This Slow Cooker Chicken Breast recipe comes out perfectly juicy and seasoned every time! Learn my tips for getting the best crockpot chicken breast, perfect for salads, sandwiches or an easy dinner.
I KNOW.
Boring, right??
Except, perfect slow cooker chicken breast isn’t boring at all.
This chicken is so flavorful, and so juicy, with just a few ingredients (and one secret ingredient!).
I will admit, I have made plenty of dry, overcooked, unpalatable boneless chicken breasts in the slow cooker. I’m not proud of it, but we all do it every now and then, am I right??
I wanted to come up with a foolproof way to make great crockpot chicken breast — that is big on flavor (but still versatile enough to use it a variety of different ways or add your own sauce at the end), and ridiculously juicy.
Naturally, I started with this Crockpot Shredded Chicken recipe as my base, since so many of you have already loved it (check out this Instant Pot Shredded Chicken if that’s more your style!), but I made a couple swaps and additions for an extra little boost of flavor.
This slow cooker chicken recipe is perfect just on its own, with a side of rice or noodles or a big salad if that’s your thing, but if you’ve got leftovers?
Throw them in this Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti the next day, or swap the ground beef for chicken in this Rigatoni Pasta Bake.
How to make perfect Slow Cooker Chicken Breast:
- Choose good quality chicken. I’m not saying it has to be expensive (I buy my chicken breasts frozen when they’re on sale!), but overtime I’ve noticed that there can be a real difference in quality from one box of chicken breasts to the next. Find a kind you’re happy with it and stick with it.
- Not too full or too empty: I use this 2.5 quart crockpot for, honestly? Almost everything these days. It’s the perfect size for 4 or 6 chicken breasts. I’ve found if I cook just a couple chicken breasts in a larger crockpot, it cooks more quickly and is more prone to overcooking. When you have your slow cooker at least half full, it gives the chicken a little “insulation” and prevents it from cooking too quickly.
- To sear or not to sear. I tried both ways because I like to know what I’m talking about when I’m giving you the most delicious slow cooker chicken breast you’ve ever had. What I found was not a lot of difference between the two. If you want to sear it beforehand, go ahead, if you’re frazzled enough as it is and want to dump and go, do that.
- Butter (my secret ingredient that makes all the difference). Or margarine. Another moment of honesty — I use margarine a lot. I just don’t hate it. Chicken thighs are known to have much better flavor and juiciness than breasts, and it’s because they have 3x the amount of fat. I figured if I added just a little bit of fat into the slow cooker, I could give my chicken breasts some of that some fat love. (SPOILER: it works. It’s delicious, and not even drowning in half a cup).
- Don’t overcook. If you want a longer cook time, try filling your slow cooker more than half full, as this slows down the cooking process some.
Tips for making frozen chicken in the crockpot:
Here’s the truth:
I woke up one morning, the morning I wanted to start testing this slow cooker chicken breast, with my chicken breasts still rock solid in the freezer because I, like many parents of 3 kids 6 and under, had forgotten to take them out.
Rather than cooking frozen chicken in the crockpot, I placed my chicken breasts in a large freezer bag, sealed it tight, and covered them with cool water (think perfectly not cold or not warm), and let them sit about 20 minutes. Flip, and let sit another 20 minutes. Perfectly thawed.
I threw them in the slow cooker and away I went.
It’s not that you can’t cook frozen chicken in the crockpot — it’s just that I knew they would cook more evenly and probably be better if I didn’t.
Now, I’ve cooked frozen chicken breasts plenty of times (remember that I used to work outside of the house and be gone for 8+ hours a day), and they’ve been just fine.
They will release more moisture and cook a little less evenly, but the world will (probably) not end.
Variations on this Slow Cooker Chicken Breast:
- Toss in a package of taco seasoning for slow cooker chicken tacos!
- Brush with barbecue sauce once they’re done cooking, before serving.
- Brush with pretty much any of your favorite sauces, and there you go — the easiest dinner you never had to babysit!
- Jazz things up and try this Crockpot Tuscan Chicken!
More crockpot chicken breast recipes:
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken recipe
- Crockpot Chicken and Noodles
- Crockpot Orange Chicken
- Crockpot Chicken Wings
Slow Cooker Chicken Breast
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the salt, parsley, garlic, pepper, onion powder and paprika. Season both sides of the chicken.
- Add chicken broth and butter to slow cooker, and stir to combine (mash the butter up a bit to disperse if you can).
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker, overlapping only as much as necessary.
- Cover and cook on low for 3 hours or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached.
- If you’re hoping for clean slices, remove to a cutting board and cover to keep warm. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition Information
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Roxanne says
Do you cook it on low or high setting?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Roxanne! Step 4 will tell you to cook it on low.
TX Girl says
I have made this recipe about a dozen times, mostly to have chicken on hand for the week. Works great every time. I have doubled and tripled the recipe and it still comes out great.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi TX Girl! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Tifferoni822 says
Can you use frozen chicken?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi! I have a few tips in the blog post on what I do with frozen chicken.
Susan Ash says
If I have a larger crockpot (6qt) could I double the recipe and have the same result? Didn’t want to overcook them!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Susan, I’ve only tested the recipe as is, but if you have a big enough crockpot you should be able to double it. I would just check the internal temperature to make sure they don’t overcook. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
TX Girl says
Yes, I do it all the time for this same recipe.
Tamara says
Hey Ashley,
Thanks for this speedy and delicious recipe. I am responding to Susan’s question, as I just made this recipe in
a 6 QT crock pot this weekend.
So for a 6 qt, I managed to basically make a double recipe – I snuggled in 9 chicken breasts over a layer of sliced onions and doubled the liquid (some readers said they increased the liquid to 1/2C) knowing I wanted to use the juice to make a delicious chicken gravy to go with a mixed root veggie mash with veggies. So delish, so THANK YOU for the foundational recipe, Ashley!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks for the feedback Tamara!
Judy Berman says
Besides making a very delicious chicken sandwich, the next day, I used most of a chicken for a chicken pot pie. The chicken shredded very easily and was very moist. I added rice and lots of mushrooms and I put cornbread muffin recipe on top, then baked it for about 30 minutes. It was delicious.
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad to hear Judy!
Carol says
Started using this recipe during summers when it’s too hot to turn on oven. The chicken turns out perfect every time. I basically use, chicken broth, dried onion flakes, dried garlic, rosemary, a bay leaf, salt/ pepper and paprika. Depending on the day, I’ve slow-cooked the breasts for 4hr. cycle and 6hr…..You still end-up with a better version of “rotisserie” chicken, than you could buy at the grocery store!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Carol! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Jim says
You didn’t mention the temperature setting, I guess it would be set to high for 3 hours. I haven’t used a slow cooker until now.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jim! It’s listed in Step 4. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours or until internal temperature is 165 F degrees is reached. Hope you enjoy it!
Nichole Whitlock says
I want to try this because I always overcook chicken in the crockpot and it’s just not good. I have a 2 quart crockpot – I can’t seem to find a 2.5 quart crockpot. Would this recipe work in that?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Nichole! I’m not sure it will fit. Maybe reduce the recipe by half?
Hp says
Amazon has plenty of croc pots
Alyson says
Thank you for the recipe! I just made these, and the chicken is delicious! I ended up using 1/2 cup of broth, because I have a bigger slow cooker and I was nervous it would stick. Do you have any recommendations for how to use the leftover broth?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Alyson! Maybe use it in a soup? So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Jen says
Love this recipe. It’s my go-to for chicken breast in the crockpot.
Mariam says
Great recipe and it’s so versatile! The butter is definitely a game changer and I also used fresh garlic cloves which also helped bring so much flavor! I used the chicken to add to a salad the first 2 days, and then I used it on a cauliflower wrap and added melted cheese and hot sauce, and today I made a delicious chicken salad with the remainder of what was left! I am going to use this recipe again to make the chicken salad this upcoming week!
Beverly McNamara says
Very excited to try your recipes👍
Do you have a simple recipe for
Slow cooker lamb shanks?
Thank You!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Beverly, no I’m sorry, I do not. Hope you enjoy the recipes!
Lynne says
This recipe sounds like exactly what I’ve been looking for, for ages! One question though – 1/4 cup liquid in my 5-quart slow cooker and 3 boneless chicken breasts will mean the chicken is almost completely submerged in the liquid for most of its cooking time. Is that how it’s supposed to be? I’m just a bit worried it could turn out more like boiled chicken.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lynne, the recipe calls for 4 chicken breast so they are normally overlapping for me and I use a smaller crock pot, so I am unsure how your chicken breast will turn out. Also if using a larger crock pot it cooks more quickly and is more prone to overcooking, so you’ll have to watch it.
Linda says
I love this recipe because it is so easy and tender when done . Thank you. Used it a few times now 👍
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Linda! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review
Faye says
I made this recipe today for Fathers Day! It turned out great. I added celery,onions, potatoes and carrots.we really enjoyed it thank you.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m happy to hear that!
Amber Rau says
Hello!! I made this for my family…we added a lil more of the spices and chicken broth even rubbed some butter on the chicken and it came out perfect…not dry at all and everyone loved it!! Will definitely be making this again and again!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Amber!
Eric says
I made this recipe at 2x for six chicken breasts that were getting beyond their “use by” date so I had to cook them without much planning. With two tablespoons of butter, I used leftover beef broth I had in the fridge rather than chicken broth, and I just used a couple of those Taco Seasoning spice packets by McCormick for the seasoning. It saved our chicken! I was only getting started three hours before dinner and I was nervous it wouldn’t be long enough, so I started my Ninja pot on high to get it to heat up quicker and then turned it down to low for the three hours. When I probed the largest breast, it was at 177, so I probably didn’t need to kick-start it. It hadn’t turned too dry yet and was still really good though. This recipe is a great starting point for experimentation.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks Eric!
Mary M Warren says
This isn’t bad for chicken breast. It was still a little dry, but just a little. There are chicken breast recipes I like better, but this is pretty good for a basic. I doubled the broth and spices, and I’m glad I did. But I can now use the leftovers in a cobb salad or as fajita meat. Might also be very good with salsa verde.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mary! Can I ask what the internal temperature was of your chicken? If it was dry this is due to overcooking. The internal temperature should never be above 165 F.
Joddie says
Made this for my brother and he LOVED it! He commented on how juicy it was. I was concerned about 3 hours on low but it came out great! I added 1/4 extra of the chicken broth just cause he tends to like more sauce/gravy on everything. Also added some minced garlic and Walkerswood Jerk seasoning. THANK YOU!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Joddie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Eva says
Honestly I was skeptical that 3hrs on low would be enough but WOW. Chicken was excellent and I can’t wait to make it again.
Love from Ireland!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Eva! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!