Creamy Crock Pot Chicken

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Creamy 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.

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.

1. Make sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, saute garlic in oil. Add cream and chicken broth, and bring to a gentle simmer.

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

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

6. 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:

1. Season. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
2. 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.
3. 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.)
4. Add sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
5. 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, or baked spaghetti squash would all make delicious pairings as well.
• Easy Veggies – Cook up sauteed eggplant, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, or sauteed 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.

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken

Creamy Lemon Parmesan Chicken

Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs

Creamy Dijon Mustard Chicken

4.8 from 96 votes

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!

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 3 hours

Total: 3 hours 15 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Recipe Video

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Ingredients

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• 1 tbsp Olive oil ▢
• 6 cloves Garlic (minced) ▢
• 1 cup Heavy cream ▢
• 1/3 cup Chicken broth, reduced sodium ▢
• 3/4 cup Grated Parmesan cheese ▢
• 4 large Boneless skinless chicken breast (6 oz each) ▢
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning ▢
• Sea salt ▢
• Black pepper ▢
• 1/2 cup Sun-dried tomatoes (chopped) ▢
• 2 cup Spinach (chopped, packed) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for about a minute, until fragrant.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Cook for 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

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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

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 542

Fat 35g

Protein 45g

Total Carbs 9g

Net Carbs 8g

Fiber 1g

Sugar 1g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: creamy Crock Pot chicken, Crock Pot Tuscan chicken

Calories: 542 kcal

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