Just in time for your Christmas or Thanksgiving preparations, I’ve got the best way to cook your turkey for no hassle at all – in the slow cooker! My slow cooker turkey crown is a delicious and succulent way to cook your turkey and avoid the dreaded dry meat you can get through roasting.
The turkey crown (if you aren’t familiar with this term it is a double turkey breast on the bone which is common in the UK for Christmas) is prepared with a rub made with olive oil, smoked paprika and herbs.
You can also follow the same method for a single large turkey breast or a turkey.
Just make sure if it is a whole turkey that it will fit in your slow cooker. We don’t want any Christmas food disasters!
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Ingredients
Here is what you will need, to use as a shopping list. The exact quantities are in the printable recipe card below.
- turkey crown – or turkey breast. Ensure it is fully defrosted, see the tips below on defrosting your turkey crown.
- olive oil
- onions
- smoked paprika
- garlic – either fresh or dried minced garlic are fine.
- dried rosemary
- salt and pepper – to adjust the seasoning to your taste.
- butter – for the glaze, to give high shine.
Method
Here are the step by step instructions with tips to help you make this slow cooker turkey crown perfectly every time.
The full recipe with amounts is in the printable recipe card further down.
Look through these images and tips first so you know exactly what to do.
The turkey crown shown is 2 kg / 4 pounds and was cooked in my 5.7 litre slow cooker with plenty of space to spare.
Step 1. After rubbing on the spice mix, I popped the defrosted turkey crown straight in the slow cooker on top of a couple of halved onions to lift it up out of the cooking juices.
Step 2. Put on the lid, then cook. During cooking, baste a few times with the cooking juices.
The cooking time for a 2 kg / 4 pound turkey crown is 5 hours on high.
See the notes in the table for cooking other weights:
| Weight | Cooking time |
| For a 1 kg / 2 pound turkey crown or breast | 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low |
| For a 2 kg / 4 pound turkey crown or breast | 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low |
| For a 3 kg / 6 pound turkey crown or breast | 6 hours on high or 9-10 hours on low |
Top Tip
If you want no hassle on Christmas Day you can cook your turkey crown overnight on low, the night before.
Let it cool then refrigerate. Then you can slice it and reheat before serving (reheat in the oven with gravy to stop it drying out, or in the microwave, not in the slow cooker).
Use a cooking thermometer to check the turkey is cooked through – see my Turkey Tips below.
Step 3. Baste with melted butter seasoned with salt and pepper and paprika before serving, for a nice shine.
Step4. Optional additional step. If you’d like to have crispy skin on your turkey crown, remove the turkey crown carefully from the slow cooker pot once cooked through, transfer to a roasting tin and put it in a hot oven to brown for approx 10-15 minutes (at 180°C / 350°F).
You could also lay slices of bacon across it before putting it in the oven.
What to serve with turkey crown or breast
Serve your slow cooker turkey crown with your traditional Christmas sides – roast potatoes (love these easy slow cooker ones!), sage and onion stuffing, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce, red cabbage, roast parsnips (cooked in the slow cooker!), glazed carrots and Brussels sprouts if you are in the UK, followed by Christmas pudding.
If you are in the USA and cooking for Thanksgiving, your sides might well be mashed potato, glazed squash, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, stuffing or dressing, green bean casserole, and pumpkin or pecan pie for dessert!
Turkey tips
I know that cooking a turkey or turkey crown is something which brings lots of pressure as we want to get it right and make sure we cook it safely and thoroughly.
I’ve added some tips below which I think might be useful.
How to defrost a turkey
Follow the directions on the packaging to defrost your turkey or crown, ensuring you know how much it weighs.
You can defrost in the fridge (takes longer, around 8-12 hours per kilo), a cold room (takes a bit less time, around 4 hours per kilo) or at room temperature which takes 2 hours per kilo.
Always follow a reliable source – in the UK I like this guide from the Food Standards Agency.
How to check your turkey is defrosted
Remove all the packaging, look for ice crystals on the underneath of the crown where the bones are.
If any remain, leave it to defrost for longer until they have gone.
Use a sharp knife or skewer and pierce the turkey breast to see if it feels frozen still.
If it does, leave to defrost for longer until it no longer feels frozen inside the breast.
After cooking, how to check the turkey is cooked through
This so when I turn to my trusty Thermapen electronic meat thermometer. This put the guesswork away as I know exactly what temperature the turkey has reached.
To be safely cooked through the turkey must reach 74°C in the thickest part of the meat.
Using my slow cooker on high, and testing with my Thermapen after cooking, I found my turkey had reached over 90°C so I knew it was fully cooked.
If you have no meat thermometer, pierce the meat with a skewer or similar and check that the juices run clear with no pink remaining.
Baste with melted butter seasoned with salt and pepper and paprika before serving.
It gives your turkey crown an extra shine and looks great on serving.
Whether you are serving your turkey crown for Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day to Thanksgiving, this will make a great centrepiece to your festive table.
Storage
If you have leftover cooked turkey, refrigerate it as soon as possible. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To freeze, wrap it in parchment paper in slices and put in freezer bags. Keep for up to 3 months.
More slow cooker Christmas recipes
If you are using your slow cooker this Christmas, you might also like:
- slow cooker roast potatoes
- slow cooker roast parsnips
- slow cooker Brussels sprouts
- slow cooker red cabbage
- slow cooker glazed gammon
- slow cooker Baileys chocolate cake
- slow cooker amaretto fudge
- slow cooker gingerbread pudding, an alternative to Christmas pudding
- slow cooker Christmas cake
- slow cooker thick and creamy hot chocolate
Make sure you also check out my Christmas slow cooker post full of edible gifts, sweet treats, Christmas dinner recipes and more, all made in your slow cooker!
Look at my slow cooker archives for even more! You can also subscribe so you don’t miss a post.
For more slow cooker roast recipes make sure you take a look at my guide to making a roast dinner in your slow cooker.
Pin this slow cooker turkey crown recipe for later
Recipe
Slow Cooker Turkey Crown
Ingredients
- 2 kg turkey crown or breast defrosted completely
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions halved
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- salt and pepper to taste
For the glaze:
- 50 g butter
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
Video
Instructions
- Mix the oil, paprika, garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper in a small bowl.2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp dried rosemary, salt and pepper to taste
- Rub it over the turkey crown.2 kg turkey crown or breast
- Halve two onions and place them in the base of the slow cooker pot.2 onions
- Put the prepared turkey crown on top of the onions.
- Put on the lid and cook on high for 5 hours (or on low for 8 hours if cooking overnight).
- During cooking, baste occasionally with the cooking liquids which will collect under the turkey crown.
- Before serving, melt the butter, mix with smoked paprika, salt and pepper and pour it over the turkey crown to glaze.50 g butter, 2 tsp smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste
- Optional. If you'd like to have crispy skin on your turkey crown, remove the turkey crown carefully from the slow cooker pot once cooked through, transfer to a roasting tin and put it in a hot oven to brown for approx 10-15 minutes (at 180°C/350°F). You could also lay slices of bacon across it before putting it in the oven.
Notes
- For a 1 kg / 2 pound turkey crown or breast – 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low
- For a 2 kg / 4 pound turkey crown or breast – 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low
- For a 3 kg / 6 pound turkey crown or breast – 6 hours on high or 9-10 hours on low
Lisa says
I make a small whole Chicken most weeks in my slow cooker. I usually just rub it with olive oil, S&P, Thyme & Paprika. We don’t eat the skin even cooked in oven but if we did I would just pop it under the grill/broiler until brown.
The juices are thrown in with the bones (broken with hands), an onion with its skin, a carrot and celery stick in chunks and then covered with water. Boil for 10 mins then reduce to a simmer covered. I simmer it for 3-4 hours but less probably would work. It makes a great stock and darker in colour because of the onion skin 😀
Carol says
Hi I have a 2.2kg boneless turkey crown how long will it take to cook in my slow cooker.
bakingqueen74 says
I would follow the timings I’ve given in the post for a 2 kg crown – 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
Rachel says
Hello. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe this year. How long would it take to cook a 1.1kg turkey crown please? Thanks
bakingqueen74 says
HI Rachel, I would do 4 hours on high then check it is fully cooked through (using either a food probe or by checking the breast is fully cooked through and white, no pink remaining, and the juices are running clear).
Rachel says
Thanks so much. Have a lovely Christmas.
Sink says
Hi, can’t wait to use the technique this year! I wondered if there is a way to cook the parsnips along with the Turkey? Could they be added below with the onions?
Also any tips for turning the juices to gravy would be great.
bakingqueen74 says
Great! You could put them under the turkey but then they will be in liquid that comes from the meat as it cooks then, so will be like boiled parsnips that taste of turkey. Have you seen my recipe for roast parsnips if you have a second slow cooker? I prefer to make my gravy separately for more flavour, Jamie Oliver’s gravy is great.
Nisha Thakrar says
Hi, does this method yield any liquid for gravy?
bakingqueen74 says
Yes you could use the liquid that collects under the turkey, which is used for basting in the recipe, to make gravy if you wish.
Stuart says
How long do I cook a 3.5 Kilo Crown!
bakingqueen74 says
I would do around 6 hours on high but best way to check it is done is to use a food thermometer like a thermapen or similar!
Nikki says
How did you calculate the cooking time?
My turkey is 2.6kg so it’ll need longer I assume?
bakingqueen74 says
I would add thirty mins to one hour to the cooking time for that weight. Best to use a thermometer so you know when it has reached the right internal temperature (74 degreees C).
Pam Playle says
Do you add any liquid to the pot or does it cook in its own juices please?
bakingqueen74 says
Hi Pam, no liquid needed, I put it on the sliced onions to keep it out of the juices that are produced as it cooks.
Tilly says
Love using the slow cooker makes the turkey so juicy!
bakingqueen74 says
It really does!
Jamielyn says
Looks so flavorful and delicious! And simple too 🙂
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Jamielyn!
Matt @ Plating Pixels says
Never heard of a turkey crown. I love slow cooking so looking forward to trying this!
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Matt, it’s very common here in England!
Amy | The Cook Report says
The addition of paprika is so yummy, I bet this is delicious!
bakingqueen74 says
It really adds flavour!
kelly anthony says
This would be perfect for a small holiday dinner. While prepping the sides this slow cooker turkey can be cooking to perfection. This is a perfect solution to a quick and easy holiday dinner.
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Kelly! I also cook some sides in my other crockpots!