Slow Cooker Turkey Breast With Cranberry Cider Gravy: The Small-Table Friendsgiving Turkey

The whole bird is a project built for a crowd, and a lot of young hosts are cooking for six. That is the logic behind the slow cooker turkey breast, which has been making the rounds again this month. Upworthy reported on 5 November that a version by Allrecipes' Nicole McLaughlin, which a user shared on X on 1 November, was being tried and tweaked by home cooks on TikTok, with some adding rosemary, orange juice or chili crunch.

The appeal is plain. The oven stays free for the sides, the breast cooks in its own liquid so the white meat does not dry out, and the juices become the gravy. This recipe is our own adaptation of that idea, with a cider and cranberry base and fresh aromatics instead of a packet of soup mix.

It also fits how younger hosts are cooking. USA Today's 4 November piece on how Gen Z is rewriting Thanksgiving describes a table of potluck dishes, chili crisp and miso in the classics, and a lot of Friendsgiving dinners. A breast that cooks itself suits that crowd.

Ingredients

Serves 6. Total time about 5 hours 50 minutes, of which 20 minutes is hands-on.

• 1.4 kg boneless turkey breast roast, skin on or off, netted or tied
• 1.5 teaspoons fine salt, plus more for the gravy
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 large onion, sliced into half moons
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 120 g whole berry cranberry sauce
• 250 ml apple cider (not hard cider)
• 100 ml unsalted chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon butter, for finishing the gravy

Method

1. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Mix the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and garlic powder, and rub it all over the breast, including under the skin if there is any.
2. Scatter the onion and garlic across the base of a 5 to 6 litre slow cooker. This lifts the turkey off the metal and flavours the liquid.
3. Set the turkey on top. Spoon the cranberry sauce over it, then pour the cider, stock and soy sauce around the sides so they do not wash off the seasoning.
4. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, or on high for 2.5 to 3 hours. Do not lift the lid in the first 4 hours on low.
5. Check the thickest part with an instant-read thermometer. It must read at least 74 C (165 F). If it is short, cook for another 20 to 30 minutes and check again.
6. Lift the turkey onto a board, cover loosely with foil and rest for 15 minutes. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan, pressing on the onions, and skim off the fat.
7. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and cook for 2 minutes until glossy and lightly thick. Whisk in the butter and taste for salt.
8. Remove the net, slice the turkey against the grain into 1 cm slices and serve with the gravy ladled over.

Tips, swaps and storage

A slow cooker turkey will not have crisp skin. If you want colour, slide the cooked breast under a hot grill for 4 to 5 minutes while the gravy thickens, watching it closely.