The slow cooker or crockpot has become one of the most useful appliances in the kitchen for every family.
The slow cooker has gained much popularity due to the many benefits of using it.
The slow cooker can help to prepare a great variety of delicious food. There are many healthy slow cooker recipes with chicken widely available to provide more choices of the types of dishes you can prepare using your slow cooker.
The best benefit of using a slow cooker for cooking is that the dishes it prepares are nutritious.
This is because mainly fresh, wholesome ingredients are used in the cooking. The ingredients are cooked at a low temperature for a long period of time, thus they become extremely tender and delicious. As there is little evaporation, the food will not dry out.
The natural juices from the meats and vegetables are retained in the pot, thus, the cooked food is nutritious as well as tasty.
Hence, if you are looking for healthy food, using the slow cooker to cook your chicken is a way to attain it.
Chicken has got to be one of the most universal meats we have today. You can do so much with it, and you get so much from it. Have you got a really terrific chicken recipe that every time your family sits down to the table puts a smile on their face?
Most of us do have such a wonderful recipe, for some of us it is fried chicken, and for others, it will be our famous chicken soup.
The funny thing about a chicken recipe is that you can take the same recipe and alter a couple of ingredients and have a whole new dish.
Pro Tip: You can take an existing recipe that does not contain any chicken at all, perhaps that famous pasta salad that you make, toss in some cubed chicken and you’ve got a whole new chicken recipe that will delight your friends and family for years to come.
And of course, from that one alteration, you can create a whole list of new chicken recipe dishes.
And for a moment let us keep in mind the nutritional value of chicken. It is high in protein, low in fat, and absolutely no carbs when skinless.
You may be surprised to learn that it is a rich source of niacin, vitamins B-6, B-12, Vitamin D, iron, and zinc! It is pretty close to perfect meat.
1. Crock Pot Moscow Style Chicken
What you need:
- 6 chicken thighs, cooked
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 1/4 cups Russian-style salad dressing
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger root
- Salt and pepper to taste
This is a healthy slow cooker recipe with chicken, will help you stay fit and melt in your mouth. Wrap each cooked chicken thigh with bacon and arrange at the bottom of a slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, and ginger to the pot then top with Russian-style salad dressing. Cover and cook for 5 hours on low. Season with salt and pepper before serving.
2. Cilantro-Lime Slow Cooker Chicken
What you need:
- 1 1/2 kg. boneless and skinless chicken breast halves
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 cups salsa
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 1/2 tablespoons dry taco seasoning mix
This meal is a low-calorie slow cooker chicken recipes sure to please any health craze crowd. Mix together lime juice, salsa, cilantro and taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Stir until all ingredients are well-combined. Add the chicken breasts to the cooker and coat with the cilantro-lime mixture. Cover, set the cooker to low and cook for 6-8 hours. When ready, use a fork to shred chicken breasts. Serve with soft taco shells and a dressing of your choice if desired.
3. Quick Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken Rice
What you need:
- 4 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 can cream of celery soup
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup white rice
Slice chicken breast into large chunks then places at the bottom of a crockpot. Pour cream of chicken, cream of celery and cream of mushroom soups over chicken. Add the rice to the pot. Stir to mix ingredients well. Cover and cook for 3 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Serve warm.
4. Simple Crock Pot Barbecue Chicken
What you need:
- 6 frozen boneless and skinless chicken breast halves
- 1 bottle barbecue sauce
- 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Stir together barbecue sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Arrange chicken breast halves inside a crock pot and pour barbecue sauce mixture all over it. Healthy crockpot shredded chicken. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours on low or for 4 to 6 hours on high. Best served as a sandwich filling or with mashed potatoes.
5. Sweet Sesame Slow Cooked Chicken
What you need: 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup honey
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- Sesame seeds
Rub chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place in a crockpot. Mix together garlic, honey, onion, soy sauce, ketchup, olive oil and red pepper flakes in a bowl and pour mixture over chicken. Cover and cook for 4 hours on low. Remove chicken from the slow cooker. Dissolve the cornstarch in water and add the mixture to the sauce in the pot. Shred chicken and return to slow cooker. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on high or until sauce has thickened. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.
6. Good for You Chicken Noodle Soup
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
- 3 stalks celery, cut into pieces
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 2 cans low-fat chicken broth
- 2 soup cans of water
- Pinch of dried dill
- Pinch of dried parsley
- 8 oz. package noodles
Okay – this is the ultimate healthy crockpot chicken and vegetables recipe. Chicken Noodle Soup! Place vegetables in crockpot. Add chicken. Pour in broth and water. Add dill and parsley. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Remove vegetables and chicken from the crockpot. Add noodles, turn to high and heat while you shred the chicken. Return chicken to pot and heat through. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until noodles are done.
7. The Best Cheesy Pesto Chicken Pasta
What you need:
- 3/4 kilogram chicken breasts
- 1/2 kilogram rotini pasta, cooked
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup Parmesan
- 1 cup pesto
- 1/4 cup salted butter, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper then place it on a slow cooker. Spread the pesto over chicken and squeeze the lemon over it. Spread butter slices over the meat. Cover and cook for 5 to 6 hours over low heat. When ready, shred the chicken then add the pasta and parmesan cheese. Stir until all ingredients are mixed well. Top everything with mozzarella then continues cooking until cheese has melted, about 15 minutes. Garnish with basil before serving.
8. Easy Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki
What you need:
- 1 kilogram boneless and skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Toasted sesame seeds for serving
Combine garlic, onion, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, ginger and black pepper in a bowl. Place chicken at the bottom of a crock pot then pours mixture over it. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 hours on low. When ready, transfer chicken to a bowl and shred. Transfer sauce from the crock pot to a pan. Combine water and cornstarch in a bowl then stir into sauce. Bring sauce to a boil over medium-high heat until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour sauce over shredded chicken and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving
9. Crockpot Chicken and Potato Combo
What you need:
- 1/4 kilogram chicken, sliced into chunks
- 1/4 kilogram potatoes, peeled and sliced into large chunks
- 2 strips bacon, chopped
- 2/3 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- Additional cheese (for topping)
- Avocado (for topping)
- Salsa (for topping)
Place potatoes and bacon at the bottom of a slow cooker then season with garlic powder and black pepper. Add chicken to the pot then sprinkle with paprika. Pour chicken broth over chicken and potatoes and top with cheese. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. When ready, transfer to a serving plate and top with additional cheese, avocado and salsa if desired.
10. The Chicken Warmer
What you need:
- 1 1/4 chicken
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 can be chopped stewed tomatoes
- 4 chicken bouillon cubes
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 1/2 cup barley
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- Salt to taste
Cook chicken on a slow cooker for 4 to 5 hours on high setting, adding bay leaf and barley during the last hour. When meat is ready and tender, slice into bite-sized pieces. Remove bay leaf and set the meat, broth, and barley aside. In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil then cook carrots, celery, onion, and mixed vegetables until tender. Stir in tomatoes, chicken bouillon cubes, water, sugar, 1/4 black pepper and chicken mixture. Bring to a boil, lower heat then simmers for 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper if needed.
Learning how to cook delicious meals take time, but it will be faster with the use of a crock pot. These hearty basic slow cooker recipes will help you learn to become a pro in the kitchen in no time and will surely impress your family and friends!
If you have your crock pot out, try these amazing slow cooker recipes for your next meal! Let me know in the comments below which one of these is your favorite?
