Chances are your slow cooker is one of the most important appliances in your kitchen. These handy little devices help you create delicious dishes without hours of hands on cooking time. Even during the busiest weeks, your slow cooker helps you come home to a dinner packed full of flavor.
Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
The recipes you can cook in your slow cooker are endless. They span all cuisines and all ingredients. That’s why we rounded up the best chicken slow cooker recipes. Choose any recipe from this list to create a meal your friends and family will love.
1. Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Enjoy a hearty, comforting baked pasta dish, even on those days when it’s simply too hot to turn on your oven. This slow cooker chicken parmesan pasta recipe is sure to become a family favorite. The chicken stays perfectly moist, cooking low and slow. The pasta absorbs the flavorful tomato sauce while the edges get a little crispy for a pleasurable crunch. Best of all, it’s topped with a healthy serving of melty cheese.
This chicken parmesan pasta is just as delicious when served as leftovers. You can keep any leftovers in the fridge for a week, or store them in the freezer for longer. Just serve it with a side of garlic bread and a side salad to prevent your family from devouring the whole thing in one sitting!
2. Chicken Tortilla Soup
This chicken tortilla soup is one of the best kinds of slower cooker recipes. It requires minimal prep work but delivers flavorful results. For those looking to decrease the prep work to the absolute minimum, feel free to substitute pre-chopped frozen veggies for the fresh ones in this recipe.
A few basic spices you’re sure to have in your cabinets plus a little bit of time in the slow cooker transforms basic chicken into a flavorful dish your family is sure to love. The sweetness of the bell peppers blends nicely with the spice from cumin and chipotle pepper. With the addition of beans and toppings, it’s a soup that is hearty enough for a meal.
The recipe makes a big batch, so you’re able to enjoy leftovers all week long. It’s a great option for meal prep and stores well in the freezer.
3. Honey Garlic Chicken
Get takeout flavor from an easy home-cooked meal. This honey garlic chicken slow cooker recipe only requires eight ingredients. Plus, it only takes five minutes of prep time. It pairs well with cooked veggies or a salad, creating a healthy balanced dinner for your family.
The chicken in this recipe stays nice and moist since you’re using boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can substitute chicken breasts if you prefer white meat. The sauce is sweet and spicy with the perfect Asian flavor thanks to soy sauce and rice vinegar. If you love the flavors from take out chinese food, but want to serve a healthy, homemade version, look no further than this recipe.
4. Lemon Thyme Whole Chicken
The oven isn’t the only place you can cook a whole chicken. Thanks to your slow cooker, you can serve a beautiful and delicious whole chicken, even on the busiest weeknights. The lemon and thyme infuse the chicken with a bright yet earthy flavor. It’s sure to be a family favorite.
This recipe doesn’t use any liquid other than lemon juice. The chicken steams and cooks naturally in its own juices. Since there isn’t a ton of moisture in the pot, you can get crispy chicken skin without putting your chicken in the oven.
Lemon thyme whole chicken is a perfect recipe for those on a low carb or Whole30 diet. Once you give this recipe a try, you’ll love how easy it is to get flavorful roast chicken from your slow cooker with just a handful of ingredients.
5. Wine and Tomato Braised Chicken
Create a richly flavored chicken dinner without hours of effort with this wine and tomato braised chicken slow cooker recipe. Bone-in chicken thighs add flavor to the sauce while staying moist and flavorful thanks to the braising liquid. With bacon added to the sauce, it’s a recipe that can please a crowd.
This recipe requires a little prep work to soften the onion and bloom the spices. After about 15 minutes of hands on time, the slow cooker will step in to do the rest of the work. The flavors deepen in the slow cooker, creating a rich sauce that can be served over pasta or rice. Add a side of vegetables and you’ll have an easy, flavorful meal.
6. Caribbean Chicken Thighs
Perfect for those days when you’re feeling like you need a vacation, slow cooker Caribbean chicken thighs pack a ton of flavor with minimal effort. The chicken thighs cook on a bed of sweet potatoes, infusing them with the chicken juices and spices. Once everything is cooked through, just garnish and serve. You’ll feel like you’re enjoying a Caribbean getaway.
This recipe is packed with vitamin C, making it a great immune boosting dinner. Sweet potatoes and mangos also have a lot of vitamin A, which is critical for healthy vision. Serving up a healthy, flavorful dinner is easy when you use your slow cooker.
If you aren’t a fan of sweet potatoes, you can swap them for regular potatoes. You’ll end up with a dish that is less sweet but still packs a punch. Caribbean Chicken Thighs are a meal on their own, but the recipe pairs nicely with a side salad or vinegar-based slaw.
7. Indian Spiced Chicken with Tomato and Cream
Don’t let the number of ingredients in this recipe intimidate you. This Indian spiced chicken blends a half-dozen spices together to create a rich flavor that is gently warming yet not overpowering. It’s the perfect recipe for those who want to cook Indian food at home but have been intimidated by the process before.
Indian recipes require some spices you might not use in your everyday cooking. Most larger grocery stores will carry the spices you need. If you have a specialty or international grocery store near you, buy the spices from the bulk spice area. That way you’ll be able to buy just enough for the recipe, preventing waste.
This recipe is great served over rice and scooped up into a piece of warm naan bread. Look in the freezer aisle at your grocery store to find ready-made naan that heats up quickly in your over. Leftovers travel well, making this dish an excellent option for lunches during the week.
8. Chicken Cacciatore
This healthy slow cooker meal requires just 10 minutes of prep work. Hours in the slow cooker blend together mushrooms, olives, capers, and garlic into a savory sauce steeped with traditional Italian flavor. The pasta cooks in the slow cooker too, picking up deep flavor and saving you on cleanup.
Chicken cacciatore packs in a full serving of vegetables per person.This recipe adds spinach, packing the dish with essential vitamins and minerals. If you’re not a fan of spinach, you can substitute another dark leafy green like kale to increase the healthy nutrients in the dish.
Using your slow cooker, you can create amazing Italian dishes with far less effort than the traditional methods.
9. Moroccan Chicken and Olive Tagine
Moroccan cuisine does an excellent job of blending natural sweetness with savory ingredients to create mouthwatering dishes. You can recreate the flavors of Morocco at home without any special equipment using your slow cooker. Prunes, olives, carrots and onions transform chicken thighs into a healthy meal packed with antioxidants.
Moroccan chicken and olive tagine is excellent served over couscous but you can substitute cauliflower rice for a low-carb option. Serve with lemon wedges to add a bit of acidity and brighten the flavors of the dish. If you have any leftovers, they’ll store well in the fridge or freezer.
Your slow cooker is an excellent substitute for a Moroccan tagine. You can surprise your guests and please your family by bringing Moroccan flavors home with this easy slow cooker recipe.
10. Apricot Chicken
For a sweet, savory, and tangy slow cooker chicken recipe, look no further than this apricot chicken dinner. Apricot jam is enhanced with a little soy sauce and ginger to create chicken thighs that are simply divine. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice pilaf for a dinner you and your family are sure to love.
This recipe works best using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. The bones prevent the thighs from drying out while adding flavor to the sauce. The chicken skin adds flavorful fat to the sauce while keeping moisture trapped inside the meat. If you aren’t a fan of chicken thighs, swap out for bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts.
11. Chicken Pot Pie
Perfect your chicken pot pie filling using your slow cooker. With this recipe, you’ll create the perfect creamy chicken gravy that is the best part of a chicken pot pie. Serve with a side of puff pastry to get the perfect contrast of textures.
Masa harina thickens the sauce in this recipe instead of flour. Masa harina is a corn flour used in Latin America. Adding masa harina to your slow cooker chicken pot pie really enhances the corn flavor, creating a rich gravy that is the perfect consistency. You can find masa harina at the grocery store. Just look in the specialty flour or hispanic food section.
12. Bourbon Barbeque Chicken Tacos
Turn to your slow cooker for a new take on taco night. These bourbon barbeque chicken tacos are sweet yet spicy and served with a vibrant corn salsa. Make sure you stock up on tortillas, since your family won’t be able to resist this delicious taco filling.
If you’re concerned about cooking with a high-proof spirit, it might reassure you to know the alcohol evaporates during cooking. Additionally, the recipe only calls for 3 tablespoons of bourbon which is less than a two-ounce shot. If you skip out on the booze, you’ll be missing on the depth of flavor it brings to the recipe.
13. Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken and dumplings is a deeply comforting meal made incredibly easy with your slow cooker. The dish is made in two parts. First you’ll cook the chicken in broth, enhancing it’s juiciness and flavor. Then you’ll add some vegetables and the dumplings. It’s comfort food ready in a few hours with only 10 minutes of hands on work.
The recipe calls for pre-made biscuits, which reduces the prep work needed. However, you can make your own biscuits from scratch to add to the pot. Either method will result in pillowy dumplings that soak up intense flavor from the broth. The trick is to not disturb the lid of your slow cooker while the biscuits are cooking. Removing the lid allows the heat to escape and could result in undercooked dumplings.
14. Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki
Your slow cooker helps re-create this Mediterranean classic with minimal effort. The chicken is slowly infused with flavor, creating deeply aromatic and tender meat that pairs beautifully with cool, creamy Tzatziki sauce. Wrap it all up in a warm pita bread and you’ll have a meal that leaves everyone wanting seconds or thirds.
This recipe calls for chicken breast, a lean and heart healthy meat. The breasts are cooked in a small amount of oil, adding powerful antioxidants to the healthy fats. When served with the creamy yogurt sauce, you’ll feel like you’re indulging instead of eating an excellent heart healthy meal.
15. Chicken Chili
Chili is great at warming you up inside and out. This recipe makes cooking chili as easy as turning on your slow cooker. It’s full of nutrient rich ingredients and gently warming spices. Perfect for the colder months, this is a recipe you’re sure to make again and again.
This chicken chili has a secret ingredient for making a thick yet creamy sauce. Adding four ounces of cream cheese cuts the spice of the peppers and seasonings while melting into the sauce to create the perfect thickness that chili requires.
Toppings are one of the best parts of a bowl of chili, and this recipe is no exception. Top this chili with shredded cheese, crackers, cilantro, and even avocado to serve the best bowl of chili.
What Sort of Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes Recipes Do You Love?
Slow cooker recipes are great any time of year. This handy little kitchen appliance helps minimize your time in the kitchen while maximizing flavor in your meals. They help make big batches of food for easy meal prep or freezer meals.
What is your go-to slow cooker chicken recipe? We’d love to read about it in the comments below.
Loved the recipes we featured here? Subscribe to our website to get even more great recipes.
Thank you for reading through our list of slow cooker chicken recipes.
We hope you try a few and add some new favorites to your collection. Until next time, cheers and happy cooking!
Leave a Reply