Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on Last updated

89 Comments

4.88 from 8 votes
4 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 5 minutes
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Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey Thighs are juicy, crispy, tender and a total breeze to make on a weeknight! Also includes 10 different flavor ideas.

Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey Thighs are juicy, crispy, tender and a total breeze to make on a weeknight! Also includes 10 different ways to add different flavors with almost no effort!Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey is one of our favorite easy dinner options around here and I am totally honored to have the National Turkey Federation sponsoring this post and all of this amazing turkey deliciousness. If you have been a reader of the blog for any period of time you’ve probably heard me wax poetic about my love for Crispy Slow Cooker Chicken which is the same method as this turkey and makes the best rotisserie style chicken ever.

The Crispy Slow Cooker Chicken recipe also happens to be one of the top 10 recipes on the blog. Over 1000 people a day check out that recipe because if there is one thing I know about dinnertime, easy slow cooker recipes are king. I have a sinking suspicion you all will love this Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey just as much! And it is even more awesome than normal slow cooker meals because the skin is crispy and who doesn’t love crispy skin!? Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey Thighs are juicy, crispy, tender and a total breeze to make on a weeknight! Also includes 10 different ways to add different flavors with almost no effort!

The National Turkey Federation is a non profit trade association in Washington, D.C. (yay for our old stomping grounds!) that works to strength the turkey farmers’ ability to responsibly provide wholesome products, raise awareness about how turkey can be a healthy, delicious and easy source of protein. Visit their site to learn more about their efforts and to check out any of their over 2000 turkey recipes!

There is a grocery store here near us that has a hot deli section that makes turkey pot roast. I know, I know, the name sounds a bit strange, but what it is really just ½ a turkey, dark meat only that has been cooked rotisserie style. So the meat is crispy and tender. We used to buy it every time we saw it in the store because it was always so popular it would sell out well before the regular rotisserie chickens. Plus, expensive!! It was usually over $10.00 which is quite a lot compared to the $5.00 rotisserie chickens, but it was always the first thing we would grab for.

I’d include some action shots for you all…but there’s no action needed! It is as easy as putting the turkey in the slow cooker and hitting 7 hours on low!

Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey Thighs are juicy, crispy, tender and a total breeze to make on a weeknight! Also includes 10 different ways to add different flavors with almost no effort!

I’m proud to say this method of cooking Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey has completely negated those purchases. We make this Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey at least once a month, sometimes more, and every time we do dinner is full of excitement. I think we are used to turkey being a deli meat or a Thanksgiving dinner option and for us that couldn’t be further from the truth.

There is a reason we all eat our body weights in turkey for Thanksgiving each year, turkey is awesome! I think the misconception about turkey is that it takes so much time to make it because we’re used to cooking the entire bird. To be honest? I cook a whole turkey on Thanksgiving because A. the cost is so low for them! and B. I think everyone expects one….but I also make two slow cookers full of turkey legs and thighs because lets be honest… they’re my favorite pieces.  Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey Thighs are juicy, crispy, tender and a total breeze to make on a weeknight! Also includes 10 different ways to add different flavors with almost no effort!

So lets get some different flavors going on with this Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey, remember – NO liquids:

  1.  Salt and pepper: Seriously, we do this version 9 times out of ten. Crispy salted turkey thighs are just heaven.
  2. Salt, pepper, garlic, with a squeeze of lemon: Add salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of garlic to thighs. When done, add a squeeze of lemon on top.
  3. Salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic: Classic flavors, 2 tablespoons garlic, 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary.
  4. Salt, pepper, orange zest, rosemary, sage: zest of one orange, 2 teaspoons minced rosemary and thyme.
  5. Salt, pepper, celery, carrots and onions: roughly chopped veggies under the turkey, it’ll feel and smell just like thanksgiving.
  6. Salt, pepper, butter and flour: Now this one is a bit more complex, because you’re going to make it the classic way, then reserve the liquids left behind, remove the fat and add the liquid to a saucepan to thicken with 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix the flour and butter in a small bowl with a fork, add to the turkey liquids and thicken for an awesome quick gravy.
  7. Salt, pepper, garlic and Parmesan rind: 2 tablespoons minced garlic and chopped up Parmesan rind. Don’t waste good cheese for it, just the leftover rind to add flavor.
  8. Salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne and garlic powder: Easy spicy, latin flavors, I serve this with my toasted Mexican Rice.
  9. Salt, pepper, sage and dried cranberries: I know, I know, dried cranberries? YES! they will plump up to these delicious red little flavor balloon! Add ½ teaspoon dried sage or 1 teaspoon fresh minced sage and a big handful of dried cranberries.
  10. Salt, pepper, cajun seasonings and garlic: Oh yes, this version is a huge hit in our house, lots of cajun seasoning rubbed on the thighs, 2 tablespoons minced garlic. Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey Thighs are juicy, crispy, tender and a total breeze to make on a weeknight! Also includes 10 different ways to add different flavors with almost no effort!

Tools Used in the making of these Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken Thighs:
Slow Cooker: Love this slow cooker and how programmable it is, it has been a workhorse for me… until…
My New Slow Cooker: This recipe was made in this slow cooker. For larger roasts I also brown the meat in the insert and not lose a bunch of the flavor by transferring the meat and leaving the browned bits behind. If you’re thinking of a new slow cooker, consider it if your budget is open.

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Dinner, then Dessert

Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey

Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey Thighs are juicy, crispy, tender and a total breeze to make on a weeknight! Also includes 10 different ways to add different flavors with almost no effort!
Yield 4 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 5 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 4 turkey thighs , skin and bone on
  • kosher salt
  • cracked black pepper

Instructions

  • Add salt and pepper to taste (I do about ½ teaspoon Kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper).
  • ADD NO LIQUIDS AT ALL.
  • Put the turkey skin side up and cook on low for 7 hours.
  • If you have any issues with the skin crisping, you can brown under a broiler, six inches from the heat, for 1-2 minutes or let it cook with the top slightly opened for the last hour to let any steam escape.

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcal | Protein: 21g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 495mg | Potassium: 273mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1.7mg

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Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey Thighs are juicy, crispy, tender and a total breeze to make on a weeknight! Also includes 10 different ways to add different flavors with almost no effort!

Need more turkey? I don’t blame you one bit! Check out the National Turkey Federation’s site to learn more about the nutritional benefits of turkey and grab one of those 2000 delicious recipes! Also keep up with them on Facebook (for tips, tricks and delicious turkey videos!) and Twitter for all the turkey updates and turkey conversation you can handle. 😉

Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey Thighs are juicy, crispy, tender and a total breeze to make on a weeknight! Also includes 10 different ways to add different flavors with almost no effort!
Crispy Slow Cooker Turkey Thighs are juicy, crispy, tender and a total breeze to make on a weeknight! Also includes 10 different ways to add different flavors with almost no effort!

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. This is an EXCELLENT recipe! I have made it several times. Could i use a skinless, boneless chicken breast in place of the turkey thigh? Perhaps you have to have that skin and bone to provide some juice in the cooker. But maybe i could add just a quarter cup of water to the chicken breast? Would love to hear your thoughts.

    Reply

    1. Yes you can use skinless, boneless chicken breasts. And you are right, they do not give off the same amount of liquid and take less time to cook, so watch your inner temperature (165 degrees is the goal) of the thickest part of your chicken breast. Yes you can add water IF you think it’s necessary. A shorter cook time may help you avoid the extra water. Hint: I would use chicken broth rather than water!

      Reply

  2. Can I do this recipe in a turkey roaster? I’d like to layer the bottom of the roaster with thighs. I sous vide my white meat but still looking for a good way to deliver delicious dark meat. Should the thighs be touching when I start? What temperature would you use? Thank you!

    Reply