Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Crockpot
This melt in your mouth chicken crockpot dinner uses a simple cream sauce that keeps the meat soft. Chicken breasts cook gently with garlic, Italian seasoning and a little Parmesan. It is easy to make and the sauce goes on everything.
6
servings10
minutes4
hoursChicken breasts cook in a creamy garlic Parmesan sauce until they are soft and juicy. The sauce finishes with cream cheese.
Ingredients
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz cream cheese, cubed and softened
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
Directions
- Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
- Whisk the cream of chicken soup, broth, minced garlic and onion powder in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Nestle the chicken in the sauce in a single layer.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours. Check the chicken at the early end, since breasts dry out fast.
- The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part.
- Move the chicken to a plate and shred it or leave it whole.
- Whisk the cream cheese and Parmesan into the hot sauce until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon juice and half the parsley.
- Return the chicken to the sauce for 10 minutes on WARM so it soaks up flavor.
- Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve.
Notes
- Use chicken thighs for even more tender meat and cook them an extra hour. Swap the cream of chicken soup for cream of celery if you like. Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge and freeze for 2 months. Serve over rice, egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
Why this chicken stays so soft
Chicken breast is lean, so it needs moisture and a short cook time. The creamy sauce wraps it and protects it from direct heat, and the low setting keeps it from tightening up.
Adding the cream cheese and Parmesan at the end matters too. Dairy cooked for hours can split. Stirred in at the end, it melts into a smooth sauce that coats the meat. The result is meat you can cut with the side of a fork, which is what the name promises and what most people want from a weeknight chicken. Plan the timing so the dish is ready about thirty minutes before you eat. It holds well on WARM, and the extra time lets the sauce settle and the flavors come together.
Ingredient notes
Chicken breasts: buy pieces of similar thickness. If one is very thick, slice it in half so it cooks like the rest.
Cream of chicken soup: it gives body and salt. Use the condensed kind and do not thin it with water.
Parmesan: grate it yourself from a wedge if you can. Pre-grated cheese has anti-caking powder that makes the sauce grainy.
Cream cheese: soften it first so it blends without lumps. Full-fat melts better than reduced-fat.
Fresh garlic: four cloves look like a lot, but slow cooking mellows it. Lemon: one squeeze at the end is enough. Bottled juice works, but fresh tastes cleaner.
Tips for the best result
Check the temperature early: ovens and slow cookers vary. At 4 hours, test a thick piece. If it hits 165°F, take it out.
Whisk the dairy in hot: stir the cream cheese in while the sauce is hot, and use a whisk. Cold cream cheese stays in lumps.
Do not overcook: the most common mistake is leaving breasts all day. Eight hours on LOW will turn them stringy, even in sauce. A final lemon squeeze brightens the whole pot. Cream sauces can taste heavy after hours of cooking, and a little acid at the end brings them back to life without making them sour.
Swaps and variations
For a lighter sauce, use Neufchatel in place of cream cheese and reduced-sodium broth. For dairy-free, a can of coconut milk and a spoonful of nutritional yeast stand in for the cream, though the flavor shifts. Add sliced mushrooms or spinach in the last 20 minutes.
Skip milk or half-and-half added at the start. It curdles over hours of cooking. A handful of sun-dried tomatoes or a spoon of pesto stirred in at the end turns the same pot into a Tuscan-style dinner.
What to serve with it
Spoon the sauce over buttered egg noodles, white rice or mashed potatoes so none of it is wasted. Roasted green beans or steamed broccoli round out the plate. A crusty roll takes care of the rest of the sauce. If you are cooking for kids, serve the sauce on the side of plain pasta and the chicken sliced, and let adults add pepper flakes at the table.
Storing and reheating
Cool the chicken and sauce and store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It freezes for 2 months, though the sauce may look thin after thawing.
Reheat on low heat on the stove with a splash of milk or broth, stirring until smooth. Avoid full-power microwaving, which can make the sauce split. A spoonful of the sauce also works on a baked potato the next day, so nothing needs to go to waste.
Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Crockpot at a glance
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 4 hours
- Servings: 6 servings
- Ingredients: 13, led by boneless skinless chicken breasts, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder
Tips for Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Crockpot
Use chicken thighs for even more tender meat and cook them an extra hour. Swap the cream of chicken soup for cream of celery if you like. Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge and freeze for 2 months. Serve over rice, egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Crockpot FAQ
How long does Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Crockpot take?
Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Crockpot takes 4 hours of cooking after 10 minutes of prep.
How many people does Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Crockpot serve?
This recipe makes 6 servings.
What do I need to make Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Crockpot?
13 ingredients, led by boneless skinless chicken breasts, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder. Amounts are in the recipe card above.
