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 meal for special occasion small gatherings.
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 Crock pot 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.
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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.
🥘 Ingredients
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
- slivered almonds
- quinoa
- onion
- dried cranberries
- poultry seasoning
- minced garlic
- chicken broth
- dried parsley
*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
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!
🥗 Side dishes
And if you don't want to go all out and make the big oven roasted turkey dinner, this turkey breast in the crockpot is the perfect alternative! I made this turkey dinner with Healthy Roasted Carrots with Brown Sugar (pictured above). They are only 2 WW points on my plan.
And if you're looking for even more WW friendly side dishes to go with this recipe, my other favorite side dishes are:
- Green beans and Mushrooms (pictured below - 4 WW points on my plan) It's a lighter alternative to the classic green been casserole
- Turnip and Apple Casserole (3 WW points)
- WW Friendly & Gluten-free Corn Succotash (1 WW point on my plan)
💭 Top tip
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.
🔪 Instructions
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 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). Spry bowl of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and place turkey breast on 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.
🍽Equipment
For this slow cooker turkey breast, you'll need a 6 quart slow cooker. A meat thermometer (affiliate links) also comes in handy too!
🦃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 blue servings number on the recipe card, select the number of servings you want and the ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly.
🔢WW Points
This 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. If you're looking for healthy leftover turkey recipes, see below!
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 (shown below)
And if you're looking for desserts to accompany your holiday dinner, then check out the desserts at the bottom of this post (underneath the recipe card)! This Weight Watchers Crustless Pumpkin Pie (2 WW points on the blue plan), makes a great dessert if you're looking to keep things light!
Happy Thanksgiving and healthy eating!
⭐ Reviews
Did you make this slow cooker turkey recipe? Please RATE THE RECIPE below.
Here's what others are saying: "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!!"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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📋 Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Quinoa Cranberry Stuffing Recipe
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.
Notes
Nutrition
🍰Holiday Desserts!
- Grand Marnier Cheesecake with Chocolate Glaze
- Prize Pumpkin Pie: Easy Pumpkin Pie Filling
- Cranberry Gingerbread Stovetop Rice Pudding (Gluten-free)
- Leftover Cranberry Sauce Coffee Cake with Coffee Glaze
- Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Whipped Cream
- Cranberry Bread Pudding Cheesecake
- Skinny Pumpkin Cheesecake with Oreo Cookie Crust
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!
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