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Get It NowCreamy Crock Pot chicken with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes transforms savory Italian flavors into a hands-off main dish for your next Italian night! It’s similar to creamy Tuscan salmon, but with the added benefit of cooking low, slow, and tender in your slow cooker. I’ll show you how to make this Crock Pot Tuscan chicken recipe, but there are stovetop instructions (similar to skillet sun dried tomato chicken) as well if that’s your preference.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Crock Pot Chicken Recipe
- Garlicky spinach and tomato flavor
- Creamy, cheesy sauce
- Perfectly juicy chicken
- Uses everyday Italian ingredients
- No cream of chicken soup or other processed foods
- 15 minutes prep
- Naturally keto and gluten free
- The best hands-off Italian dinner!

Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for creamy Crock Pot chicken, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Olive Oil – For best flavor, use extra virgin olive oil, but avocado oil works if that’s what you have.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic tastes the best, but jarred minced garlic will also work.
- Heavy Cream – Most other types of milk won’t have the same creamy flavor and texture, so avoid regular milk, almond milk, or coconut milk beverage as substitutes. Full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream can work, though.
- Chicken Broth – I use a reduced sodium variety, since the included cheese is fairly salty. You can also use homemade bone broth.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – A grated variety will melt more easily into the sauce.
- Chicken Breast – I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can also use boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes – I make my own sun-dried tomatoes in the oven, but store-bought varieties work as well.
- Spinach – Fresh spinach works best for this Crock Pot Tuscan chicken.
- Seasonings – Including store-bought or homemade Italian seasoning, sea salt, and black pepper. If you like extra heat, you can add crushed red pepper flakes as well.

How To Make Creamy Chicken In The Crock Pot
This section shows how to make creamy Tuscan chicken in the Crock Pot, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Make sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, saute garlic in oil. Add cream and chicken broth, and bring to a gentle simmer.


- Thicken. Lower heat and whisk parmesan cheese into the sauce until smooth. Add salt to taste, if desired.
- Prep chicken. Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. Season and top with sun-dried tomatoes.


- Pour. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken. Cook until done, then remove chicken from the cooker.
- Wilt. Turn slow cooker to High and add spinach, stirring to wilt.


- Finish. Return the chicken to the slow cooker. Spoon the toppings over the creamy Crock Pot chicken before serving.

VARIATION: Thicken the sauce with cream cheese!
This creamy Crock Pot chicken recipe has a thinner sauce, perfect for drizzling over the chicken (and rice or potatoes, too). But if you prefer a thicker sauce, simply remove the chicken after cooking and stir in softened cream cheese, until it’s thickened to your liking.
Alternate Cooking Method: Stove Top
Don’t have a Crock Pot? No problem! You can easily adjust the recipe to make it in a skillet — and the sauce comes out thicker that way, if that’s your preference:
- Season. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Sear. Heat olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear for 4-8 minutes per side, without moving around too much, until golden brown and almost cooked through. (Cook times can vary depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts.) Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Make sauce. Reduce heat to medium, then follow the instructions for the creamy Tuscan sauce in the Crock Pot version above. (You can use the same skillet.)
- Add sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Heat for a couple of minutes, until warm and cooked through.
If you like creamy chicken with a thicker sauce like this, try my one-pan chicken florentine or chicken marsala.

Tips For The Best Creamy Crock Pot Chicken
When you’re making Tuscan chicken in the Crock Pot, here are my top tips for ensuring your chicken is perfect every time:
- Keep more sauce directly on the chicken. You want more of it on the chicken and less on the bottom of the Crock Pot. This way, you’ll end up with more sauce sticking to the chicken and the meat will be more juicy. Plus, the part on top of the chicken stays thicker.
- Wait to add spinach until the end. It wilts fast! Just don’t let it slow cook the whole time with the creamy Tuscan garlic chicken, because it will turn to mush. The spinach has to go in only at the end.
- Pile the toppings high. When you’re ready to serve, place the toppings from the bottom of the Crock Pot onto the plated chicken.
- Don’t forget the sauce at the bottom of the slow cooker. Drizzle the sauce over the creamy Crock Pot chicken when serving it for extra juicy deliciousness.
Storage Instructions
Store leftovers covered in an airtight container the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also make the sauce ahead, store in the refrigerator, then heat and thin out as needed before pouring over the chicken.
Reheat at low power in the microwave or in a 350 degree F oven, until warm.
Can You Freeze Crock Pot Chicken?
Yes, you can freeze Crock Pot chicken recipes. Cool completely, cover tightly, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.

What To Serve With Crock Pot Tuscan Chicken
This Crock Pot Tuscan garlic chicken pairs well with so many sides! Try these easy dishes:
- Pasta & Rice – A must for sopping up all that creamy sauce! I prefer either mashed potatoes for my kids or mashed cauliflower for myself (pictured above). But white rice, cauliflower rice, regular pasta, zucchini noodles, easy microwave spaghetti squash, or baked spaghetti squash would all make delicious pairings as well.
- Easy Veggies – Cook up sauteed eggplant, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, or cook zucchini to serve on the side.
- Simple Salads – Italian marinated artichoke salad, cold roast vegetable salad, or Caprese salad are all classic choices to complete your Italian meal. But, French carrot salad would also be just as good with this creamy Crock Pot chicken.
More Creamy Chicken Recipes
If you love saucy, easy meals, try these recipes next — or find even more easy healthy chicken recipes here.
Recommended Tools
- Saucepan – The right size for making the rich sauce in this dish.
- Slow Cooker – My favorite cooker for making low and slow main dishes — and this one is programmable!
Crock Pot Creamy Chicken
Creamy Crock Pot Chicken (Tuscan Style)
Make this creamy Crock Pot chicken recipe (Tuscan chicken) with juicy chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and creamy sauce. It's so easy!
Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for about a minute, until fragrant.
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Add the cream and chicken broth. Bring to a gentle simmer, then set heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. The sauce will still be thin, but thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.
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Meanwhile, place the chicken at the bottom of a slow cooker. Season lightly with Italian seasoning, sea salt, and black pepper. Top with sun-dried tomatoes.
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When the sauce is ready, keep it at low heat, but not simmering. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup at a time, until smooth. Adjust salt to taste if desired.
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Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken in the slow cooker. Try to get as much sauce as possible on top of the chicken and less on the bottom.
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Cook for 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low.
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Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and set aside. The sauce in the slow cooker will be thin due to liquid released by the chicken, but the top of the chicken will have a layer of sauce that sticks to it.
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Turn the slow cooker on High, if it isn't already. Add the chopped spinach and stir for a few minutes, until the spinach wilts.
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Return the chicken to the slow cooker, and spoon the liquid, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes on top, or just pour them over the chicken to serve.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
This helps other readers and also helps me continue to provide free recipes on my site.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 large chicken breast with sauce and 1/4 of total tomatoes & spinach (1/4 of entire recipe)
The recipe card contains instructions for Crock Pot Tuscan chicken, but see the post above for stovetop instructions if that’s your preference.
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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Save This Recipe Now© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂

201 Comments
Shaheen
1This recipe was not only delicious, but so easy to make. Thanks for this delicious recipe.
Grace
0Yummy
maggie
0I want to do this with a combo of thighs & breasts: I prefer white meat, hubby is a big fan of dark. should I start them all together, then watch the thighs for doneness (instant read thermometer) and pull them out when they’re Almost done? Then add them back to the crock pot for the last several minutes to finish cooking & reheat?
Wholesome Yum D
0HI Maggie, Yes, I suggest putting all the chicken in at the same time.
hct
0Excellent and easy recipe, took it to a Mom with a new baby- family loved it I did too!
Tiffany
0Unfortunately my chicken came out way too dry. Maybe best to cook on high for the 3-4 hours. I cooked it on the low for the specified time frame (it was maybe a bit less than 7 hours) while my hubby loved the sauce, he said the chicken was inedible.
Nicky
0How can you make so the sauce isn’t watery?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Nicky, In the post I suggest using cream cheese to thicken the sauce.
Harmony Ritter
0I use a little cornstarch to thicken.
Beverly Brauer
0I purchase my chicken breasts at Sam’s Club and they are definitely large! They weigh just over 1/2 a pound a piece. Is that what you consider large or do I need to cook them longer than 8 hours on low?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Beverly, That size chicken breast should work fine in this recipe.
al
0Hello… It’s just now in the crock pot. Stay tuned. Looks good…. more later. Thank you.
Amber
0Seriously 10/10! I am just now starting to cook & this was easy & soooo good. My husband, who is an amazing cook, said he wouldn’t change a thing about it!
Melissa
0This recipe is amazing! I’ve made it several times now. It’s the first time I’ve made chicken that didn’t come out dry, seriously!
I have a question – do you think the same directions would work with a different sauce, maybe like a teriyaki sauce? I’d love to make some different versions of this but keep the method, crockpot, etc.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Melissa, I have never tried that but if you do please let me know your results.
Jonny
0Hey there!
So I got sun dried tomatoes (the ones that are in a bottle of olive oil for preservation) and didn’t chop them and forgot to wrap them in paper to soak up excess oil. Threw the sun dried tomatoes in the crockpot with everything else, and now my tuscan chicken is swimming in an oil bath! What do you recommend for next time? Chop and then dry? Drying them with paper towels the best way?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jonny, Personally, I make my own sundried tomatoes so I don’t have to worry about excess oil.
Sarah
0Tried making it, the sauce was a gluey hot mess. There’s no way I could get 3/4 of a cup of shredded parmesan to melt into the liquid. I ended up needing to cook the chicken with globs of half melted parmesan and liquid on top. I don’t have high hopes.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sarah, This recipe calls for grated parmesan.
Linda Hornick
0This is a great meal! I served with rice.
Cherie Krutilek
0Could you add capers and mushrooms to the crockpot chicken recipe?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Cherie, Yes, you could do that.
SHANNA
0This is a fantastic recipe! It is one of the first recipes that I made at Wholesome Yum. Now I am a huge fan. It is a must try recipe!
Jennifer
0This recipe was easy to make. I sun dried the tomatoes in the oven and they came out perfect. Chicken falls apart easily and the sauce gave the chicken so much flavor! It’s hard to like chicken when you’re on a high protein diet, but this made it easy! Even my 14 yr old daughter loved it and went for 2nds. This will be my new go to!
Jeanette
0Can this be made in there Instant Pot/pressure cooker?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jeanette, That would probably work, but I don’t have a recipe specifically for that.
Courtney
0Excited to try this one out today! I’m using chicken thighs, would you recommend a shorter cooking time?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Courtney, Yes, cooking time would probably be shorter for cooking chicken thighs.
Lucy Cash
0Thank you so much for this recipe!! My whole family loves it and so do I! I feel like we are eating at Carrabas when we have this. Best part is I can make it early, so when it’s time to eat and I’m exhausted, it’s ready.
Mikella
0Can you use frozen chicken?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Mikella, You would have to thaw the chicken before placing it in the crock pot.
Melissa
0This is the most amazing recipe. It’s truly the first time I’ve been able to make chicken that isn’t too dry. I don’t know what the difference is, but it’s amazing! Thank you!!
Alyssa
0I used frozen and came out fine.
sama
0This recipe is amazing! My family loved it. I doubled it so we had lunches for a couple days. Also, I doctored it a bit by adding a chopped bell pepper (I think I had an orange or red one so that’s what I used) and I chopped up 3/4 of a large red onion. I poured a small jar of RAO Sun Dried Tomato Pesto sauce over the recipe sauce and mixed it a little before starting the cook time.
Morgana
0I made this yesterday. Very easy to put together and tastes excellent!
Lisa
0Wow I made this tonight and it was just amazing. The flavors were delicious altogether and the recipe was easynto follow. I love uncomplicated recipes for the slow cooker and this was just that! I followed the directions exactly except i lightly seared the breasts before putting in the crock pot. Then made my sauce in the same pan which had some of the brown chicken scrapings in it. Thanks for the recipe!
Ariel
0My new favorite 😍 💕 💓 ❤️ 💛 💖 😍 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lora
0Soooo delicious! I will definitely make this again!
Sheela
0I have not made this recipe, but it looks delicious and I plan to. Can I make the sauce the night before and then assemble the ingredients in the crockpot before I go to work or does the sauce have to be hot when poured over the chicken?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sheela, No, the sauce would not have to be warm when going into the Crock Pot.
Jill
0This recipe looks absolutely delicious, I can wait to make it next week. Thank you Maya!!
jess
0Thank you so much for sharing this amazing chicken dinner recipe! You are adding flavor to my boring weekly meals.
Sheila G
0My family went crazy for this! My youngest just asked me to make it again!
Jessica
0We absolutely loved this recipe! It was easy and my picky kids even begged to have it again for next week. Thank you!