Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken

Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken

from averiecooks.com
Chicken
245 min
383 kcal / serving

🍅🧀🌿 Features tender chicken that slow cooks in a creamy, Tuscan-inspired sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan cheese! Slow cooking the chicken makes it melt-in-your-mouth wonderful and it's all made in your Crockpot - no stovetop searing or transferring is necessary. Serve with pasta for a stress-free dinner that the whole family will love!

Ingredients

  • 4boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1/2-pound each; or about 2 pounds chicken in total)
  • 1 teaspoonsalt (or more to taste)
  • 1 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
  • ¾ cupheavy cream (do not substitute; the fat in heavy cream is necessary to prevent curdling or separating of the sauce)
  • ½ cupchicken broth (regular or reduced sodium; if using reduced sodium you'll likely want to add more salt)
  • ½ cupgrated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespooncornstarch
  • 1 teaspoondijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoonitalian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoonsmoked paprika (regular paprika may be substituted)
  • 3 clovesgarlic (finely minced)
  • ½ cupsun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained and blotted (dice them if necessary because they're on the bigger side))
  • 1 ½ cupsfresh baby spinach

Directions

  1. 1

    Spray the insert of your slow cooker with cooking spray if desired and add the chicken. Season it with salt and pepper. Set aside momentarily. Chicken Tips - Chicken comes in all shapes and sizes. I use breasts that are of an even , normal thickness and not "thin-sliced" which are NOT a great choice here nor are chicken tenders or small pieces of chicken because they will cook very quickly and can actually overcook before the sauce has thickened and reduced. If your chicken is very thick/big, slice it into 1/2-inch pieces; and/or pound with a meat tenderizing tool.

  2. 2

    To a small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup, add the cream, broth, Parmesan, cornstarch, Dijon, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic, and whisk to combine. It will not be "smooth" due to the cheese and the garlic which is fine. Pour the mixture evenly over the chicken.

  3. 3

    Evenly scatter the sun dried tomatoes over and around the chicken.

  4. 4

    Place the lid on the slow cooker and slow cook for about 4-5 hours on LOW, OR about 2-3 hours on HIGH. Cooking Tips - If you have the time, I prefer low heat for this recipe because the cream is less likely to curdle or separate with low-and-slow heat. However, don't cook for more than 5 hours (unless chicken truly isn't done) because you will risk the sauce breaking or separating. Chicken is done when the internal temp reaches 165F.

  5. 5

    In the final 10 minutes or so of cooking, give the sauce a good stir to make it cohesive. Add the spinach, nestle it into the sauce by stirring it in, place the cover back on, and cook for another 10 minutes or until the spinach wilts.

  6. 6

    Taste the sauce, and make any necessary flavor adjustments such as more salt, pepper, paprika, etc. Optionally garnish the chicken with extra Parmesan and serve immediately with pasta, mashed potatoes, rice, or your favorite sides.