Creamy Crock Pot Tuscan Chicken is so easy. Just add the creamy chicken ingredients to the slow cooker and set to cook for a delicious meal on a busy day.
While visiting Tuscany may be a dream, you can bring a taste of this beautiful region to your kitchen with this delightful and super easy Crockpot Tuscan Chicken. This slow cooker dish captures the essence of Italian comfort food with its rich flavors, creamy sauce, and tender chicken.
When you try this dish, I recommend ladling it over creamy whipped mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta. They will soak up the delicious sauce and blend well with the juicy chicken. I love folding in cooked Al Dente Carba Nada Noodles for a lower-carbohydrate starch option.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Incredible Layers of Flavor: The layers of garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, seasonings and added creaminess makes this recipe feel complicated when it's actually super easy!
- Creamy, Rich, Cheesy Sauce: You'll want to sop up every last ounce of this sauce with your chicken and potatoes or noodles.
- Quick to Assemble: Takes only 15 minutes to assemble and the Crockpot does the rest of the work!
- Cozy Comfort Food: It's a delightful and comforting meal that's perfect for a busy weeknight with the family or for entertaining guests.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken
Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs: This slow cooker creamy chicken perfectly with the savory flavors of the seasonings and a hearty dose of protein.
- Chicken Broth: Adds moisture and richness to the dish and helps tenderize the chicken.
- Flaky Poultry Seasoning: An incredible blend of flavors that has notes of the fall and winter holidays. Seasonings include sage, thyme, marjoram, nutmeg and onion powder.
- Paprika: Adds a vibrant red color and a sweet, smoky flavor.
- Garlic Powder: This adds a nuanced savoriness and flavor.
- Half and Half: Along with the cornstarch, it creates the slurry to thicken the dish perfectly and adds to the silky texture of the sauce.
- Cornstarch: Creates a smooth paste that creates the perfect thickness in this dish.
- Marinated Sun-Dried Tomatoes: The acidity and deep flavors from these tomatoes punctuate the richness of this dish.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese: Gives the dish savory, nutty notes of flavor as well as thickens and adds to the creamy texture.
- Fresh Spinach: An easy and excellent way to add nutrients and flavor while it also adds color to the dish.
- Mashed Potatoes, Rice, or Pasta: Soaks up the flavors of the dish as well as help thicken the broth. I use Al Dente Carba Nada Noodles.
Equipment for Tuscan Crockpot Chicken
How to Make Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Tuscan-Style
- To a large Crockpot, whisk together broth, poultry seasoning, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Submerge the chicken into the broth, cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or low 5-7.
- Once the cook time has completed, transfer the chicken to a bowl. Break into large pieces.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together cornstarch and half-and-half. Pour the slurry into the broth.
- Fold sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, parmesan cheese, and the reserved chicken into the crockpot. Cover and cook on high 30 minutes.
- Serve on top of pasta or mashed potatoes with additional parmesan cheese on top.
Tips and Substitutions
- Heavy whipping cream can be used in place of half-and-half if you desire a thicker, more luxurious texture. In this case, you might want to consider halving the cornstarch the recipe calls for.
- You could also try other plant-based milk products if you wanted to make this dish dairy free. In this case, you might need to increase the cornstarch if the product is thinner than half-and-half.
- If you don't have flaky poultry seasoning on hand, an Italian seasoning blend can be used instead in equal parts.
Storage and Freezing
Store leftover slow cooker creamy Tuscan Chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for 2-3 months. To reheat, simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm on the stove or in the oven until heated through.
FAQs
Chicken breasts are the large, boneless, meaty portions of the chicken located on the front of the bird. They typically include both the white meat and the tenderloin. Chicken Tenderloins on the other hand, are small, thin strips of meat that are located underneath the chicken breast. They are essentially the smaller, more tender muscle that runs along the inner side of the breast.
While low and slow is the best method for most Crockpot meals, this meal can either be cooked on high for 3-5 hours or low 5-7 hours.
It's generally safer to partially thaw the frozen chicken before putting it in the crockpot. However, If you decide to cook frozen chicken directly in the crockpot, it's advisable to use smaller chicken pieces or boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. The time may need to be extended slight to ensure doneness and overall tenderness.
If you're cooking frozen chicken in a slow cooker, it can release a significant amount of moisture as it thaws. This extra liquid can dilute the flavors and make the dish watery. Overcooking can also lead to watery chicken. Ensure that you're using the slow cooker's lid properly and keeping it on throughout the cooking process. Lastly, it's important to use the amount of liquid the recipe calls for.
Ground poultry seasoning consists of finely ground or powdered herbs and spices. In this form, the ingredients are dried and then processed into a uniform powder. Flaky poultry seasoning, as the name suggests, contains whole or partially crushed herbs and spices. This version of poultry seasoning retains the individual characteristics of the herbs and spices, including their textures. If using ground, use ½-1 teaspoon instead of the 2 tablespoons flaky poultry seaosning.
Other Creamy Chicken Crock Pot Recipes
- Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken
- Crockpot Honey Mustard Chicken
- Crockpot Chicken and Noodles
- Crockpot Taco Chicken
Creamy Crockpot Tuscan Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2-2 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon flaky poultry seasoning (¼-1/2 teaspoon if using ground)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- 2 cups half and half
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 8 ounce jar marinated sun-dried tomatoes oil reserved and tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 4 cups chopped fresh spinach
Optional Pairing: Mashed Potatoes, Rice, or Pasta
Instructions
- To a large Crockpot, whisk together broth, poultry seasoning, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Submerge the chicken into the broth, cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or low 5-7.
- Once the cook time has completed, transfer the chicken to a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together cornstarch and half-and-half. Pour the slurry into the broth along with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and parmesan cheese.
- Break the chicken into large pieces and add back to the Crockpot. Cover and cook on high 30 minutes.
- Serve on top of pasta or mashed potatoes with additional parmesan cheese on top.
Video
Notes
- Heavy whipping cream can be used in place of half-and-half if you desire a thicker, more luxurious texture. In this case, you might want to consider halving the cornstarch the recipe calls for.
- You could also try other plant-based milk products if you wanted to make this dish dairy free. In this case, you might need to increase the cornstarch if the product is thinner than half-and-half.
- If you don't have flaky poultry seasoning on hand, an Italian seasoning blend can be used instead in equal parts.
Allison
So yummy and so easy! Thanks for another awesome recipe! 🙂
Laura Ashley
You're very welcome, Allison, and thank you so much for making it too! I'm so happy it was a hit!