Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken
on Dec 28, 2019, Updated Jan 11, 2024
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Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken is a comfort food classic that the whole family loves. This delicious meal is one of our most popular slow cooker recipes and is perfect for a big family or a delicious dinner for two.
The best part of this crock pot chicken is that it has a prep time of eight minutes! Read on, and I’ll show you how to make this delicious dish using a few very simple ingredients.
Table of Contents
What is Crock Pot Chicken Recipe?
Slow cooker creamy chicken is part of our collection of popular slow cooker chicken recipes. I’m speaking of many different recipes like our honey garlic crock pot chicken quarters, our slow cooker Mexican chicken soup, and our slow cooker roast chicken.
There’s something magical about coming home to the aroma of Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken. This delicious dinner recipe is a staple in our home, especially on those nights when comfort food is a must.
It’s a recipe that’s been perfected over time and cherished by the whole family, making dinner time a delightful moment of togetherness. Whether it’s your first time or you’re a seasoned pro, this crock pot creamy chicken never fails to impress.
What’s in it
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Tenderloins: We’re talking about tender chicken that falls apart with a fork. Shredded chicken is also a great option if you prefer. I always prefer free-range organic chicken in all of my chicken recipes. It costs more, but I know I’m not buying a preservative-filled bird, pumped with antibiotics and hormones and forced to live its life in a show box-sized cage. Plus, there is no comparison in the quality of meat and flavor!
- Cream of Chicken Soup and Sour Cream: These basic ingredients form the backbone of our creamy sauce, giving that rich, comforting texture.
- Cheese: I love using a mix of cheddar and parmesan cheese, and sometimes, I even add a bit of mozzarella cheese for extra gooeyness.
- Seasonings: A blend of garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and a touch of salt and pepper. For a bit of kick, red pepper flakes are my go-to.
- Vegetables and Herbs: I use a prepackaged mix of vegetables and garnish with green onions for a fresh touch.
- Egg Noodles: The perfect canvas for our creamy sauce, but you can also try this with wild rice or even a simple rice recipe.
How to Make Creamy Crock Pot Chicken
Towards the end of cooking, add your vegetables and prepare your side dish, be it egg noodles, white rice, or homemade mashed potatoes.
Remember, the full measurements and ingredient quantities can be found at the bottom of the page on the printable recipe card.
- Using your crock pot, combine the creamy elements at the bottom of the pot. Add the soup, shredded cheese, sour cream, garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, and water, in a crock-pot.
- Add the raw chicken on top of the mixture, ensuring the top of the chicken is well-coated. Cooking on low heat allows the flavors to blend beautifully.
- Towards the end of cooking, add your vegetables and prepare your side dish, be it egg noodles, white rice, or homemade mashed potatoes.
- Add an optional garnish of fresh chopped parsley and serve this slow cooker creamy chicken!
Finally, this creamy crockpot chicken is an ideal choice if you want to contribute a meal to your local homeless shelter. We have more Ideas for Making Meals for the Homeless as well.
Recipe Tips
- Set the slow cooker on low, when adding the ingredients.
- Omit carrots and noodles to cut carbs.
- Substitute chopped onions or dry onion soup mix for onion powder.
- You can also use cream of mushroom soup.
- This reheats well, just follow our directions to reheat alfredo sauce.
Variations and Substitutions
- Dairy-Free: Use corn starch mixed with low sodium chicken broth as a thickener instead of cream.
- Spice it Up: Add Italian seasoning or garlic powder for an extra zing.
- Other Recipes: This method is versatile; swap out the chicken for a pound of beef tenderloin strips! You can also try things like creamy Tuscan chicken, slow cooker crack chicken, or even white chicken chili.
- Protein: Swap chicken breasts for boneless skinless chicken thighs or even go for creamy Italian chicken.
Food Safety Tip
Food Safety Tip: The FDA recommends chicken to have an internal temperature of 165° F before serving it. This instant-read thermometer is the best one out there and it is the one I always recommend using.
How do you serve it?
This creamy chicken soup-like dish is best served over a bed of egg noodles, brown rice, or even cauliflower rice.
Pair it with a side of steamed broccoli, a green salad, or some delicious homemade mashed potatoes for a complete meal.
Readers questions
Yes. Bake at 400° in a covered baking dish, such as a Dutch Oven.
We don’t recommend putting frozen poultry in a crockpot, although many people will do this.
Yes, but add it at the end, just prior to serving.
No. You can use whole, boneless, skinless breasts for this crockpot recipe.
Yes, you can convert this into an instant pot recipe! See our exclusive content below.
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken
Use the same ingredients to turn this slow cooker creamy chicken into an instant pot recipe!
- Place 1 to 2 lbs of boneless skinless breasts in the instant pot.
- Add 1 cup of broth.
- For frozen breasts, pressure cook on a manual setting for 6 minutes.
- For thawed breasts, pressure cook on manual setting for 4 minutes.
- Do a natural release of 6 minutes for both frozen and thawed meat
- If using frozen vegetables, thaw them in a sink of warm water them to the instant pot.
- Remove the poultry from the Instant Pot after a 6-minute natural release, tent with foil, and set aside, reserving liquid.
- For the pasta, either prepare it according to the package instructions on the stovetop or in the instant pot.
- If using the Instant Pot for cooking the pasta, add 12 oz of pasta to the reserved liquid.
- Add tap water to cover the pasta by 1/2 an inch.
- Pressure cook on manual setting for 2 minutes and use a quick release
- Stir in the cheese, vegetables, and sour cream and the cooked poultry to the Instant Pot and serve.
More Slow-Cooker Recipes for Kids
If your family enjoys this slow cooker creamy chicken, be sure and take a look at these family favorites as well!
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Slow-cooked pork roast combined with white soda, brown sugar, and some other common pantry ingredients.
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes & Ham
- An easy and affordable crock-pot meal and a good way to use leftover ham.
- Slow Cooker Sticky Caramel Pumpkin Cake
- A crock-pot dump cake that is ready to eat in two hours.
Remember, whether it’s a busy day or a relaxed evening, this Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken is a great dinner option. It’s a simple, easy recipe that the whole family loves.
From creamy chicken pasta to a more traditional creamy chicken soup, the possibilities are endless. So why not make it your dinner tonight? Your family will thank you!
I challenge you to try this creamy crockpot chicken. I know that your family will enjoy it as much as ours did.
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Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken tenderloins or boneless chicken breast
- 1 Family sized can of Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 cup water or broth, Optional in crock-pot version but not optional in Instant Pot Creamy Chicken version.
- 2/3 cup of sour cream
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Assorted vegetables, for convenience I used a prepackaged bag with carrots, broccoli and cauliflower
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 12 oz. egg noodles for a side
Instructions
- Combine in a crockpot cream of chicken soup, water, sour cream, minced garlic, cheese and salt and pepper.
- Add chicken into sauce mixture, make certain to cover chicken with sauce.
- Cover and turn crock pot on low. Cooking times will depend on how thick chicken is. Because I used chicken tenderloins which are thinner, chicken was done after 4 1/2 hours. If using a thicker chicken breast, continue in the crock pot until fully cooked.
- Add the vegetables on top of sauce and then add salt, pepper, and onion powder to taste to the vegetables.
- Before you are ready to serve, prepare egg noodle according to directions on bag.
- Stir sauce in crock pot prior to serving.
- Serve over egg noodles.
- Enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Use white or dark meat for this crockpot chicken recipe.
- This recipe is oven-friendly; bake at 400°, covered for 30 minutes.
- Adding veggies at the end will make this less mushy!
- Use either cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup for this recipe.
- Consider substituting Lipton onion soup mix for the raw onion.
- To reduce the carbs in this recipe, omit the carrots.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Love that this was the result of a scavenger hunt. Great story-telling. This chicken looks so delicious! I definitely don’t take advantage of my slow cooker enough.
You gotta love that slow cooker! Throwing stuff in and letting it do it’s thing can bring out the best recipes. Great job!
Love that ypou came up with this in eight minutes as you were running out the door! Brilliant : )) Slow cooker meals are the best!
Is the bag of vegetables supposed to be frozen or fresh? Thanks
Great question, Jeannie. Of course fresh is always preferable, this meal is tailored for convenience and we used frozen veggies when making this one.
I love how determined you were to have dinner ready. I would have just given up and order take out. Great Job! Really looks Delicious.
That is certainly an exciting way to create a recipe. 😉 Looks fantastic. I’m a big fan of creamy chicken, and served over egg noodles? Yum!
Yum! I love my slow cooker, they are so convenient. Looks good!
I know my daughter in particular would love this as I make a Cheesy Tuna Pasta with condensed soup that she loves – great story of your morning rush:-)
You are too funny – I can just picture you scurrying around the kitchen prepping dinner while you’re trying to rush out the door! I don’t have that iron-chef determination. I probably would have pan seared the chicken with some veg when I got home — and poured a big glass of wine! Kudos to you!
Was the chicken frozen or thawed when you put it in the crock pot? I would love to try this! It looks delicious!
Nevermind, I just saw the other comment about this. Can I thaw it in the microwave first? Or should it be done in the refrigerator?
Hi Leslie, Thanks for the comments and questions. You can thaw your chicken in either the microwave or the refrigerator. If you use the microwave, use caution to ensure that it is thawed evenly and not part-thawed and part-nuked. Although either method works, we suggest thawing it in the refrigerator to ensure that it is completely and evenly thawed. We know you will enjoy this meal, please let us know how it turns out!