Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken features golden pan seared chicken breasts that get slow cooked to perfection in a garlicky cream sauce. It’s an easy recipe that’s great for those busier weeknights at home!
Keep that Crockpot plugged in for more of my favorite crockpot chicken recipes like Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken, classic Slow Cooker Chicken Breast and Crockpot Tuscan Chicken.
Table of Contents
- Why we love this Crockpot Chicken Recipe:
- Ingredients Needed for Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken
- How to make Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to store Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Can I freeze Crockpot garlic chicken?
- Serving suggestions:
- Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken Recipe
I’m pretty obsessed with slow cooker recipes – especially when it comes to crockpot chicken breasts! There’s just really no better way to accomplish fork tender chicken breasts than cooking them low and slow.
Before the chicken is added to the slow cooker in this easy recipe, it gets seared to golden perfection in a pan for just a few minutes to make it just that much more delicious!
Once it’s seared, you pretty much just toss everything into your Crockpot and let it do all the work for you. That’s the beauty of this Crockpot creamy garlic chicken recipe – the results are stunning with such little effort!
Why we love this Crockpot Chicken Recipe:
- Easy: Thank you, slow cooker! This easy recipe comes together with minimal prep, simple ingredients, and just a little bit of your patience. It’s worth the wait!
- So Creamy: The heavy cream is thickened to the best creamy consistency with a little bit of cornstarch.
- Flavorful: Garlic is one of those ingredients that is often measured with the heart. Feel free to add even more garlic to this recipe to fit your needs!
Ingredients Needed for Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Chicken Breasts – You can swap these with boneless skinless chicken thighs if preferred.
- Chicken Broth – Low-sodium broth is always my first choice. If you do use a regular broth, conduct a little taste test before sprinkling in any additional salt.
- Heavy Cream – You can swap this with half and half, but you may not achieve the same thick and creamy results. If you need to thicken your sauce even more, you may need to stir in a cornstarch slurry.
- Garlic – For the very best flavor, I recommend using fresh garlic cloves. The pre-minced alternative doesn’t lend the same bold fresh flavor.
- Seasonings – Just a little salt, pepper, and parsley is all you need. You can sprinkle in some garlic powder if you really want to double down on that garlicky flavor!
How to make Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken
Take a quick look at how to make creamy garlic chicken in the Crockpot! For more detailed measurements and instructions, scroll to the very bottom of the page.
- Season the chicken breasts with a little salt and pepper.
- Mix together all of the sauce ingredients until combined.
- Sear the chicken breasts on both sides until golden.
- Add the chicken and sauce to a Crockpot. Cook on low for about 3 hours.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make it tangy. Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice just before serving to brighten this dish up a bit!
- You can use chicken thighs. Just make sure to check the internal temperature of the meat if you’re not sure! Both breasts and thighs should measure 165°F when fully cooked.
- Thicken with cornstarch. If you want your cream sauce to be even thicker, you can stir together cornstarch and broth (or water) to make a slurry. Stir this into your sauce at the end to thicken it even more before serving.
- A tomato-y twist. Add in some sun dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, or a spoonful of tomato sauce or tomato paste.
How to store Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken
Store any leftovers you may have in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Add a splash of broth, cream or water and reheat for 30 seconds at a time in the microwave until warmed all the way through. You can also reheat on the stove top on low heat, covered.
Can I freeze Crockpot garlic chicken?
Sure thing! Let the chicken and sauce fully cool to room temperature, then transfer everything to a freezer-safe storage container. Store for up to 3 months and let it slowly thaw in the fridge prior to reheating.
Serving suggestions:
Plate your creamy garlic chicken with some Buttered Noodles, Baked Rice or Garlic Mashed Potatoes to help soak up all of that delicious sauce!
You can also lighten up your plate with a veggie side dish like Cheesy Baked Asparagus, Roasted Green Beans or Air Fryer Broccoli.
Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
- salt and pepper
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic 4-6 cloves
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper and fry on each side until golden (you might need to do two batches if your pan is small), about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the cream, broth. corn starch, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken breasts into a 2.5-4 quart slow cooker and cook on low for about 3 hours (the cook time could be a little shorter or longer depending on how hot your slow cooker is) until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached.
- Serve with sauce.
Notes
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Chicken: this recipe will easily work with twice the amount of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or the same weight) without any recipe modifications.
- Cream: the sauce thickens nicely because heavy cream is used. If you choose to use a lighter cream, you may need to thicken it further. Light cream and milk is also more prone to curdling when cooked.
- Broth: I always choose low sodium or no salt added broth and then adjust the seasoning to our taste. If you are using salted broth, you may want to omit the salt and season to taste after cooking.
- Herbs: this recipe is simple but still full of flavor! Feel free to add in some chopped fresh herbs or even a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavor after cooking.
Nutrition Information
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kagen says
Can I use frozen chicken breast?
The Recipe Rebel says
I wouldn’t recommend that, Kagen. This is best if they are thawed.
Sherri says
Can I make this with bone-in chicken breasts, and how would you suggest I adjust the recipe? Thanks!
Shelby DeSmet says
Can I use a bigger crock pot? Will that change the cook time?
The Recipe Rebel says
HI Shelby, I think it would cook faster than indicated in the recipe. If you decide to try it out, let me know how it goes!
Greg says
Can you tell me if the nutrition information is for per serving or the for whole dish ?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi! Typically the nutritional information is based on per serving. Hope this helps!
Kristin says
This looks so good! Do you add the sauce to the crockpot with the chicken before cooking? The directions say to serve with sauce so does the chicken cook alone for 3 hours before adding the sauce?
Rebecca Feechan says
My thoughts too! The recipe isn’t very clear. I’m presuming you add the cream sauce to the crock pot too?
Tiffany says
If you watch the video you put the chicken in the crock pot, pour the sauce over it and cook for the 3 hours. I read it as she is saying to serve with sauce instead of just pulling it out and leaving the excess sauce in the crock pot.