Crockpot Turkey Tenderloins with Honey Mustard Gravy
Turkey Tenderloins are an inexpensive and easy way to enjoy a turkey dinner without having to buy and prepare a whole turkey. The turkey cooks over onions, and the juices that drip down make a delicious gravy that everyone will love.
Servings: 4
Calories: 232kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 ½ tablespoons dijon mustard
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme or the leaves from 3 - 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 turkey breast tenderloins a typical package has 1½ - 2 pounds
- 1 large onion thickly sliced
- 1 cup chicken broth chicken stock, or turkey stock
For the Gravy/Slurry
- 1 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 - 2 tablespoons cooking liquid
Instructions
- Begin by making the marinade. Combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, smashed garlic cloves, roughly chopped fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until everything is well combined. This marinade smells like a delicious salad dressing.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 ½ tablespoons dijon mustard, 4 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Coat the tenderloins in the marinade, then pour the tenderloins and the marinade into a Ziploc bag. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight if possible.2 turkey breast tenderloins
- When you're ready to cook, lay onions and broth in the crockpot, then pour the turkey tenderloins and the contents of the bag of marinade on top.1 large onion, 1 cup chicken broth
- Put the lid on the crockpot and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours. Even though it is set to a low temperature, my crockpot heats up quickly, so the tenderloins cook pretty fast. (Do not use a high temperature or high heat because the turkey will be dry and tough.)
- The total cooking time will vary based on your slow cooker.
- When the turkey is done cooking, remove it from the slow cooker, and let it rest, tented with foil to keep warm, before slicing. Check the thickest portion of the meat to be sure that the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Then, make gravy from the cooking liquid.
- Add a slurry of cornstarch and water to the liquid in the crockpot and stir until it dissolves. Blend with an immersion blender or carefully in a regular blender, then cook until it thickens. You can either increase the temperature of the crockpot to high heat or cook the gravy in a saucepan. (A saucepan will be faster, but you can do whatever works for you!)1 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 - 2 tablespoons cooking liquid
- Serve & enjoy!
Notes
Serving - This recipe should serve 3 - 4 normal adults, but I would guess that a hungry 16-year-old boy could eat an entire tenderloin.
Leftovers - Once cooled, the leftover turkey should be stored in an airtight container. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or dice the leftover turkey into smaller pieces to make a turkey pot pie.
Helpful Tips
- Turkey tenderloins are boneless and skinless, so you want to make sure to marinate them well and keep them covered while cooking so they don't dry out.
- If you make turkey tenderloin in your Instant Pot, make sure to sear the tenderloins on each side first, then saute the onions in the meaty bits left behind in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Deglaze the bottom of the pan with the broth, then cook the turkey on the Slow Cook mode set to High. Start slow cooking immediately to keep the residual heat in the Instant Pot. (The Slow Cook mode on Instant Pots is notoriously not awesome, so you want to maintain as much heat as you can.) Cover the Instant Pot with the Instant Pot lid or a clear glass lid, and try not to open the lid if you can avoid it. The one nice thing about using an Instant Pot is that it is much easier to make the gravy when the turkey is done cooking!
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5tenderloin | Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 921mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 19IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg