Slow Cooker Cajun Butter Turkey Breast
Slathered in a delicious Cajun butter that infuses this juicy turkey with an enticing blend of spices, Slow Cooker Cajun Butter Turkey Breast is the perfect solution for a smaller holiday gathering! Just throw it in the slow cooker for the ultimate hands-off main course for Thanksgiving or anytime you want flavorful turkey!
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Once you make a Slow Cooker Cajun Butter Turkey Breast, you’ll wonder why you haven’t done it sooner. It’s absolutely delicious!
The Cajun butter infuses the turkey with so much flavor, but also keeps it nice and moist!
After we have it for Thanksgiving, we slice the leftovers for the ultimate turkey sandwiches!
I don’t know about you, but being a family of four means I sure don’t need a whole turkey, so I started experimenting with turkey breasts in the slow cooker and there’s no going back!
You just can’t beat the convenience of tossing it in a slow cooker and not having to worry about it for hours!
Not having to cook a turkey in the oven means there’s no more stopping what you’re doing to baste the turkey or try and figure out if it’s cooked through!
It also enables me to free up the oven space for my side dishes and desserts! Not to mention, it gives me more time with my family, which is what the holidays are all about!
You can find this recipe and more in my collection of 18+ Easy Thanksgiving Recipes!
Ingredients needed to make this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):
- Bone-in turkey breast
- Onion
- Butter
- Homemade Cajun spice blend (paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, white pepper, black pepper, oregano, sea salt)
📍The full recipe with exact ingredient amounts and instructions is on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How to make Slow Cooker Cajun Butter Turkey Breast:
- Just place your turkey breast on a bed of chopped onion. This elevates the turkey from sitting directly on the heat source, and also gives the juices you’ll use later on a lot of flavor!
2. Then slather that turkey breast with your homemade Cajun butter. I gently lift the skin and use my fingers to create a little pocket. Then rub the seasoned butter underneath so the flavor will penetrate the meat, then add the butter to the exterior of the turkey too.
3. Cook your turkey Breast on low for 6-7 hours. (full instructions on recipe card below)
4. When fully cooked, remove the turkey breast from the slow cooker and place it in a baking dish. Put it under the broiler to brown the top and get the skin crisped. You can use or discard the onion depending on your preferences. We like to spoon the onions and juices from the slow cooker over our turkey, but feel free to thicken it up by making a cornstarch slurry.
What to serve with turkey breast?
- Slow Cooker Herbed Baby Potatoes
- Curry Spiced Roasted Carrots
- Mom’s Sausage Stuffing (shown below)
- Creamy Blue Cheese Mashed Red Potatoes
Can I use a frozen turkey breast?
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, because of how long it takes a frozen turkey breast to reach a safe internal temperature, it is best to thaw the turkey breast first.
To defrost a frozen turkey breast, place it in the refrigerator to thaw 3 days before you plan to cook it.
How long is cooked turkey good for?
You can keep leftover turkey in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Cooked turkey can be frozen for 3-4 months. It may dry out, so a little broth or gravy will be helpful.
NOTES:
- We just spoon the juices from the slow cooker over our slices of turkey, but feel free to add a cornstarch slurry if you are want a thicker gravy.
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Slow Cooker Cajun Butter Turkey Breast
Equipment
- 6-quart slow cooker or larger
- baking dish
Ingredients
- 5-6 pound turkey breast (bone-in)
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature more butter may be needed if turkey is on the larger end
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Add onion to the bottom of your slow cooker and place turkey breast on top of the onion.
- Make Cajun butter: Combine all of the seasonings to the soft, room-temperature butter and mix until fully incorporated.
- Gently loosen the skin from the turkey breast and using your fingers, grab some of the Cajun butter and spread it under the skin as much as you can and also rub the exterior of the turkey breast with the Cajun butter.
- Cook the turkey breast on low for 6-7 hours, or until a meat thermometer says it is 165°.
- Remove turkey from slow cooker and place in baking dish. Heat oven to "broiler" and broil the turkey breast for 3-4 minutes or until the skin has darkened and crisped up a little bit.
- You can spoon the juices over the turkey when serving, make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the juices, or add them to a mini blender with the onion and puree them. Enjoy!
Video
Did you make this recipe? Rate it and let me know in the comments below! ♥
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Not sure how you got the Cajun butter to stick to the chicken, it’s like a thick paste that won’t stay on the chicken (ps I did dry it)
If you can spread it under the skin first, that’s great. Whatever’s left over I just dab on best as possible.
Hello – I have made this a few times and it turns out great however whenever I’m spreading the butter on the turkey it always clumps up and falls off? Like the turkey chills the butter again. It almost ends up more like pats of butter strategically balanced than what your picture looks like. Turkey turns out great but i make quite a mess. Any tips would be appreciated! Happy thanksgiving!
That happens to me too. I find that the drier the turkey skin is, the easier it is to smooth on, so I pat it down really good with paper towels before I add the butter. If you can get the butter under the skin, that’s almost most important anyways. Glad it turns out great for you :)
Can I add potatoes and carrots to along with the turkey breast in the crockpot?
If it makes your slow cooker more than 3/4 full, it’s not recommended for proper cooking, but if there’s plenty of room, it should be find. You just may need to add more time if the veggies are still hard.
Can you use a boneless turkey breast?
You could, but I find the boneless turkey breasts have a weird, processed texture. Kind of like fast food chicken nuggets.
My wife is a picky eater. We tried this recipe for turkey breast. We are not big turkey eaters because it is usually dry. We tried this recipe for turkey breast. I was surprised it was very moist and had a good flavor. We are keeping this recipe and will be making it again.
We’re not big turkey eaters either :) So glad you and your wife enjoyed this!
This was delicious. I am surprised you don’t buy a whole Turkey. So economical and you can make so many delicious dishes with the leftovers. I was able to get a couple Turkey breasts on sale so made this as well as a whole Turkey in my oven. It was a nice presentation to have alongside the whole Turkey. Great for sandwiches .
Came out great! Extremely moist!
This is the recipe I will use every Thanksgiving from now on! It was easy and delicious! My family loves it!
I made this today with a 6 1/2 lb. breast & the house smells amazing, it was so moist & tasty, too. Thanks for the recipe.
I have done this and it is delicious.
I made 2 of these for Thanksgiving, and it was an absolute hit! Thank you for making me a culinary star!
I’m so happy to hear that, Antwoine! Glad they were a success for your Thanksgiving!
I wonder could you cook a whole chicken this way?
Yes, you definitely can. I have made a whole chicken in a slow cooker, but didn’t love the texture of it. You don’t need to any any liquid at all. Just cook the chicken and some vegetables in a large slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours.
I made the SLOW COOKER CAJUN BUTTER TURKEY BREAST using a split turkey breast after Thanksgiving. I don’t like the taste of Turkey meat, but know it is better for me than beef. I cook just for myself and when I came across this recipe and saw the split breast in the market, I decided to try it. I loved it! I served it over rice and with a salsa on the side and with other veggies. I will definitely do this again. I went back and bought 2 more split Turkey breasts and froze them for the future.
I’m not a huge turkey fan either, which is why this one has so many flavorful ingredients :) I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Tried this out the other day to compare with traditional turkey. Waayyyy easier and hands-off. And the cajun butter was a great way to add flavor without a lot of heat. I did what you said and put it in the broiler for a few minutes afterwards and you’re right, it’s an easy way to still get the crispiness. And maybe it’s just me, but I feel like it actually ended up juicier this way. In my opinion, the traditional over based turkey is too dry and takes way too long.
Cannot wait to try
Great! Have a nice Thanksgiving, Sandra!