Easy Crock Pot Thanksgiving Whole Turkey Recipe
Got a smaller crowd? Crock Pot turkey is going to make your Thanksgiving preparations a lot easier. The recipe turns out a tender and delicious turkey every time.
Servings: 4
Calories: 2788kcal
Ingredients
- 8 to 12 pound turkey
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1/2 Tablespoon of salt
- 1/2 Tablespoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of minced onion
- 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon of parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary
- 16 ounces of chicken broth
Instructions
- Spray some nonstick cooking spray inside the Crock Pot and place the turkey inside.
- In a small or medium bowl, add the butter, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, thyme, parsley, and rosemary and mix well.
- Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel.
- Take a spoon and slide it under the skin of the turkey breast and spread some of the butter underneath.
- Spread the rest of the butter on top of the turkey skin.
- Pour the chicken broth into the Crock Pot.
- Place the lid on top and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours or until the thermometer reaches 180F in the thigh and 170F in the thickest part of the breast.
- Once the turkey is done cooking, carefully pour out some of the liquid (save it if you're making a gravy recipe).
- Take the crock out of the Crock Pot and place it under the broiler in your oven for a few minutes to get the skin crispy. (Make sure your Crock Pot crock is oven-safe. And make sure you remove any plastic holding the turkey legs together before placing it in the oven).
Video
Notes
This recipe will feed a smaller crowd of four people.
When you place the turkey in the oven, make sure you have it on the lowest rack as the broiler gets hot and will burn it fast if it's too close. Keep an eye on it because it can also burn fast in the broiler.
If the lid doesn't fit on the turkey, you can use aluminum foil and a cookie sheet. I cooked the turkey in a six-quart slow cooker. The turkey was between 10-12 pounds and I couldn't get the lid on. I covered the slow cooker with three sheets of aluminum foil and pressed it against the side of the cooker. I then placed the Crock Pot on a cookie sheet. The cookie sheet will catch any condensation that drips off the edges of the aluminum foil.
For all turkeys, make sure you use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey, which should be 170F in the breast and 180F in the thigh.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 2788kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 390g | Fat: 124g | Saturated Fat: 44g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 72g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1547mg | Sodium: 2840mg | Sugar: 1g