This easy turkey tenderloin crock pot recipe is an ideal alternative for a small Thanksgiving gathering or family dinner any time of year. Enjoy the classic big flavors you love but with the convenience of cooking the smallest, juiciest, and tender part! Simply add turkey tenderloins into the slow cooker with an aromatic marinade, and in just a few hours you’ll be ready to serve a centerpiece-worthy dish for any occasion.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Tender and juicy meat.
This tenderloin has a mild flavor and great texture. And like whole birds and turkey breast, the tenderloins pair well with your favorite holiday and comfort food side dishes. If you like easy chicken tender recipes, you are absolutely going to love this recipe!
- Easily made in the crock pot.
Using a crock pot to slow cook the poultry really takes the tenderness up a notch. The meat becomes incredibly juicy, and the marinade will infuse each tender bite with flavor. Plus, it’s beyond simple to make turkey tenderloin in a crock pot just like our slow cooker garlic and parmesan chicken, crock pot chuck roast, and other slow cooker recipes.
- Perfect for smaller gatherings where a whole bird is too big.
Although making tenderloins (and even oven roasting turkey tenderloins) may seem like non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner ideas, they’re actually the best when you’ve got a small group.
What is a Turkey Tenderloin?
The tenderloin is located between and is attached to the breasts of the bird. It’s a thick, wide strip of meat from a part of the bird that doesn’t get much of a workout. So it tends to be a bit softer and stays super juicy when cooked vs. the breast. However, tenderloins are still rather lean and quite healthy!
Since tenderloins are boneless and skinless, so they are also very easy to work with and prepare in any number of ways. I like to marinate them overnight for extra flavor. However, this is totally optional!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Turkey – you’ll need two boneless and skinless tenderloins. At most stores, they come in packages of two, with a total weight of about 1.5 pounds. The Jennie-O brand is usually available all year long at Walmart stores.
- Broth – we use chicken broth, but chicken stock and vegetable broth are both good substitutes.
🎯 Important Information
We use fresh tenderloins or thawed from frozen. According to the USDA website, it is generally considered unsafe to prepare frozen meat in a crock pot.
For the Marinade
- Apple cider vinegar – adds a nice tangy flavor to the marinade, but you can use white vinegar instead if you don’t have any.
- Honey – sweetens up the marinade. You can also substitute brown sugar, pure maple syrup, or agave nectar.
- Dijon mustard – helps thicken the marinade and adds flavor. You can swap it with yellow mustard if needed.
- Herbs and spices – we used dried thyme, dried rosemary, sea salt, and pepper. However, you can use any herbs and spices you have on hand. Feel free to get creative!
How to Make Crockpot Turkey Tenderloins
- Prepare the marinade.
The turkey tenderloins only needs to marinate for an hour or so before everything is ready to be added to the slow cooker. But if you have the time we recommend letting the tenderloins marinate for a few hours.
To do this, you want to place the tenderloins in a 1 or 2-gallon size Ziploc bag or use the crockpot insert covered with the lid.
- Bring the poultry to room temperature before slow cooking.
After marinating, just pull the package out of the fridge and let it sit on your countertop for 30-45 minutes.
- Slow-cook the meat. Add poultry and marinade to the slow cooker. Pour chicken broth over the meat, then place the lid on your crock pot.
Cook the turkey breast tenderloins on low for 6-8 hours, checking the turkey tenderloin temp after 4 hours. Use an instant-read thermometer, placing the probe in the center (the thickest part of the turkey roast). The magic number for perfectly cooked poultry is 165º F.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
After you finish cooking turkey tenderloins in the crockpot, let them rest for 10-15 minutes. During the resting time, the poultry will continue to cook (this is known as carryover cooking.) To prevent the poultry from overcooking, remove the meat from the slow cooker when the internal temperature is 165°F.
Serving Suggestions
We think these sides pair perfectly with this poultry dinner: No-drain mashed potatoes, roasted green beans and red potatoes, and candied brussel sprouts. For some tasty desserts, we suggest a sweet carrot pie recipe or a pumpkin custard pie recipe.
You can use leftover meat to make pull apart dinner rolls!
Love using your slow cooker? Cube steak and gravy crock pot and pinto beans recipe crock pot is our favorite!
Recipe FAQs
Definitely! Just pour the marinade mixture over the top of the meat when you add it to the slow cooker. See notes under the recipe.
Most local grocery stores carry them in the fall, but I find the Jennie-O brand year-round at Wal-Mart.
Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
They also are great to freeze! Once cooled transfer them to a freezer-safe zipper bag, and keep them stored for up to 3 months.
Consider These Easy + Delicious Poultry Recipes…
If you tried this turkey tenderloin crock pot recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Turkey Tenderloin Crock Pot Recipe
Equipment
- crock pot (slow cooker)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds turkey tenderloin (about 2 tenderloins)
- 1 cup chicken broth or chicken stock, regular or low-sodium
For the Marinade
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or 6 sprigs fresh thyme)
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 sprig fresh rosemary)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, garlic, herbs, and seasonings until evenly combined.
- Place the tenderloins in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag with the marinade. Close the bag and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, (or up to 6 hours), to allow the flavors to infuse with the poultry.
- Add poultry and marinade to the slow cooker. Pour broth over meat, then place the lid on your crock pot. Cook the turkey breast tenderloins on low for 6-8 hours, checking the turkey tenderloin temp after 4 hours.
- The poultry is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid overcooking, remove turkey when the internal temp reaches 163°F.Tent the tenderloins with foil and allow them to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Sharyn Engel says
Ingredient List does not show BROTH, or tell the measurement for it, OR tell if it should completely cover the meat. I had to look up other recipes to find out that broth issue.
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
The broth is clearly listed under the ingredients on our recipe card, together with all of the ingredients. And it is clearly stated on the recipe instructions where and when to add it.
Becky M says
Wanting to try this, but getting a slow start. Can it be done on high for 4 hours?
Danielle - TFN Team Member says
Hi! Thank you for using our recipes. Because this recipe has a marinading and resting period I wouldn’t rush through this one. For as faster turkey recipe try our Turkey Tenderloin Instant Pot Recipe