12 Slow-Cooker Chicken Recipes You and Your Family Will Love (2024)
The slow cooker is a great tool for cooking chicken—but not for the same reasons you'd list when it comes to cooking, say, pork shoulder or beef short ribs. Poultry is generally a quick-cooking protein, so there are more efficient ways to get a chicken dinner on the table when time is of the essence. So, why make quick chicken in the slow cooker? Easy answer: It does almost all the work for you, especially if you set it up in the morning and come back to eat later in the day.
Even better? It's reliably delicious. Dark meat lends itself particularly well to the the low, gentle heat of the slow cooker, staying moist and flavorful; it turns so tender, you don't even need to cut it with a knife. Though cooking chicken in this appliance is a no-brainer, following a recipe will only elevate the result. The options we've gathered here take inspiration from Indian, Mexican, French, and other cuisines, but one thing they all have in common is their ease, simplicity, and approachability. We think—no, we know—you'll love them.
Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes
01of 12
Slow-Cooker Chicken with 20 Cloves of Garlic
This classic French fricassee typically calls for 40 cloves of garlic, but the slow cooker intensifies flavors so much that 20 is all you need for a rich, garlicky taste. Serve with the braised garlic, the cooking liquid, and bread. Pro tip: Spread the softened garlic on the bread and dip it in the juices.
View Recipe
02of 12
Slow-Cooker Sweet-and-Spicy Chicken
Here's a slow cooker recipe that's a snap to make. You combine cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a large zip-top bag. Add chicken and toss to coat—then cook the chicken in a skillet for a few minutes until it's golden. Into the slow cooker it goes, along with onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and raisins. The result? A comforting meal that hits so many notes.
View Recipe
03of 12
Slow-Cooker Garlic Chicken with Couscous
This simple chicken dinner is tasty and extremely gratifying. It has a gentle, comforting taste thanks to garlic, thyme, and white wine. With some couscous and a salad, it makes for a satisfying dinner any time of year.
View Recipe
04of 12
Slow-Cooker Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Here's a great party dish to have in your repertoire. You brown chicken pieces to build flavor, then sauté peppers, onions, and garlic; a tomato-y, peppery sauce pulls everything together. Four hours later, you shred the chicken and layer it into buns along with pickled vegetables for a cool crunch.
View Recipe
05of 12
Chicken Cacciatore with Cremini Mushrooms
A hearty dish for a cold winter's day, this hassle-free one-pot meal can be prepped quickly. Simply stir together chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, flour, wine, celery, onion, a sprig of rosemary, and some salt and pepper. Let the slow cooker work its magic, and you'll have tender chicken and a delicious sauce that's great for mopping up with crusty bread.
View Recipe
06of 12
Slow-Cooker Chicken Mole
The Mexican chile sauce, mole, has a taste that's spicy and bittersweet, with earthy undertones. Thanks to dark chocolate and spices, it lends a rich taste to chicken thighs in this warming weeknight dinner. Serve it alongside a pot of white or yellow rice.
View Recipe
07of 12
Chicken Curry
Put in 10 minutes of work for this recipe, and you'll be rewarded with a hearty dinner rich with spices. It's especially good when served with toasted cashews and cilantro leaves.
View Recipe
08of 12
Slow Cooker Soy-Ginger Chicken
A tasty soy-ginger sauce—and about six hours in the slow cooker—transforms chicken and carrots into a sweet, spicy, and just salty enough dish that's delicious over white rice. Garnish the finished meal with cilantro sprigs and thin slices of scallion for a little zip.
View Recipe
09of 12
Slow-Cooker Chili Chicken Tacos
It doesn't get easier than this streamlined taco night option. Combine chicken thighs, sliced garlic, a half-cup of salsa, chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo, and chili powder—then cook and shred with forks. You can moisten the meat with some of the cooking juices, and then pile it into taco shells with whatever toppings your heart desires.
View Recipe
10of 12
Slow-Cooker Cilantro-Chutney Chicken
To make this delicious chicken dish, it's helpful to sauté the onions first—it adds sweetness and an extra layer of richness. Then, towards the end of cooking, stirring in a chutney made from cilantro, peanuts, brown sugar, and lime juice keeps the flavors bright and fresh. Rice, yogurt, jalapeno, cilantro, chopped peanuts, and lime wedges make perfect accompaniments.
View Recipe
11of 12
Slow-Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans
Here's another Mexican-influenced chicken dish that calls on salsa for flavor. The other ingredients—dried pinto beans, chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, flour, red onion, chopped red bell pepper—are equally unassuming. When the stew is finished, top it with sour cream, chopped jalapeño, hot sauce, and tortilla strips or chips.
View Recipe
12of 12
Spiced Chicken Stew with Carrots
Sweet spices (like cinnamon and cumin) and golden raisins complement the carrots in this tagine-inspired chicken stew. With such aromatic flavors, the dish needs just a simple accompaniment: think plain couscous and sliced, toasted almonds.
Aside from accidentally overcooking the meals, the most common reason we see for tough, rubbery, or overdone chicken is customers using a Crockpot that is far too big.
For a whole chicken – Place it in your slow cooker breast side down. Cover with the lid and cook on High for around 4-5 hours or Low for 6-8 hours. For bone-in pieces - Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer in the slow cooker. Cover with the lid and cook on High for around 3-4 hours or Low for 4-6 hours.
Question: When I cook chicken, it always comes out tough. Am I cooking it too long, too short, too high or too low? The slower you cook chicken, the better. That's the overall rule for cooking protein.
Yes, if you use them correctly. The slow cooker cooks foods slowly at a low temperature, generally between 170 and 280 degrees F, over several hours. The combination of direct heat from the pot, lengthy cooking and steam, destroys bacteria making the slow cooker a safe process for cooking foods.
That is why tough meats become “fork tender” in the slow cooker. Chicken breasts have very little connective tissue; that means they can be cooked quickly because the long cooking time needed to soften connective tissue isn't necessary. They also have little fat, which means they can become dry if cooked too long.
It's easy to throw in an Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup or shred it in Healthy Chicken Enchiladas. Rubbery chicken is usually an indicator of overcooked chicken. The longer the chicken cooks, the more moisture it loses, and without moisture, the protein fibers become elastic, AKA rubbery.
Slow cooker recipes are often designed for an eight-hour cook so that the food is ready when you return home after a long day. Is it safe to leave a slow cooker on for 12 hours? Yes, you can use your slow cooker for longer than eight hours, as long as you keep an eye on it.
You're going to compromise the texture of chicken a bit when you cook it for 8 hours in the slowcooker. It's going to be super tender, but not “sliceable”, so use this to your advantage and shred the meat using two forks and toss it with the cooking liquid.
The difference between "High" and "Low" on slow cookers seems to differ with every brand and model. One thing that is consistent, though, is that food takes seven to eight hours to reach a simmer point (around 210°) on low; versus three to four hours on high.
Sprinkle the chicken breasts with plenty of salt and pepper. Cover your crock pot and cook chicken breasts on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Chicken is done when the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F. Use chicken in your favorite recipes.
You can overcook chicken in a slow cooker. If the chicken is cooked too long, it will become dry and tough. Check your chicken for doneness early, especially if it is one of your first times making it.
With the exception of larger recipes (like 8+ servings), It only takes 2.5-3.5 hours on LOW for boneless, skinless chicken breast to be fully cooked in the slow cooker.
Yes, you most certainly can cook raw meat in the slow cooker! You put it in “cold”, with whatever liquid your recipe calls for, turn it on either “low” or “high” depending on your recipe (I usually start it on “high” for a couple hours, then turn it to “low”), and in 6–7–8 hours, it's now COOKED meat!
Overcooking leads to dry, tough, sawdusty meat with nearly no flavor. High doneness temperature for food safety. Salmonella is the food safety enemy in chicken that dies only at higher temperatures. But cooking chicken breast to an instant thermal-kill doneness temperature will cause it to dry out excessively.
To prevent poultry from drying out, use chicken thighs—they have more fat and won't dry out as quickly, says Finlayson. Cook thighs for about 6 hours and breasts for a maximum of 5 hours on low heat.
Those slow cooker cook times tend to work for the proper cook time, but every slow cooker runs a bit differently so you'll need to adjust for yours. But, I will say chicken (and most other meats) do best when cooked on LOW. I find that if you cook at high temperatures the chicken can become a bit tough or rubbery.
Overcooking or cooking at too high a temperature can result in tough, dry chicken. Undercooking can leave chicken undercooked and chewy. Proper cooking techniques, such as roasting, grilling, or braising, can help maintain moisture and tenderness.
Introduction: My name is Terence Hammes MD, I am a inexpensive, energetic, jolly, faithful, cheerful, proud, rich person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.