Fresh Herb Crockpot Turkey Breast with Brown Butter Pears
This recipe is perfect for a smaller but still impressive Thanksgiving dinner. It features a boneless turkey breast coated in homemade herb butter and "roasted" in a slow cooker, then served with a creamy cider herb gravy and sautéed browned butter pears.
Ingredients
Herb Butter:
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 3 tbsp parsley chopped
- 3 tbsp thyme chopped
- 3 tbsp sage chopped
- 1 tbsp rosemary chopped
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Turkey:
- 1 4 lb Boneless Turkey breast skin on
- 1 lrg onion cut in half
- 1 pear cut in half
- 1 carrot peeled
- 2 sprigs parsley
- 4 sprigs thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
Cider Herb Gravy:
- 2 cups turkey or chicken stock
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- reserved liquid from crockpot turkey
- 1/2 cup butter drippings from Turkey
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp reserved fresh herb mixture
- 1/4 cup cream optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Brown butter Pears:
- 2-3 pears Bosc
- 3 tbsp butter
Instructions
Herb Butter:
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Chop fresh herbs and toss together with nutmeg. Reserve 2 tablespoons fresh herbs for gravy.
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Blend fresh herbs with softened butter.
Turkey:
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Carefully fold the skin of the turkey off of the breast meat. Spread with herb butter reserving 2 tablespoons. Lay skin back on top of the butter. Rub reserved butter over skin and bottom part of the breast. Season top with salt and pepper Tie with baking twine. Set aside.
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In the bottom of the crockpot arrange onion halves, pear halves, carrot, parsley, and thyme. Place turkey breast on top. Cover with crockpot lid and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees F.
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Remove from crockpot and place on a baking sheet. Allow turkey to rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.
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For crisp skin: Place turkey breast, skin side up, on a baking sheet under a broiler set on the lowest oven rack for 5 minutes.
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Serve with herb gravy and brown butter pears.
Cider Herb Gravy:
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In a saucepan add turkey stock and apple cider. Bring to a simmer and reduce liquid to 2 cups. Set aside until ready to make gravy. This can be done ahead of time.
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When ready to make gravy, drain solids from crockpot through a strainer. Discard solids and skim off any butter/fat. Combine juices and reserve stock/cider mixture and bring to a simmer. In a saucepan add 1/2 cup butter/fat mixture and flour to make a roux. Add hot stock and whisk constantly until gravy mixture is smooth. Add 2 tablespoons reserved herb mixture and 1/4 cream (optional).
Brown Butter Pears:
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Peel and core pears. Cut into quarters.
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Melt butter in a large skillet. Add peeled and quartered pears. Saute until brown on all sides. Serve with turkey breast.
Recipe Notes
Cooked turkey can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To keep the turkey for longer, store in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.