So I’ll start. I normally am not the T-Day host. We will be home this year with 4 of us. I am just going to do a turkey breast. Looking for hints/recipes for doing the breast in the crockpot. How can I use the crockpot but finish it off with crispy skin (limited on a breast anyway). Looking for tips. And hours in the crockpot. I’ll check and see how big it is.
Feel free to post other food prep questions here. Some of us might be in new waters having to do more/all the prep on our own and not with other families/households.
I’ve never done a turkey breast in the crockpot, so I can’t help @abasket :). I have cooked for many years, off and on. I do think it is a little easier to cook for fewer. Fewer potatoes to peel/cook, fewer onions/celery to chop for stuffing etc.
I set my table today - I will probably do most things that day. I’ll sauté the wet ingredients for stuffing the night before perhaps, but i have it down to a science.
I have often done a turkey breast in the Instant Pot, straight from frozen. It is super easy. I put seasonings (salt, pepper, etc) on the outside of the turkey, put the turkey on the trivet in the IP, and usually toss in some carrots or onion wedges into the pot for flavor – then just set the pressure time for 45 minutes and let it go. I do a natural release – that’s better for any poultry to keep it from drying out.
Recently I cooked a frozen chicken breast in the IP and I had an unopened jar of black bean sauce in the cabinet, and put that on the breast - and it came out absolutely delicious. Even though of course the chicken was not browned (it was a skinless, boneless breast in any case) – it LOOKED brown because of the dark color of the bean sauce – so definitely something that looked more appealing than a bland, white steamed breast. So I’m thinking of doing this with my turkey breast this year. (But I live alone so I may or may not cook the breast at thanksgiving, since it is for myself only.)
This is my favorite way to cook a turkey breast in a slow cooker or Instapot. In the past I worked for a kitchen retailer that sampled food and we would cook at least 5 or 6 during the pre-Thanksgiving sales season. It is always a hit.
Ingredients:
1 Bone-In Turkey Breast, Approximately 6 Pounds
1 Envelope Dried Onion Soup Mix
1 Can Whole Cranberry Sauce (or you can use your favorite cranberry relish)
Slow-Cooker Directions:
Remove skin from turkey breast and place in your slow-cooker. Sprinkle soup mix over the turkey. Add cranberry relish to cooker. It may look dry but do not add any liquid. Cover. Cook on high 5 - 7 hours, turning halfway through, depending upon how you like your turkey and your slow cooker. The shorter time will result in a more sliceable turkey, cook longer if you like to shred the turkey meat.
Instant Pot Directions:
Remove skin from turkey breast and place in your Instant Pot, wide-side up. Put one cup of water into the pot. Sprinkle soup mix over the turkey. Add cranberry relish to pot. Cover. Cook using the Pressure setting, 50 minutes. let steam dissipate naturally.
By either method, when your turkey is done, remove it from the cooker/pot.
If your slow cooker has a sauté or steam function, reset and bring juices to a boil and reduce to create a thicker sauce. If not, transfer the juice to a saucepan and reduce.
If you are using a Instapot, reset the pot to the sauté function and reduce the juices.
Such good cooks here.