Slow-Cooker Cranberry Roasted Turkey Breast

PHOTO: KITTY BROIHIER, MS, RD, LD

 

Hosting a big crowd this holiday season and want to serve extra food that doesn’t create a lot more work? Here’s your answer. Making this slow-cooker turkey breast is not only easy — it uses no oven space and ensures that there will be plenty of moist, flavorful meat to go around, including for sandwiches the next day. 


 Cranberry Roasted Turkey Breast Slow-Cooker Cranberry Roasted Turkey Breast -

Serves 6-8 

Ingredients 

  • Nonstick cooking spray 
  • 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca 
  • 1 cup dried cranberries 
  • 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil 
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced shallot 
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt 
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme 
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar 
  • 1 14-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce, divided 
  • 1 6 to 7-pound thawed turkey breast, rinsed and patted dry 

Instructions 

  1. Coat the slow cooker crock with cooking spray. Sprinkle the tapioca and dried cranberries in the crock and set aside. 
  2. Heat the butter or olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add shallot, salt, thyme and black pepper. Cook and stir until shallot is soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and ¼ cup cranberry sauce and stir to heat through. Set aside remaining cranberry sauce. 
  3. Remove the turkey breast skin, if desired. Place the turkey in the crock, breast side up if possible — the shape of your cooker may require the turkey be cooked on its side, which is fine. Pour the shallot and cranberry mixture over the turkey and cover and cook 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. 
  4. Transfer the turkey to a platter and tent with foil, letting it rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Skim and discard any visible fat from the cooking juices in the crock and add the reserved whole-berry cranberry sauce, stirring well. 
  5. Slice the turkey breast and serve the sauce on the side. 
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Kitty Broihier
Kit Broihier, MS, RD, LD, is a writer, nutrition instructor and recipe developer based in South Portland, Maine. She is president of NutriComm Inc., a food and nutrition communications consulting company. Find her work on nutricomm.com and glutenfreeslowcooking.com, and follow her on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter.