Fresh squeezed orange juice & bourbon make a delicious glaze on this super easy crock pot turkey breast recipe, great for Thanksgiving or dinner any time of the year!

Slices of turkey breast on a white plate, with a side ramekin of orange bourbon glaze with sliced orange in background and fresh parsley bunch

Two simple ways to make cooking a turkey so much easier:

  1. Cook a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey.
  2. Make it in a slow cooker!

This is seriously the easiest turkey recipe you’ll ever make! You can simplify your Thanksgiving dinner by making this recipe, add it to your Christmas menu, or prepare it anytime of the year for a delicious and simple dinner.

I love using my army of slow cookers to help me prepare Thanksgiving recipes, from Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Stuffing to Crock Pot Pumpkin Apple Monkey Bread for breakfast, to this Crock Pot Turkey Breast for the main course.

The “set it and forget it” nature of a crock pot is so helpful on Thanksgiving and not to mention, it frees up a ton of space in the oven!

Slices of crock pot turkey breast on a plate with a white ramekin of orange bourbon glaze and a cut orange in the background with fresh parsley and a white patterned towel

How do I cook a turkey breast in the crock pot?

Start by making a spice rub for the turkey breast. In a small bowl, combine paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, ground cumin and ground cloves. Rub this spice mixture on the turkey breast and place it in a slow cooker.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine bourbon, fresh squeezed orange juice, orange zest and honey. Pour this mixture over the turkey in the slow cooker.

Set to low and cook for 6-8 hours.

After the turkey breast has finished cooking, remove from the crock pot and slice. I like to use a ladle to spoon the orange bourbon sauce from the crock pot and serve on the side or drizzled over the turkey breast.

Do I use a bone-in or boneless turkey breast?

I prefer a boneless turkey breast for this recipe as it’s guaranteed to fit in your slow cooker and easier to slice after cooking.

If you have a bone-in turkey breast that you’d like to use for this recipe, you definitely can, just make sure the turkey breast fits in your slow cooker before you begin the cooking process.

Do I leave the skin on the turkey breast or remove it?

This is a personal preference. I remove the skin as my family prefers the turkey served without the skin.

If you want to leave the skin on, but get it crispy, after the turkey breast has cooked in the slow cooker, place it on a baking sheet and under the broiler in the oven on low for 2-3 minutes. This should be enough time to get the skin crispy without drying out the turkey.

Can you cook a turkey breast from frozen in the crock pot?

Yes, simply add an hour to the cooking time, so cook on low for 7-9 hours.

Can I make this crock pot turkey breast recipe in an Instant Pot?

Absolutely! Add the spice rubbed turkey breast to the Instant Pot, pour the orange bourbon sauce over the turkey, place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure it’s set to sealing.

Press the “poultry” button on the Instant Pot or set it to manual on high pressure for 30 minutes. After the cooking time finishes, allow 15-20 minutes for a natural release.

Remove from the Instant Pot, slice the turkey and serve with the orange bourbon sauce on the side.

How many people does a turkey breast serve?

A 3-4 lb boneless turkey breast will serve approximately 6 people.

Slices of spice rubbed turkey breast on plate, next to small white bowl or orange bourbon sauce, with an orange cut in half next to the plate with fresh parsley

If you’re cooking for more than 6 people, I recommend making 2-3 turkey breasts. That’s what we do at our house!

In addition to this Orange Bourbon Crock Pot Turkey Breast, try these other favorites:

Slices of spice rubbed turkey breast on white plate with side of orange bourbon sauce and sliced orange

Don’t forget to pin this Orange Bourbon Crock Pot Turkey Breast for later and when you make it, be sure to share a pic on Instagram and tag me @WhitneyBond or use the hashtag #WBRecipes!

Slices of crock pot turkey breast on plate with side ramekin of orange bourbon sauce on white patterned towel
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Orange Bourbon Crock Pot Turkey Breast

Orange juice & bourbon make a delicious glaze on this super easy crock pot turkey breast recipe, great for Thanksgiving or dinner any time of the year!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine the paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cumin and ground cloves in a small bowl.
  • Rub the spice mixture on the turkey breast and place in the crock pot.
  • In another small bowl, whisk the bourbon, orange juice, orange zest and honey together.
  • Pour this mixture over the turkey and slow cook on low 6-8 hours.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 380kcal (19%)Carbohydrates 28g (9%)Protein 49g (98%)Fat 4g (6%)Saturated Fat 1g (5%)Cholesterol 122mg (41%)Sodium 858mg (36%)Potassium 618mg (18%)Fiber 1g (4%)Sugar 26g (29%)Vitamin A 286mg (6%)Vitamin C 12mg (15%)Calcium 36mg (4%)Iron 2mg (11%)
Did you make this recipe?Tag @WhitneyBond on Instagram and hashtag it #WBRecipes!

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