This easy Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken is a simple, satisfying dish full of delicious Italian flavor. It’s got tender, juicy chicken breasts cooked in a creamy alfredo sauce, loaded with garlic, spinach, and sundried tomatoes.
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Slow Cooker Creamy Tuscan Chicken
It looks and tastes impressive, but this creamy Tuscan Chicken in Slow Cooker recipe is easy enough to make any night of the week. All it takes is about 15 minutes of prep before the crockpot takes over and does the rest of the cooking. Serve over a bed of rice, pasta or even zoodles for a seriously simple, satisfying meal.
This recipe does require you to pull out a saucepan and make a simple alfredo sauce using butter, garlic, chicken broth, cream, Parmesan, and sun-dried tomatoes. From there, everything goes into the slow cooker together to cook low and slow for hours so it's ready when you are.
If you're looking for more healthy chicken recipes or the best crockpot chicken, we’ve got you covered with plenty of dinner inspiration. Or, if you’re looking for ideas beyond chicken, here’s another list of healthy dinner recipes. And if a great Tuscan Chicken Recipe is your jam, be sure to try our Tuscan Chicken Soup too.
What to Serve with Tuscan Chicken Recipe
This Tuscan Chicken Crockpot Recipe is such a classic dish that it pairs well with all sorts of sides, including:
- Mashed Potatoes
- Baked Potatoes
- Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes
- Lemon Herb Rice
- Parmesan Orzo
- Dinner Rolls
- Focaccia Bread
- Garlic Bread
Bonus Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipe
My family’s favorite way to eat Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken is over pasta with cheese. So yummy! Once you have made the recipe according to the directions:
- Add about 1 pound of al dente-cooked pasta (spaghetti is what we use the most) and about 1 cup of mozzarella cheese to your slow cooker, then stir until combined.
- Sprinkle another cup of cheese on top of the pasta and cover with a lid. Set to warm for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melty.
- Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Ingredients in Tuscan Chicken
- Butter - either salted or unsalted butter will work great.
- Garlic - use fresh minced garlic.
- Chicken Broth - you can use store bought or homemade.
- Heavy Cream - this helps make the sauce super creamy.
- Parmesan Cheese - use fresh grated or shredded.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes - look for the sun-dried tomatoes stored in oil. You can either add these minced or sliced, or blend into the chicken broth. If you aren’t a fan of sun-dried tomatoes, you could substitute artichoke hearts.
- Chicken - we use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. You could absolutely substitute chicken thighs, or even bone-in chicken if you prefer, but you may have to adjust the cooking time slightly.
- Spinach - fresh spinach tastes better than frozen spinach.
- Italian Seasoning - you should find this in the spice section at your grocery store.
- Red Pepper Flakes - this adds the perfect amount of spice. You can, of course, adjust by adding more or less to your liking.
- Salt and Pepper
How to Make Tuscan Chicken in the Crockpot
- Make the sauce. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and garlic. Saute on medium heat until the garlic is translucent and lightly golden, or about 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese and sun-dried tomatoes*. Continue to cook and stir until all of the Parmesan cheese is melted, then remove from heat.
- Add the chicken. Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker, then add the cream sauce, spinach, Italian Seasoning, red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Stir until combined, then cover the slow cooker.
- Cook. Cook on low for 5-6 hours, or cook on high for about 3 hours. Check the internal temperature of the chicken to be sure it has reached 165 degrees F. in the thickest spots.
- Serve. Turn off the slow cooker and remove the cooked chicken. Slice or dice as desired, then add back to sauce and serve over rice, zoodles, cauliflower rice or your favorite pasta noodles. Enjoy!
*You can also blend the sun-dried tomatoes with the chicken broth so you don’t have any chunks.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Recipe
Generally speaking, it should take roughly 5-6 hours on low, or 3 hours on high, to cook 2 ½-3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot.
The cooking time will always vary depending on how much is in the crockpot and what size crockpot you are using. That’s why you should always check the internal temperature of your chicken to make sure it has reached 165 degrees F.
Making enough Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken to have leftovers is always a good idea. It stores well and tastes great in a variety of different ways. Besides simply reheating and serving with more pasta or rice, you can use in:
Sandwiches - serve on a buttery toasted sandwich bun with melted mozzarella cheese.
Salads - dice or slice chicken and add into your favorite green salad.
Pizza - chop the chicken and veggies and serve on pizza dough with mozzarella cheese and your favorite sauce or pesto.
Chicken Spaghetti- This is an easy way to use up those chicken leftovers too.
You can, but we don’t recommend it. Since the meat cooks so low and slow, it likely will not reach the recommended 165 degrees within the safe window of time. If you want to use frozen chicken, it’s much safer to thaw it out in the fridge overnight, then transfer to the slow cooker the next day.
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Tablespoons Garlic minced
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- ¾ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- ½ cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes (in Olive Oil) minced or thinly sliced
- 4 large Chicken Breasts boneless, skinless
- 2 cups Spinach fresh, roughly chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and garlic. Saute on medium heat until the garlic is translucent and lightly golden, or about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Continue to cook and stir until all of the Parmesan cheese is melted, then remove from heat.
- Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker, then add the cream sauce, spinach, Italian Seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir until combined, then cover the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 5-6 hours, or on high for about 3 hours. Check the internal temperature of the chicken to be sure it has reached 165 degrees F. in the thickest spots.
- Turn off the slow cooker and remove the chicken. Slice or dice as desired, then add back to sauce and serve over rice, zoodles, cauliflower rice or your favorite pasta noodles. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More of the Best Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow Cooker Kalua Pork
- White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Tortellini Pasta Bake
- Easy Crockpot Lasagna
- More Crockpot Recipes
- More Easy Weeknight Meals
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It looks and tastes impressive, but this Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken recipe is easy enough to make any night of the week. This Tuscan Chicken is delicious served over a bed of rice, pasta or even zoodles for a seriously simple, satisfying meal.
Darlene
Can you use kale?
Jill Baird
Yes, Kale would work great too, just add it the same time you would your spinach. I'd be sure it was chopped into bite-sized pieces.
Chris
My family loved this recipe and it was so easy to make. I didn't have any sun-dried tomatoes and substituted red peppers, which still worked great. I will definitely make again.
Jill Baird
What a great idea! I haven't tried it with red peppers but it sounds amazing!
Jenn
The flavors here are out of this world! Love that I can add extra spinach (my fav!) and have a fuss free dinner for the family using the slow cooker! Thanks!
Liz
I've been looking for new ways to use my slow cooker so this is perfect! I know my mom is going to want this recipe, too!
Jackie
Made this tonight and it was delicious! So easy too which is a huge plus for this mom of 2! Thank you!
Jill Baird
I'm so happy to hear you loved it!