This Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken is SO easy and flavorful, you wouldn’t believe it only has just a few ingredients! The perfect easy dinner recipe for busy weeknights!
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Fall is on its way and I’m busting out all the easy slow cooker, skillet and Instant Pot recipes!
We have been kind of obsessed with chicken this summer, so I always have a ton in the freezer.
This slow cooker chicken comes together in no time with just a handful of ingredients that we usually have on hand — which makes it a win in my books!
The creamy tomato flavor combo is always a hit over here, and we love this chicken over a plate of spaghetti but it can really be a stand alone meal with a side salad if that’s your thing!
My goal this fall (really, every fall) is to bring you more recipes for Real Life. Because summer is over and life goes back to Crazy, dinner time is rushed and spending hours in the kitchen is often the last thing on our minds.
The other reason, obviously, is that I need easy recipes like this too!
With a lot of slow cooker recipes, I find you sacrifice either flavor or texture or both. Browning meat beforehand can really help with that, but often even after that the juices need to be spiced up because after cooking for so long, the flavors just become muted.
With this chicken, though, there are no issues like that! You dump and go, and the sauce is the perfect consistency when it’s done and the flavor is awesome! So creamy and comforting, and yet only a small amount of cream or evaporated milk.
Tips for making this slow cooker chicken recipe:
- I made this recipe in a 4 quart slow cooker — if you want to double it, I suggest a 6 quart slow cooker (I have both, and use them for different things!).
- I really, really, REALLY recommend using slow cooker liners. I will gladly pay the 50 cents or whatever they cost to not have to wash that beast!
- Please always, always check the temperature of your chicken with a meat thermometer before serving just to be safe! All slow cookers cook differently.
Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
- 3/4 cup tomato pasta sauce
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk or heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Add tomatoes and pasta sauce to a 3-6 quart slow cooker.
- Whisk together cream and corn starch and add to the slow cooker. Stir in garlic, salt, basil and pepper.
- Add chicken breasts and press down into the sauce.
- Cook on low for 3-5 hours, until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. The exact cook time will depend on your slow cooker — a fuller slow cooker will take longer to cook, so a larger one will cook faster.
- Stir in fresh basil and serve over pasta, rice, or with a salad and veggies!
Nutrition Information
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Karina says
If I freeze it, at what temperature and how long would you heat it up in the oven?
Ashley Fehr says
I generally prefer to thaw overnight in the fridge if possible, then I would cover and reheat at 350 for many 10-15 minutes
Lindsey says
I have a couple of tomatoes (not canned) I need to use, could I add them?
Ashley Fehr says
Absolutely! I would still aim to have about the same amount of tomatoes (about 1.5 cups)
Jodie says
Does this also work well with frozen chicken breasts?
Ashley Fehr says
Cooking frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker isn’t recommended because they sit at an unsafe temperature for too long
Hannah says
Hi there! If I wanted to double the recipe do I let it cook for 6 hours?
Ashley Fehr says
You won’t need to double the cook time, but it will depend a little on how full your slow cooker is. If it is very full, you may want to check it at 4 hours instead of 3. If you use a larger slow cooker and double the recipe then 3 hours should still be good.
Cait says
How does this freeze? I have a lot left over and am not wanting to waste it! 😬🤗
Ashley Fehr says
If you used heavy cream or evaporated milk then it will freeze just fine!
Julie says
Excellent recipe! I had plain petite diced tomatoes on hand, so I tossed in some Italian seasoning. Also used half and half (on hand) instead of heavy cream and it was still great. Don’t skip the fresh basil at the end! It’s a MUST! Cooked on low only 3 hours. Delicious recipe. Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Julie!
Kelly says
Am I the only one that the milk curdled on? When I read the recipe, I thought to myself surely it would happen if you don’t add it at the end, but since it didn’t say so and so many people raved , I just did it all at once. Yeah super curdled…
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Kelly! Did you use evaporated milk or heavy cream? Neither should curdle while slow cooking. With regular milk you could have an issue.
Rachael says
That was absolutely delicious!! My family loved it!! Thank you!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Rachael!
Tina says
So delicious and so easy to make!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Tina!
Stacey says
A fantastic, family friendly recipe! The angel hair pasta is the perfect addition. I really like that you don’t need to pre cook items prior to putting them in the crock-pot, so many crock-pot recipes require tons of prep.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Stacey!
Pam says
This was a delicious, easy recipe! 10 yo loved it but couldn’t get the 3 yo to try it! I added some cayenne pepper and extra garlic along with spinach! Soo good!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Pam!
Emma says
Forgot to start it earlier and now need to make it on the stove top. Do I need to sear the chicken first? Is everything pretty much the same?
Ashley Fehr says
You could sear or not, it’s really up to you! Personally I would just dump it in a pan and simmer with the sauce. It will be very moist and flavorful!
Emma J says
This was so good! A bit win in our household and already requested that I make it again!
I only had plain tomato sauce on hand and not pasta sauce, so I just added some extra seasoning and it was delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Emma!
Megan says
Loved this so much! Served it over chickpea pasta with Parmesan cheese and it was a big hit- thanks for sharing!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad!
Constance E. Castro says
Absolutely love this recipe. So easy, quick and full of flavor. Definitely going to make this again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Constance!
Katherine says
Super delicious! I halved the recipe and actually baked mine in the oven as we are packed to move and I couldn’t find my slow cooker or instant pot haha. I also had unseasoned tomato sauce (which I used in place of diced tomatoes as my husband doesn’t like the chunks lol). I seasoned with 1 T brown sugar and 1 T Italian seasoning. I put all the ingredients except the fresh basil and cornstarch in a glass baking dish. I pounded the chicken before adding to the dish. Covered with tin foil and baked 325 for 1 hour. Then I put some of the sauce in a bowl, mixed in the cornstarch, poured it back into the glass dish and stirred it around. I returned the dish to the still hot, but now off, oven to thicken. Also added spinach and Parmesan cheese after removing from oven. I’m excited to try it in the slow cooker sometime!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Katherine! I will have to try it that way soon!
Lily says
The pictures looked really good, but even though I followed the recipe exactly I thought the sauce lacked flavor. I ended up having to adjust it with cheese and spices so that it wouldn’t be so bland. Also, when I cut the chicken, it became more shredded than sliced, which I’m not a fan of but that’s just a personal preference.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Lily! I would make sure you use a seasoned pasta sauce and seasoned tomatoes as that is where a lot of the flavor comes from. If you use plain pasta sauce, or plain tomatoes, or skip the fresh basil, it won’t have a lot of flavor.
Dayna says
You listed “tomato pasta sauce” in the ingredients. To avoid confusion, all you needed to do was to say “marinara”. I swear you recipe bloggers have the intelligence of a peanut.
Ashley Fehr says
My intelligence is just fine. Hey, I’m not even the one that finds “tomato pasta sauce” to be confusing! 😀
H says
Hi! If I can’t eat dairy, will almond milk work or will it curdle? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Unfortunately I haven’t tried so I can’t say for sure. There may be people in the comments who have made it that way before and can help.
Jeff Brown says
So rude!!!
Kait says
Wow rude much???? Doesnt seem like anyone else has had problems understanding so move along Karen 😂 love your recipe was AMAZING my husband loved it!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kait! 🙂
Allison says
There are many kinds of pasta sauces which are not tomato-based. Additionally, “marinara” is only one kind of tomato based sauce. Please be kind. You are getting a free recipe.
CHRISTINA R CORDOVA says
That was not very nice at all.
Bonnie says
There is also Alfredo pasta sauce. You should apologize for your rude and nasty comment. You were in the wrong. Tried this recipe and followed it to a T, (especially the tomato pasta sauce part 😜) and served over linguine. It was easy, quick, and delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Haha, thanks Bonnie!
Alyssa says
Why are you so rude? Goodness. That’s what makes recipes awesome, you can make it your own!
Connie says
All you needed to do was use common sense and add seasonings to your taste!
Ashley it was very good ! Thank you for sharing your free recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Connie!
Julie says
Can you make prep this ahead of time and freeze it?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, definitely! Higher fat cream or evaporated milk freezes fine, just avoid low fat dairy.
Rich says
Very tasty! I’m making it for the second time right now since it was a huge hit a couple months ago. This time I swapped out the diced tomatoes for the same size can of petite diced tomatoes with green chilies (we like it a little spicy), the Red Gold version of Rotel.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Rich! That’s a great idea!
Michelle says
This was absolutely delish! The chicken was falling apart – soooo tender. The family is asking I make it again soon. We don’t do noodles so had over steamed cauliflower (was going to do it over zucchini noodles but didn’t have any zuc in the house – will do so next time for sure :)).
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Michelle!
Chelsey Schill says
Made this today and absolutely loved it!! I added two sliced bell peppers and about a dozen mushrooms, halved and cooked on low for five hours. So yummy! Will definitely make this again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Chelsey!
Barbara says
This was delicious! I doubled the recipe and used half boneless skinless thighs and half boneless skinless chicken breast. The used the Bertolli Vodka sauce for the pasta sauce. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Barbara! I’m glad you liked it!
Nina says
Made this tonight and it was so good! Will be added into my dinner rotation for now on! Thanks for a great recipe
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad! Thanks Nina!
Lee says
Looking to make and wondering if I can use half and half, or light cream?
Rhea says
Hi Lee, I have made this multiple times with half and half (same volume) and it tasted great!
Thank you for this recipe, Ashley!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Rhea!
CC says
We made this recipe tonight and it was so easy and delicious! Perfect for our busy schedules. Thank you for sharing.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m glad to hear that!