Sometimes you want turkey but you don't want to cook an entire turkey dinner in the oven. And if this is one of those times, this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Stuffing is ideal! It's the perfect special occasion meal for a smaller crowd.
It feeds up to 6 people, but it's perfect for 4 if you want leftover turkey sandwiches (and who doesn't?!) Or you can cut this Crockpot Turkey with Stuffing recipe in half and it's ideal for 2 (see servings). It's also a healthy dinner that's Weight Watchers friendly, dairy-free, and gluten-free. I made this turkey dinner with Healthy Roasted Carrots with Brown Sugar, which are only 2 WW points, and 2 ww points Weight Watchers Crustless Pumpkin pie. This dish is popular during the holiday season.
🍒Reader Review
"I made this today but I used 4 chicken breasts. I also got a bit lazy and didn’t pre-bake the chicken breasts but just put them raw in the bottom of the slow cooker (greased) and it turned out just fine……breasts were still moist, not dried out at all. The flavour was really good and I’ll be sure to use this recipe again. Thanks for all your great recipes!!"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jump to:
- 🍒Reader Review
- Why You'll Love This Slow Cooker Boneless Turkey Breast Recipe
- 🥘 Ingredient Notes
- 📖Variations & Substitutions
- 🥗 What to serve with Crockpot Turkey Breast and Stuffing
- Top tip #1
- 🔪 How to Make Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with stuffing
- Top tip # 2 - How do you know when turkey is done?
- 👪 Serving size
- 🔢WW Points
- 🌡️Storage
- Leftover Turkey Recipes
- 🍰More Holiday Desserts!
- 📋 Crockpot Turkey Breast (with Quinoa Cranberry Stuffing) Recipe
Why You'll Love This Slow Cooker Boneless Turkey Breast Recipe
- Easy to Make. This is a 'dump and go' holiday recipe!
- Servings are flexible. It's perfect for a small Thanksgiving dinner of 2-6 people, but can be adjusted to serve more.
- Healthy. This recipe is healthy and ww friendly
- Allergy and Food Sensitivity friendly. This slow cooked turkey breast is gluten-free and dairy-free.
- Portable. You can bring this along (with or without the crockpot) or cook it somewhere else in the slow cooker.
- Frees up Stove Space. You'll have value stovetop real estate available!
- Turkey Craving Satisfied. You want turkey but you don't want to cook a whole bird in the oven.
We're Canadian, so we celebrate Thanksgiving in October. But for my American friends, Thanksgiving is just around the corner. This Slow Cooker turkey breast makes a great Thanksgiving meal.
🥘 Ingredient Notes
This slow cooker boneless turkey breast is my version of a recipe I found in a very old mini crockpot cookbook called "Crockstar." I don't know where it came from or even what year it was published, but it's a great recipe.
Of course, I changed some things to make it more practical, modern, and gluten-free. The original recipe used barley and a bone in turkey breast. Quinoa is a lot more palatable to most people and gluten-free so I changed that up. And I opted to use a boneless whole turkey breast, as it was easier to find. However, if you prefer, you can use bone-in. Either way, it makes a great Thanksgiving turkey meal that's made in one pot and ready in under 4 hours.
For this crockpot turkey and stuffing recipe you'll need:
- Skinless and Boneless Turkey Breasts. You can buy these just as you would chicken breast. They generally come in packages of 2.
- Slivered almonds. Almonds give this dish added texture and crunch.
- Quinoa. Quinoa is a healthy carbohydrate choice because it contains fiber, minerals, antioxidants, and protein. It's also gluten-free, delicious, versatile, and easy to prepare.
- Dried cranberries. Dried cranberries work well in the dish because they are the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
*see printable recipe card for quantities
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Turkey breast- you can use bone-in turkey breast, but it will take a little longer to cook or you could use another lean meat like chicken breast instead of turkey breast (see reviews)
- Quinoa - you could substitute rice or couscous.
- Almonds - you could use pine nuts instead
- Garlic - you could use jarred minced garlic or garlic powder in a pinch
If you've been following along with me for a while you already know how much I love my slow cooker. The idea of being able to put everything into one pot, walk away, and have that wonderful little appliance do all the work, especially an entire holiday dinner, is simply magical!
And slow cooker turkey breast is such a simple and delicious way to make a festive holiday dinner! It's an easy meal in one pot that only takes a few minutes to prepare and you won't believe how incredible it tastes!
If you also love your slow cooker as much as I love mine, then check out my other Slow Cooker Recipes! And if you need a slow cooker, check out my recommendations under Equipment!
In my family, the holidays are not the same without a turkey dinner. Even when it's just the 4 of us and I suggest doing something different, I get resistance; they want the turkey dinner! Turkey dinner is not only comforting, it's tradition.
And when you can't have normal, like our big family holiday dinners, tradition is even more important. If you're looking for Thanksgiving crockpot recipes that still taste like a traditional turkey dinner, you'll love how easy, healthy, and delicious this is!
🥗 What to serve with Crockpot Turkey Breast and Stuffing
And if you don't want to go all out and make the big oven-roasted turkey dinner, this turkey breast in the slow cooker is the perfect alternative! If you're looking for even more WW friendly and healthy side dishes to go with this recipe, my other favorite side dishes are this Easy Green Beans and Mushroom Recipe, Turnip and Apple Casserole, Corn Succotash, and Chipotle Mashed Potatoes.
Top tip #1
Brown your turkey breast before adding it to the crockpot: Boneless turkey breast recipes that are as flavorful as this are not that easy to come by. Turkey can dry out very easily. But browning it, then cooking it in the slow cooker, locks in the juices and keeps it moist.
🔪 How to Make Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with stuffing
You will not believe how easy this crockpot turkey breast is to prepare!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toast almonds: spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown (about 4-6 minutes) stirring frequently. Spray a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and brown turkey breast on all sides (I do this on high for about 3 minutes on each side). Spray the bowl of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and place turkey breast on the bottom of the slow cooker bowl.
- Add quinoa, cranberries, toasted almonds, onions, garlic, parsley, and poultry seasoning on top of the turkey breast, then pour chicken stock over everything. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (see NOTES) or is cooked through (no longer pink.) * This will depend on how thick your turkey breasts are.
Top tip # 2 - How do you know when turkey is done?
The very BEST way to make sure turkey is done is by taking its temperature. You want to cook it until the internal temperature hits 165 degrees F. It takes about 3- 4 hours in the crockpot. I use this Thermapen - Instant Read Thermometer (affiliate link.) I searched for years to find a great quality and reliable meat thermometer and finally found this one. And it's not only great for meat, it's an all-in-one thermometer for candy, casseroles, desserts, breads, doughs, drinks, and more! You can even use it to check the temperature of your bath water haha.... You (or the cook in your life) will LOVE this kitchen tool!
👪 Serving size
This crockpot Thanksgiving recipe makes 6 but can easily be reduced to 4 or even 2. Simply click on the serving number on the recipe card, select the number of servings you want and the ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly.
🔢WW Points
This Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe is 6 Weight Watchers points per serving.
🌡️Storage
Store this turkey breast in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This recipe freezes well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
So, if you want to make turkey with stuffing in the crockpot, or are looking for turkey breast meal ideas, then give this a try- you won't be disappointed!
Leftover Turkey Recipes
If you are lucky enough to end up with leftover turkey, then give these WW friendly leftover turkey recipes a try: Turkey Reuben Panini, Healthy Leftover Turkey Wraps, and Easy Leftover Turkey Enchiladas.
Happy Thanksgiving and healthy eating!
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📋 Crockpot Turkey Breast (with Quinoa Cranberry Stuffing) Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless and skinless turkey breasts (about 3 lbs)
- 2 tablespoon slivered almonds toasted
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 small onion, chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries (craisins)
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 ¾ cups chicken broth gluten- free
- ½ tablespoon dried parsley
Garnish
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toast almonds: spread in a single layer on baking sheet and bake until golden brown (about 4-6 minutes) stirring frequently.
- Spray a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and and brown turkey breast on all sides (I do this on high for about 3 minutes on each side).
- Spray bowl of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and add browned turkey breast to bottom of the slow cooker bowl.
- Add quinoa, cranberries, toasted almonds, onions, garlic, parsley and poultry seasoning on top of turkey, then pour chicken stock over everything.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (see NOTES) or is cooked through (no longer pink.) * This will depend on how thick your turkey breasts are.
Garnish
- Stir fresh parsley into stuffing mixture and garnish with fresh parsley as desired . Slice turkey and serve with stuffing and vegetable side of choice.
Vicki Glass
This was simple to make and it turned out absolutely delicious! To be honest, I forgot the fresh parsley and I used toasted pecans instead of almonds (because that what I had 😂). If that made a difference, I couldn’t tell. I will make this often!
Terri Gilson
Hi Vicki,
I'm so glad to hear you loved it, even with the substitutions!
Terri
Susanne Sulkers
I made your “Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Quinoa Cranberry Dressing” today but I used 4 chicken breasts. I also got a bit lazy and didn’t pre-bake the chicken breasts but just put them raw in the bottom of the slow cooker (greased) and it turned out just fine……breasts were still moist, not dried out at all. The flavour was really good and I’ll be sure to use this recipe again. Thanks for all your great recipes!!
Terri Gilson
Hi Susanne,
I'm so glad you enjoyed it and it turned out for you! And it's great to know that the turkey was still moist even when you skipped the pre-cooking!
Happy holidays!!!
Terri
Sabrina
This recipe is so perfect for this year! I definitely did not want to cook a whole turkey for my small family. I love the simplicity and the healthy choice of quinoa. Really delicious, thank you.
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Sabrina - so glad you enjoyed it!