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These slow cooker Hot Turkey Sandwiches are a copycat of “Turkey-to-Go” sandwiches from the Minnesota State Fair. For the juiciest shredded turkey you’ve ever tasted, start with a can of beer and end with a stick of butter.
“Turkey-to Go” sandwiches are wildly popular up in Minnesota. They’re made of melt-in-your-mouth shredded turkey breast that is long simmered in beer and spices then piled into a soft bun, the perfect outdoor fair food.
They are also great for potlucks, tailgate parties, and busy weeknights! And if you don’t feel up to making a whole roasted turkey this Thanksgiving, I’m pleased to introduce you to this Hot Turkey Sandwich.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Beer: Any light beer will do. You can also substitute a non-alcoholic beer.
- Onion soup mix: Store-bought packets are fine or you can make homemade onion soup mix.
- Chicken base: Similar to bullion cubes, chicken base is highly concentrated chicken broth. You can find it in powder or paste forms. I love “Better than Bouillon” brand, a paste that is widely available and tastes delicious. Add more to taste in Step 3, if desired.
- Bone-in turkey breast: Look for bone-in, skin-on turkey breast. You may have to ask your butcher at the grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can substitute boneless skinless turkey breast.
- Cornstarch: An optional thickening agent that turns the buttery turkey sauce into more of a gravy.
- Bun size: For family suppers, serve larger, burger-sized buns, but search out smaller rolls for parties with a large buffet spread. A thick slice of bread, Texas toast, or even sandwich bread slices will do as well.
Step-by-step instructions
- In the bottom of a slow cooker, combine the beer, onion soup mix, white pepper, dried parsley, and chicken base. Add the turkey breast right on top of everything. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
- When the time is up, carefully take out the turkey and move it to a rimmed baking sheet so you can shred it up. Separate the meat from the bones, discard the bones and skin, and shred up the meat using two forks. Once all the turkey is shredded, return it to the slow cooker and stir in the butter. As the butter melts, mix it into the cooking juices.
- If you want a thicker broth, remove some of the cooking juices in a measuring cup and whisk in some cornstarch; then return it to the crockpot to thicken.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: Plan for 1 pound bone-in turkey breast per person (uncooked weight). So, a 10-pound breast will feed about 10 people. If you are cooking boneless turkey breast, plan on ¾ pound per person (a 6-pound boneless turkey breast would feed about 8 people).
- Storage: Store turkey leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: You can make this several days before you need it and gently reheat the shredded meat in the oven, slow cooker, or simmer in a large skillet over medium heat. Just be sure to hold onto the juices.
- Freezing: Shredded turkey freezes beautifully. Divide into freezer-safe containers, label, date, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw the turkey overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Condiments: Feel free to top your sandwich with crisp dill pickles, barbecue sauce, tomato slices, mustard, onion, or mayonnaise. In Minnesota, they often top their sandwiches with cranberry sauce and thick slices of brie cheese.
- Make it for Thanksgiving: Turkey sandwiches for a holiday dinner? Almost sounds too easy, right? Believe you me, I have done it, and I will do it again. Serve with traditional sides, like mashed potatoes garnished with fresh parsley for a festive feast.
- Lawry’s seasoning: Some Minnesotans add a sprinkle or three of Lawry’s seasoning to the turkey to jazz things up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you freeze the turkey?
Cooked, cooled, and shredded turkey freezes beautifully. Divide the meat and juices into freezer-safe containers, label, date, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw the turkey overnight in the fridge before reheating.
More slow cooker recipes
Sandwich Recipes
Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
Soup and Stew Recipes
Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
Sandwich Recipes
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Soup and Stew Recipes
Slow Cooker White Turkey Chili
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Hot Turkey Sandwiches
These slow cooker Hot Turkey Sandwiches start with a can of beer and end with a stick of butter. So great for your next party! Or serve the shredded turkey for a fuss-free, delicious holiday meal any time of year.
Ingredients
- 1 (12 ounce) can light beer (see note 1)
- 1 recipe homemade onion soup mix or 1 packet store-bought (see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon chicken base plus more, to taste (see note 3)
- 3 teaspoons dried parsley
- salt and ground white pepper
- 10 pounds bone-in skin-on turkey breast (see note 4)
- 1/2 cup butter cubed (1 stick)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch optional (see note 5)
- rolls split, for serving (see note 6)
Instructions
- In the bottom of a slow cooker, add beer, onion soup mix, chicken base, dried parsley, and 1 teaspoon white pepper. Add turkey breast. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
- Remove turkey breast from slow cooker and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Take off skin and separate meat from bones, discarding bones and skin. Shred turkey.
- While the meat is still out of the slow cooker, stir in butter until melted. For a thicker broth, remove ½ cup broth and whisk with cornstarch. Add back to slow cooker.
- Add shredded turkey back to slow cooker and heat until broth is thickened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Serve with rolls.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Beer: Any light beer will do. You can also substitute a non-alcoholic beer.
- Onion soup mix: Store-bought packets are fine or you can make homemade onion soup mix.
- Chicken base: Similar to bullion cubes, chicken base is highly concentrated chicken stock. You can find it in powder or paste forms. I love “Better than Bouillon” brand, a paste which is widely available and tastes delicious. Add more to taste in Step 3, if desired.
- Bone-in turkey breast: Look for bone-in, skin-on turkey breast. You may have to ask your butcher at the grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can substitute boneless skinless turkey breast.
- Cornstarch: An optional thickening agent that turns the buttery turkey juice into more of a gravy.
- Bun size: For family suppers, serve larger, burger-sized buns, but search out smaller rolls for parties with a large buffet spread.
- Yield: Plan for 1 pound bone-in turkey breast per person (uncooked weight). So, a 10-pound breast will feed about 10 people. If you are cooking boneless turkey breast, plan on ¾ pound per person (a 6-pound boneless turkey breast would feed about 8 people).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 650kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 90gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 267mgSodium: 1148mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 284IUCalcium: 5mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
OMG, 1 teaspoon of white pepper was so overpowering, that was the only flavor profile you could taste! Skip the white pepper all together, and it might be all right.
worked well and loved how easy.
Thank you, Joyce! Take care! – Meggan
This recipe is perfect!
I’m so happy you loved the sandwiches, Colleen! – Meggan
So tasty, Everyone loved it! I decided to make this for my grandson’s birthday party, also for Thanksgiving using your ingredients with a whole turkey cooked in an oven bag. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Hi Jill! I’m so glad everyone loved it! How lovely for you to make it for your grandson’s party! You’re so welcome! – Meggan
Hi Meggan,
I am looking for a slow cooker shredded turkey and gravy sandwiches recipe. I noticed yours has “broth”. Any ideas of how I could modify your recipe to have more of a traditional turkey gravy? I was planning on using gravy packets, but I noticed your suggestion of using cornstarch to thicken the broth. Would that still taste different than regular gravy? Should I discard most, if not all, of the broth and then add the prepared gravy?
Hi Amanda, the broth/cooking liquid will have a different flavor profile than traditional turkey gravy because of the onion soup and beer. If I were to do this, I would cook the turkey in the slow cooker as directed, make the gravy separately, then return the shredded turkey to the slow cooker with the new gravy. (It’s so delicious, and I hope you get to try this, too.) Hope this helps! – Meggan
Hi Meggan,
Thinking of baking a 16lb turkey in the oven. Then shred it and add it to a slow cooker along with your recipe for a few hours . Do you think that will work? Or do I need to modify the quantity of the ingredients and slow cooking time? Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Todd, interesting! I don’t think you would need to cook it in the slow cooker as long, but since the slow cooker isn’t already warmed up, it will likely need some more time to thicken the sauce. I might even venture to make the sauce on the stove and add it warm to the slow cooker along with the shredded turkey. I haven’t tried either of these myself. Hope this helps! Please write back and let me know how it turns out if you try it. Take care! – Meggan
These were so good! I made Italian beef and these . My beef is so good but the turkey got the most votes. Absolutely loved these! Making again this weekend !(by request)
Thanks Kari, glad you enjoyed! – Meggan
Can I use a whole turkey for this recipe? Would the recipe stay the same per pound? I have one in my freezer that I would like to use
Hi Deb, I haven’t tried this so I’m not sure! Sorry about that, I will try to test this in the future. – Meggan
I’m back, I made this last year and it was a hit with the full turkey. This year I’m wondering if I can make it in the insta pot? If so how long. Making it up ahead for my 4th of July celebration
Hi Deb, welcome back! I’m glad it was a hit last year! I haven’t tried this in an Instant Pot (I meant to, it fell off my radar. I’ve added it back onto my list.) I’ll be testing a breast that is on the smaller side, so it fits in my pot, and will be cooking it on MANUAL or HIGH for about 45 minutes (about 6 minutes a pound) plus a natural release, which should be about 10 minutes. I’m sorry I hadn’t tested this already. I hope you have a great 4th of July! – Meggan
Just wanted to follow up, Deb! I chose two 3-pound bone-in breasts, did 45 mins on HIGH and did a natural release. I removed the turkey (step 2), added the cornstarch slurry, and added it back into the Instant Pot along with the shredded turkey, and used the Sauté setting for 10 minutes to thicken the broth. Take care! – Meggan
We’ve made this probably 4 or 5 times now, and love it! My guy turkey hunts so we use wild turkey breast (no bone or skin) and the flavor is still great. One wild turkey breast is probably like 2 or 3 pounds? I use the full beer and rest of the ingredients (though I do cut down on the butter a bit) and it’s the perfect amount of gravy. So using 10 pounds (even with bones and skin), I’d probably want to double the rest of the ingredients to get enough gravy.
Definitely needs the cornstarch to thicken, and does not need any additional salt above the onion soup mix and boullion.