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Slow cooker Tuscan chicken is an easy Crockpot meal that’s simple enough for weeknight family dinners and elegant enough for special occasions: perfectly seasoned tender chicken with a rich garlicky cream sauce! Serve it on a bed of pasta or mashed potatoes, or keep it keto friendly with a low carb vegetable.
I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for easy Crockpot chicken recipes. Meals that don’t need a lot of advance prep work, don’t make you sear the chicken first, and definitely don’t call for a ton of different things to be chopped. Enter this super simple slow cooker Tuscan chicken!
What is Tuscan Chicken?
Tuscan chicken is an easy chicken recipe with tender, juicy chicken in a rich creamy sauce with Parmesan cheese, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. It also frequently contains spinach and/or basil.
Here we remake this classic chicken dinner into a dump-and-go slow cooker meal. Because most of us are always looking for easy Crockpot chicken recipes, right?!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Dump-and-go Crockpot recipe. Or set-it-and-forget-it! You get the idea; there’s no sautéing anything, and no other dishes to clean. With just 10 minutes of prep time, everything goes into the slow cooker, you turn it on, and it works its magic.
- Family-friendly and crowd-pleasing. Kids and adults both love it. Because who doesn’t enjoy chicken in a creamy sauce, right?! Especially when garlic and sun-dried tomatoes are involved.
- Restaurant-quality. It’s as delicious as anything you’d order at an Italian restaurant. (I’m telling you, make this and your family will say yours is way better than Olive Garden Tuscan chicken!) This meal is great for weeknight dinners and also impressive enough for entertaining or special meals. It would be perfect for a non-traditional Christmas dinner!
- Budget-friendly. One of the things I love most about chicken thighs is that they’re a very affordable protein source! (Also, check out this post if you’re looking for more ways to cook boneless skinless chicken thighs.)
- Meal prep or feed a crowd. This recipe makes 8 servings, which makes it perfect for a larger dinner gathering. Or you can meal prep this recipe because it freezes well!
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Ingredients and Substitutions
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – for flavor and to make sure the chicken doesn’t stick
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs – I love the flavor of slow cooker Tuscan chicken thighs, but you can substitute with boneless skinless chicken breasts if you prefer (if you use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs here, cook on LOW for about 3 to 4 hours or on HIGH for about 2 hours; note that chicken breast is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F)
- Dried Italian seasoning – this pantry staple adds a ton of flavor
- Salt and black pepper – to season the dish
- Crushed red pepper flakes – to add a little spicy kick; you can omit this if you want
- Fresh garlic – don’t go light on the garlic here; it adds a ton of flavor to the dish
- Sun-dried tomatoes – or you can use roasted red pepper if you prefer
- Chicken stock – or water
- Heavy whipping cream – this is the base of our creamy Tuscan sauce
- Parmesan cheese – use freshly-grated Parmesan for the best flavor and texture; this helps to thicken our sauce
- Baby spinach – for a pop of green color and to boost the nutrition
- Fresh basil leaves – for garnish; this is optional, but brightens the flavor of the dish
How to Make Easy Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken
- Drizzle the oil in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the chicken in an even layer so all pieces touch the bottom. Sprinkle the dried Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, and sundried tomatoes evenly on top. Drizzle the chicken stock across the top.
- Cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
- Remove the lid and with the heat on HIGH, stir in the cream, cheese, and spinach.
- Stir until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Serve garnished with basil and more freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.
Special Diet Friendly
As written, this slow cooker Tuscan chicken recipe is naturally gluten free, low carb, and keto.
To keep the carbs down, you can serve it with a side of cauliflower (mashed cauliflower or riced cauliflower would both be great here), broccoli, or green beans.
Storage
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tuscan Chicken FAQs
What is Tuscan Cream Sauce Made Of?
The creamy sauce for Tuscan chicken is similar to Alfredo sauce. It usually contains cream, butter, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. Unlike Alfredo sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach are common additions to Tuscan sauce.
Also, there are many variations of this dish. Some lighten the recipe with half and half instead of cream, and others use milk with a thickener, such as flour or cornstarch.
Do You Have to Brown Chicken Before Adding to Slow Cooker?
No, it’s not necessary to brown chicken before adding it to the slow cooker. That’s one of the reasons why this dump-and-go Crockpot recipe is so easy: there’s no need to brown the chicken or dirty another pan!
Is it Better to Cook Chicken on High or Low in the Crockpot?
That can vary depending on the recipe. And sometimes it doesn’t matter if you cook it on HIGH or LOW. But in general, it’s best to cook chicken on LOW in the slow cooker for the most tender, juicy meat.
What Do You Serve with Creamy Tuscan Chicken?
Because of the delicious creamy garlic sauce, you’ll want to serve Tuscan chicken with something to soak up the sauce. A few good ideas are:
- Pasta – Slow cooker Tuscan chicken pasta is a classic! I like rigatoni, but you can use any pasta shape you prefer. When making this recipe, I recommend cooking the pasta separately, and then serving the creamy chicken on top. (Egg noodles are delicious too!)
- Mashed potatoes – A classic side dish for serving along with recipes that have a gravy or sauce. (Or go with mashed cauliflower!)
- Rice – If you prefer rice over pasta or mashed potatoes, it’s a great choice here. And it keeps the meal gluten free. (And cauliflower rice is a great side dish here too.)
- Biscuits or bread – Easy garlic bread drop biscuits are a good option, or go with no-knead bread or homemade focaccia. Or keep the meal low carb with Keto Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits Copycat!
More Easy and Elegant Chicken Dinners
- Marry Me Chicken
- Dutch Oven Coq au Vin
- Almond-Crusted Chicken with Lemony Olive and Black Bean Relish
Let’s Connect
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Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed of excess fat
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 large cloves fresh garlic peeled and crushed
- 1/2 cup sliced sundried tomatoes drained
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Drizzle the oil in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the chicken in an even layer so all pieces touch the bottom. Sprinkle the dried Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, and sundried tomatoes evenly on top. Drizzle the chicken stock across the top.
- Cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
- Remove the lid and with the heat on HIGH, stir in the cream, cheese, and spinach until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute.
- Serve garnished with basil and more freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Net Carbs: 6g net carbs per serving
- Low Carb/Keto Friendly Meal: To keep the carbs down, you can serve this with a keto-friendly pasta (such as palmini pasta, shirataki noodles, or lupini pasta, mashed cauliflower, or roasted broccoli.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To Use Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Instead of Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: Keep everything else the same, but cook on LOW for about 3 to 4 hours or on HIGH for about 2 hours. Note that chicken breast is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
This was lovely. Everyone really enjoyed it. I tweaked the recipe a bit: didn’t drain the tomatoes, used twice as much cheese and cream to make more sauce, added mushrooms.
Hi! I want to add mushrooms too. How did you do it? Dump fresh ones in at the beginning, or saute them first? Thanks!
I just tossed in some jarred, sliced mushrooms when I added the cheese and cream.