Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken
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This Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken recipe is rich, comforting, and easy to make with simple ingredients. Serve over rice or pasta.
Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken is one of those easy dinners that practically cooks itself while filling your home with comforting aromas. Tender chicken breasts simmer slowly with onion, celery, and savory seasonings until everything becomes rich, creamy, and perfect for spooning over rice. It reminds me of the kind of warm, simple meals that make busy weeknights feel a little calmer.
It is also a great meal prep recipe. The leftovers reheat beautifully and the flavors deepen even more the next day, making it perfect for lunches or another quick dinner later in the week.
Quick Bites About This Recipe
Skill Level: Easy slow cooker recipe with a quick sauté step.
Swaps: Use chicken thighs instead of breasts or swap milk for half-and-half for a richer sauce.
Make Ahead: You can prep the vegetables prior.
Freezer Friendly: Freeze for up to 3 months without the rice.
Variations & Substitutions: Add sliced carrots, chunks of potatoes or mushrooms for extra vegetables, or stir in frozen peas or green beans at the end.
Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Ingredients
Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Lean, tender chicken breast becomes very soft and shred-friendly after slow cooking.
Yellow onion: Adds natural sweetness and depth to the sauce as it softens and cooks down.
Celery: Brings subtle freshness and classic savory flavor that pairs beautifully with chicken.
Olive oil: Used to sauté the chicken and vegetables. This step builds flavor before slow cooking begins.
All-purpose flour: Helps thicken the sauce so it turns into a creamy gravy.
Water: You can also use homemade chicken broth and skip the bouillon.
Better Than Bouillon chicken base: Adds concentrated chicken flavor that makes the sauce taste slow simmered and rich.
Kosher salt: Enhances the overall flavor. Adjust slightly if using a saltier bouillon.
Paprika: Adds gentle warmth and color without making the dish spicy.
Dried thyme: A classic herb that pairs beautifully with chicken and creamy sauces.
Granulated garlic: Provides consistent garlic flavor that blends smoothly into the sauce.
Granulated onion: Adds another layer of savory onion flavor.
Black pepper: Brings mild heat and balance to the creamy sauce.
2% milk: Stirred in at the end for a creamy texture without making the dish too heavy. Whole milk or half-and-half will make it richer.
Cooked jasmine rice: The perfect fluffy base to soak up all that creamy chicken sauce.
How to Make Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken
Start by turning your slow cooker to the sauté setting if it has one. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and place the chicken breasts in the pot. Season the chicken with the kosher salt, pepper, paprika, granulated onion, and granulated garlic.
Let them brown on each side for a few minutes. Remove to cook the veggies.
Add the remaining olive oil to the slow cooker and toss in the diced onion and sliced celery. Also add in the thyme. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes until they begin to soften and smell fragrant.
Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables. Stir well so the vegetables are coated. Let the flour cook for about a minute while stirring so the sauce will not taste like raw flour.
Slowly pour in the 1 cup of water while stirring until the mixture becomes smooth and lightly thickened. Stir in the Better Than Bouillon until dissolved, then add the milk and mix well. Place the chicken breasts back into the slow cooker.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for about 4-6 hours. The chicken should become very tender and reach an internal temperature of 165°F according to USDA safe cooking guidelines for poultry.
Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred or slice it into bite sized pieces.
Return the chicken to the slow cooker and stir into the sauce.
Serve warm over cooked rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes.
Storing and Reheating (If There’s Any Leftovers!)
Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Freeze cooled creamy chicken in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Freeze without rice for best texture.
Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. Add a splash of milk or water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Browning the chicken first adds extra flavor to the finished dish.
- If your sauce thickens too much, simply stir in a little extra warm water or milk.
- For extra vegetables, add diced carrots with the celery and onion.
- Stir in frozen peas during the last 10 minutes for color and sweetness.
- Shredding the chicken helps it soak up more of the creamy sauce.
Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 celery stalks sliced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1 teaspoon Chicken Bouillon Better Than Bouillon chicken base
Instructions
- *Note, if you do not have a searing slow cooker you can do the chicken and the gravy portion on the stove top in a skillet.
- Set the slow cooker to the sauté setting if available. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and place the chicken breasts in the pot. Season with kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, granulated onion, and granulated garlic. Brown the chicken for about 2-3 minutes per side until lightly golden. The chicken does not need to cook through as we'll slow cook. Remove the chicken and set aside.4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon granulated onion, 1 teaspoon paprika
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the slow cooker. Add the diced onion, sliced celery, and dried thyme. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and become fragrant.1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 medium yellow onion, 4 celery stalks
- Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and stir well so everything is coated. Cook for about 1 minute while stirring to remove the raw flour taste.1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Slowly pour in 1 cup water while stirring constantly until the mixture becomes smooth and lightly thickened.1 cup water
- Stir in the Better Than Bouillon chicken base until fully dissolved, then add the milk and mix well.1 cup 2% milk, 1 teaspoon Chicken Bouillon
- Return the chicken breasts to the slow cooker and nestle them into the sauce.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours, or until the chicken is very tender and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F according to USDA safe cooking guidelines for poultry.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred or slice it into bite sized pieces.
- Return the chicken to the slow cooker and stir it into the sauce.
- Serve warm over rice, pasta, or potatoes.
Video
Notes
- Substitutions: Chicken thighs can replace chicken breasts for a richer flavor. Whole milk or half-and-half can be used instead of 2% milk for a creamier sauce. A gluten free 1-for-1 flour blend may replace the all-purpose flour.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze without rice for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. Add a splash of milk or water to loosen the sauce if it thickens during storage.
You need a special slow cooker for this, should have given instructions on if you don’t have this kind of cooker recipe no good without
Hi Gloria!
I do use a slow cooker that can sauté, but you can easily make the mixture on the stovetop if yours doesn’t have that feature. You can also skip searing the chicken, I do it as I love building more flavor. You can simply sauté everything in a skillet first, then transfer it to the slow cooker to finish cooking. The gravy thickens as it cooks, so there’s no need for canned soup. Hope that helps!