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
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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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LauraC says
This is now my favorite way to cook chicken breasts! I change up the seasonings each time, and usually make a little gravy with the broth. Love it!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Laura! We love it too!
Ann says
With a 10 quart crockpot and 7 chicken breast what do you think the time for this recipe?
Ashley Fehr says
I think the cook time should be about the same
Paula M. Farrell says
Made this last nite! Delicious! Stayed moist! My husband loved it! Will definitely make again! Will try adding potatoes & veges next time to save even more time!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Paula!
Gwen says
Hello Ashley! I have about 8 chicken breasts. I know cooking times vary according to the crock pot, but what would be a good starting point for your recipe? Also if the chicken is double should I double everything else?? Thank you!!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Gwen! Yes I would double all of the seasoning. If your slow cooker is quite larger, then 3 hours may be enough. My slow cooker pictured here is 2.5 quarts and I cook 4 chicken breasts for 3 hours. So if your slow cooker is 4-6 quarts, you may be just fine doing 8 for 3 hours.
Malika says
What do you think about cooking the chicken with cream of mushroom soup?
Ashley Fehr says
I think it would work fine! I would add some broth to thin it out.
Veronica says
Can I use beef broth?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, absolutely, though it may be a strange combination.
Christine says
Mine turned out rubbery. What did I do wrong? I added green onions, celery, and frozen green beans half way. Did this maybe mess it up? Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Christine! I don’t think that adding things half way will make a difference. It is hard to say what went wrong without knowing the cook time used. Every slow cooker is different, some are hotter or cooler so cook times can vary somewhat.
Laura says
I didn’t even notice that. Glad you asked!
Peyton says
I replaced black pepper for lemon pepper I also put in a pinch of Italian seasoning and a pinch of weber smokey mesquite seasoning and a pinch of Johnnyy’s seasoning salt to the chicken in the crock pot. And let me tell you It turned out great! My kids and my wife love it! you should try it!1
Ashley Fehr says
Those are great additions!
Eve says
Would slicing an onion and placing at the bottom of the slow cooker be a good idea with this recipe?
Michelle Jefferson says
This says cook on low. Is that right?
Ashley Fehr says
That is correct
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, that would definitely work!
Donna Giovannetti says
Can you add lemon?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, absolutely 🙂
Loreal727 says
I’ve used this recipe twice and it’s the best. Even my picky teen loved it and has named it “Good Frickin Chicken”. I didn’t change a thing either time, because I don’t see how you can rate a recipe if you’re swapping this for that or adding this and that to it. This recipe is perfect as is. Thank you Ashley!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you so much!
Valerie Rel says
So I am literally the worst cook in the world! I sometimes have to have a backup plan when I’m in the kitchen. I miraculously came across your recipe and my family loved it!!!! Whenever I make chicken, I ALWAYS over cook it and it ends up dry as a desert. But it was so moist!!!! My husband said I only got an “A” because I didn’t make rice 🍚 To get the A+ (We’re Asian and he wants rice everyday 🙄) 😂😂😂 but better than my usual D’s and F’s. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING!!!! 😃 I’m almost 40 years old and I can finally make some chicken my family will eat 😋
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Valerie! It means the world to me that your family enjoyed it so much!
David says
Ideas for sides?
Loreal727 says
David..what sides did you end up using?
Ashley Fehr says
This chicken breast is really flavorful but neutral in flavor, so it really goes with anything
Denise says
I’m making mine tonight with broccoli and pilaf.
MarinaBlu says
When you say 4 breasts, that means like 8 pieces that usually come already in 8 pieces? Like 4 split breast to equal 8?
Also, do you think I could put everything together in the crockpot the night before and refrigerate til next day?
Ashley Fehr says
4 chicken breasts means two full chests of chicken, deboned and split in half. Yes, you can definitely prep it ahead!
Mary-Alice DeSpain says
Ashley, I made this recipe last night and if I could give it more than 5 stars, I would because it was that good!
I cooked the breasts from a frozen state because I forgot to take them out of the freezer. The only change I made was to add about a 1/3 cup of white wine because I had an open bottle that needed to be used up.
The chicken was so tender, moist and flavorful. This is now going to be a repeat recipe in my rotation of chicken recipes. I had it all put together in about 5 minutes! It couldn’t get any easier unless I had a personal chef!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that Mary-Alice!
Valerie Rel says
I forgot to add the stars to my previous review 🙌😋
Chrissy K says
Hey Mary Alice – did you have to adjust/add time since you cooked from frozen?
Marty says
I used taco seasoning as I was preparing for chicken enchiladas. Seasoning on both sides then mixed rest of seasoning in little water instead of broth. Breasts were perfect for enchiladas….tender well seasoned. Excellent recipe…very versatile!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Marty!
Jennifer says
Going to try this recipe – if I wanted to cook potatoes in the crock pot, too, are there any additional steps/ cook time?
Ashley Fehr says
That should work! I would cut them on the small side as potatoes can take quite a while in the slow cooker.
Shalonna Williams says
Can I bake my chicken in the oven instead of using a crockpot?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, the seasoning will be great on oven baked chicken breasts too 🙂
Lise says
This recipe was absolutely delicious. I am always so hesitant to try a new chicken recipe in my crockpot because it always turns out so dry. This was not the case with this one. I took your suggestion and cooked it in my smaller ceramic insert and it turned out perfect and juicy. The gravy was also excellent. Thanks. This recipe went in to my keeper file.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that Lise!
sue pogson says
I just made this – it took 4 hours rather than 3 to get the chicken to the right temperature but was still super-moist and tasty. Thank you.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Sue! The exact cook time will vary depending on the size of your chicken breasts and your slow cooker’s temperature.
Erin says
About how many chicken thighs? If I substitute
Ashley Fehr says
The recipe is flexible so you can use pretty much however many you want to cook. Space wise, two boneless chicken thighs is probably equal to one chicken breast.
Erin says
This worked perfectly I’m definitely trying out more of her recipes!!!!!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Erin!