37 Crock Pot Chicken Recipes For Easy Dinners

Chicken is the most consumed meat in America. It's relatively lean compared to other meats, doesn't have the health concerns associated with red meat, and has a pleasantly subtle flavor. For those with environmental concerns, it's also more sustainable to produce than other meat. Overall, it's no wonder it takes the top spot on our dinner menus. However, as many a home cook can attest, chicken can also be a bit bland, and when it's your go-to source of protein, you can easily fall into a rut and find yourself making the same handful of recipes over and over again.

This roundup of recipes will free you from the monotony of the chicken doldrums without forcing you to sacrifice precious hours that you simply do not have. As long as you own a slow cooker and like chicken, you will find something here that suits your tastes and will even please a family full of picky eaters. Even better, these recipes require very little hands-on time.

One of the greatest and most underrated aspects of cooking with a crock pot is what it does to meat. Because chicken has a lower fat content compared to beef and pork, it can often taste chewy and dry when cooked on a stove or roasted in the oven. But not in these recipes. Slow cookers tenderize chicken to perfection, infusing it with depth and flavor over several hours until it is so succulent that it falls apart at the slightest touch.

If you're tired of the same old ingredients paired with chicken, this recipe is the answer. Not only is it full of spices, but it also contains unexpected additions like olives, dried apricots, and chickpeas.

Tagines originated in North Africa and are named after the clay pots in which they're traditionally cooked. However, recipe developer Kristen Carli is a pro at turning complex dishes into slow cooker magic, and this is no exception. It's sweet from the apricots, starchy and creamy from the chickpeas, and full of lean protein from the chicken breasts.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine

Cacciatore is a classic Italian dish that has none of the cheesiness associated with other beloved pasta dishes. Made with mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers, and chicken, it is healthy without tasting like health food. Even your kids will be begging to have this again.

Unlike many cacciatore recipes, this one does not contain wine, choosing instead to let oregano, thyme, onions, and garlic serve as the basis of the flavor profile. After four hours in the slow cooker, all the ingredients are juicy and fragrant, perfect for a weeknight meal or even a fancy dinner party.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

There are many ways to make dumplings, but we're willing to argue that this is the easiest of them all, short of buying them ready-made. The secret is biscuit dough, and if you're already kicking yourself for not thinking about this sooner, we're right there with you.

Salty and starchy, they are even more delicious than what you could make from scratch, a major selling point that is made even more enticing when coupled with the fact that this whole recipe takes only five minutes to prepare.

Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Chicken And Dumplings

There are many ways to make chicken soup, but few of them feature corn as a standout ingredient. This recipe will have you wondering why because its subtle mixture of sweet and savory will have you coming back to it again and again.

In addition to corn and chicken, you'll need parsley, spinach, an onion, and chicken broth. For a lean soup, opt for chicken breasts. If you want it to be richer and more succulent, however, go with chicken thighs. Luckily, you can't go wrong either way. This recipe is outrageously delicious.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Soup

Chicken breast meat is notoriously dry and tough due to its low-fat content. This is tricky to fix when you're poaching it, baking it, or cooking it in a skillet, but when you opt for a slow cooker, the problem almost literally melts away.

This recipe calls for cooking it in an aromatic spice blend and a couple of tablespoons of butter. It's like marinating and cooking the meat simultaneously, and the results nearly melt in your mouth, something that is rarely said about chicken breasts.

Recipe: Juicy Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts

Slow cookers are often used to make soups and stews, but it turns out that you can also make a darn good chicken parmesan in them too. The ingredients and flavors are the same as the standard, labor-intensive recipe, but you'll only be working for five minutes. The rest is the slow cooker's job.

For the best results, make sure to slice the chicken cutlets thinly so that they cook evenly and quickly, and are suffused with the flavor of pasta sauce.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan

This recipe is here to prove that slow cookers can do it all. Soup? Absolutely. Chicken parmesan? That, too. Pot pie? Apparently so. This recipe creates a creamy filling and crispy crust that must be made to be believed.

The reason it works is because recipe developer Erin Johnson knows how to maximize a kitchen gadget. Most of us know slow cookers as an appliance that you plug into the wall, but in this recipe, you'll be removing the cooking insert and putting it into the oven to achieve a crispy crust.

Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie

Butter chicken is one of the most popular Indian dishes out there. With an aromatic yet mild blend of spices and a creamy, rich texture, it hits the same comfort food bracket as Fettuccini Alfredo and Thai coconut curry, but with a kick of spices. Thanks to the slow cooker, this version only takes 10 minutes to prepare.

This recipe calls for generic curry powder, a blend of spices that usually includes turmeric and cumin. For an intensely aromatic, slightly sweeter version, you can opt for a garam masala blend instead.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Say what you will about putting pineapple on pizza, we firmly believe that this Hawaiian chicken recipe will please just about everyone. Instead of combining pineapple with predominantly salty, savory flavors, it embraces the sweetness of bell peppers and an Asian-inspired sauce made with honey, soy sauce, and ginger.

Adding 1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch gives it a velvety texture to perfectly complement the tender, juicy chicken. Serve it with a bowl of rice to make sure you don't miss a single drop of sauce.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken

Regardless of whether you've tried Mississippi pot roast, you need to try recipe developer Feta Topalu's chicken-based spin on it. It is the perfect combination of unusual and broadly appealing, featuring a combination of ingredients that might raise some eyebrows at first but will set people's mouths watering the moment it hits their plates.

The ingredients are simple: chicken breasts, ranch dressing mix, au jus gravy mix, pepperoncini peppers, butter, and juice from the pepperoncini jar. This unconventional combination creates a tantalizingly tender, flavorful entrée that is perfect over mashed potatoes.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken

Recipes involving shredded chicken are extremely versatile. They make the perfect toppings for nachos, rice, and even salads, and provide the ideal texture for filling tacos and burritos. This recipe for salsa chicken is no exception.

Salsa and chicken breasts create the foundation of the recipe, but it's the spice blend that sets it apart. Because you're using individual spices rather than a ready-made blend, you can adjust them to suit your preferences. Top the final product with cilantro and tangy lime juice, and you'll have the makings of an exquisite entrée on your hands.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

One of the most convenient aspects of a slow cooker is that it allows you to make a whole meal all at once. This recipe produces aromatic, juicy chicken breasts and creamy chunks of potato, the perfect combination for a simple, well-rounded meal.

Because chicken can be pretty bland on its own, recipe developer Kristen Carli has gone all-out with the seasonings, bringing a touch of the sunny Mediterranean to the table with garlic, lemon juice, oregano, and fresh parsley.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Greek Chicken And Potatoes

For a creamy pasta dish that is lighter and less cheesy than the usual options, try this creation from recipe developer Kristen Carli. It's mild, silky, and oh-so-delicious. Try it once and you'll probably end up making it over and over.

Instead of relying on milk and cream for the velvety sauce, you'll need cream cheese and cans of cream of chicken soup, which provide a savory, slightly tangy flavor and rich texture without the need for cheese. You'll need to make the pasta separately, but the extra step is completely worth it.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken

French onion soup is a classic comfort food that never goes out of style. But it is more often served as a first course or light lunch than a complete dinner. This recipe adds a few twists to make it the perfect main dish, and it's surprisingly easy.

The blandness of chicken breast meat ensures that the iconic mixture of sherry, caramelized onions, and beef stock is left unaltered while broiling the chicken with grated Gruyère pays homage to the usual cheesy top that comes with the soup.

Recipe: Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken

When you need an easy recipe that is guaranteed to knock it out of the park as far as flavor and texture are concerned, this is the recipe you're looking for. Honey, garlic, and chicken are the perfect trio. The sharpness of garlic pairs perfectly with the sweetness of honey, and after several hours of slow cooking, the chicken absorbs their flavors like a sponge.

Serve it on its own or over rice, making sure to garnish it with fresh green onions for an extra kick of flavor.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Nachos might not seem like the most obvious dish to convert into a slow cooker recipe, but recipe developer Kristen Carli is a magician at converting hands-on classics into easy, slow-cooked perfection. We are also more than happy to argue that this recipe is an actual meal, not a late-night snack or guilty pleasure.

All you need to do is cook chicken, beans, Rotel, and taco seasoning in your slow cooker. Add cream cheese, shred the chicken, pour it over tortilla chips, cover it with cheese, and you'll have a truly sublime meal. 

Recipe: Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Nachos

For whatever reason, our taste buds love the sweet and sour contrast. It provides the perfect balance, allowing us to enjoy intense flavors without being overwhelmed by either of them. Too much sugar is cloying, and too much sourness can be genuinely painful, but in this recipe, you'll enjoy just the right equilibrium.

The sweetness comes from pineapple chunks, bell pepper, ketchup, and brown sugar, while the sourness comes courtesy of a ⅓ cup of apple cider vinegar. Onions, garlic, and green onions round out the powerful flavor.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Sweet And Sour Chicken Breast

One delicious aspect of Indian cuisine is the use of coconut milk and nuts to create creamy sauces. Although it's hard to argue against the appeal of dairy and animal fats, coconut milk cashews lend rich, slightly sweet flavors all their own.

This recipe includes chicken to add a savory, meaty foundation to the creamy curry. If you've found Indian food challenging in the past due to the combination of spices, this recipe is the perfect entry point, calling for curry paste instead of a homemade spice blend.

Recipe: Simple Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Cashew Chicken