Slow Cooker Turkey and Gravy
This easy Slow Cooker Turkey and Gravy is tender and tasty, excellent served over mashed potatoes or stuffing, and made without any canned soup or gravy packets. It's a great alternative to roasting a whole turkey!
Servings: 4 to 6
Estimated Calories: 480
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds turkey breast tenderloins, unseasoned (or you can use boneless, skinless turkey breasts)
- 3 cups warm water
- 4 teaspoons roasted chicken base, I use Better Than Bouillon, which is like a paste
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 to 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, or to taste (I use 2 teaspoons of my homemade poultry seasoning)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder, or to taste
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
Special Equipment
- Slow cooker (I use a 4-quart); see Notes below
- meat thermometer
Instructions
- Place the turkey tenderloins in the slow cooker; set aside.If the turkey contains a brine solution, which has salt, I don't add any salt prior to cooking (the chicken base use to make the gravy also has salt). If the turkey does not contain a brine solution, I do season it with salt.
- Make the Chicken Broth:In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the water and roasted chicken base until well-combined; set aside.
- Make the Gravy:Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat.Add the flour and whisk until well-combined and the mixture is smooth. Cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly (this cooks out the raw flour taste).While whisking constantly, slowly add the chicken broth and continue whisking until the mixture is smooth.Add the poultry seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder; stir to combine.Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally, then immediately reduce the heat and simmer, whisking frequently, until the gravy has thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.The gravy, at this point, should be thicker than you want the end result to be. This is because the turkey will release some liquid as it cooks, which will thin out the gravy.Be careful adding salt to the gravy if your turkey contained a brine solution. You can always add more salt later if needed.
- Pour the gravy over the turkey tenderloins in the slow cooker.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW until the internal temperature of the turkey is at least 165°F, about 3 to 4 hours (start checking the temperature at 3 hours; test at the thickest part of each one).
- Remove the turkey tenderloins from the slow cooker to a plate. Using two forks, shred the chicken into smaller pieces.
- Return the shredded turkey to the slow cooker; stir to combine with the gravy. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve over mashed potatoes or stuffing, if desired, and sprinkle each serving with chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Because this is a relatively small recipe, I recommend using a smaller slow cooker (I use a 4-quart). If using a larger slow cooker, just keep in mind that it can cook the smaller quantity of food a bit faster/hotter since the crock won't be very full.
- The cooking time given is just a guideline; it can and will vary depending on your slow cooker and the size of the tenderloins. You need to cook the tenderloins for as long as it takes for them to reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
- Although the turkey should still be nice and tender even if the temperature goes a little higher than 165°F (cooking it in the gravy helps with this), be careful to not overcook it too much so that the meat isn't dry or tough.
- After the turkey is cooked, if you would like your gravy to be a more brown color, you can stir in some Gravy Master (a little goes a long way); I added ¼ teaspoon to my gravy to darken it up just a bit).
- Please refer to the post for additional information and tips, step-by-step photos, substitutions and variations, information on storing leftovers, and reheating and serving suggestions.
- Estimated calories shown are based on 4 very generous servings and are for the turkey and gravy only. For 6 smaller servings, estimated calories per serving would be 320.
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