questions.
Hi Dottie, the recipe will definitely work with the bone-in turkey breast, you should be fine cooking it for the same time, just make sure it’s cooked to 165 degrees before you remove it from the crock pot. Enjoy!
I’m definitely making this for Christmas! My family enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner so much this year they requested turkey again for Christmas. This recipe is perfect! Thank you!
Fantastic Mona! Enjoy 🙂