Crock Pot Tuscan Chicken
Crock Pot Tuscan Chicken is tender chicken in a creamy sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan. An easy slow cooker dinner perfect over pasta, rice, or potatoes!
Creamy Italian Slow Cooker Favorite
This Crock Pot Tuscan Chicken is one of those simple Slow Cooker dinners that feels a little fancy but truly couldn’t be any easier to make. The ingredients are simple but they come together to create a super flavorful dinner that everyone will definitely enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes! You can use about 1½ pounds of chicken if serving fewer people. The sauce will still be plenty rich and flavorful.
You could add some cooked penne at the end and give it a good stir. If you love mushrooms, try adding in some sliced mushrooms in step 2.
If you want to bring some heat, try adding in some crushed red pepper flakes.
This creamy Tuscan chicken pairs perfectly with:
Pasta (penne, fettuccine, or rotini)
Rice or risotto
Mashed Potatoes
Garlic Bread
Simple green salad
Roasted vegetables
Your go-to favorite salad and steamed veggie works great here.
You can transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you want to freeze leftovers, I’d suggest doing so without the spinach and it should keep a better texture for up to 2 months in a freezer safe container. I’d add the spinach when you want to reheat it.
I prefer to warm up leftovers on the stove top as opposed to the microwave. You can add a splash of broth or cream if you need to help loosen it up.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- boneless skinless chicken– you can use chicken breasts or tenderloins. Chicken thighs are also another option.
- garlic powder and Italian seasoning – feel free to adjust the seasoning to your preferences.
- yellow onion – don’t like onion? Just leave it out or try substituting with a minced shallot.
- garlic– fresh minced garlic always gives the best garlic flavor but if all you want to use is the jarred stuff, then go for it.
- sun-dried tomatoes – these add more flavor than you might realize and gives it that “Tuscan” flair. Even if you don’t ant to eat them, I would still put them in for the flavor they bring to the dish. You could leave them out if you absolutely must but just know you are changing the flavor profile from how this dish is meant to toast.
- chicken broth– use whatever brand you have and prefer. Low sodium chicken broth is always a good option and you can certainly use Homemade Chicken Broth. Some folks like to use white wine as a substitute (I would recommend a Chardonnay.)
- heavy cream – if you want a lighter sauce option, try half and half instead. If you must use milk, you can but your sauce may not come out as creamy and as thick.
- cream cheese– softened and cubed so it melts easier. Don’t forget to use these Tips to Soften Cream Cheese Quick.
- grated Parmesan cheese
- fresh spinach– you’re going to add this in at the end so you aren’t wilting the spinach. If you don’t have spinach, you can try kale instead. Again, this is what sets the “Tuscan” dishes apart from other creamy chicken recipes – the sun dried tomatoes and spinach. When you remove these from the recipe, you are changing the intended flavor.
- cornstarch and cold water – these two combined will help thicken everything up. You must use cornstarch here, not flour.
- fresh basil or parsley– this is an optional ingredient that I used for garnishing when serving
How To Make Crock Pot Tuscan Chicken:
Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Place in the bottom of a 5-6 quart slow cooker. To the slow cooker add diced onion, minced garlic, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes over the chicken. Pour in chicken broth. Place the cream cheese cubes around the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4–6 hours or high for 2–3 hours, until the chicken is tender (the internal temperature should be at least 165F degrees when ready.)
Remove chicken from the sauce. You can leave the chicken whole or cut it up or shred it at this point. to shred or cut if preferred. Whisk the cream cheese into the broth mixture in the crock pot until smooth. Whisk in heavy cream and Parmesan. In a separate small bowl, mix cornstarch with cold water until smooth, then whisk it into the sauce. Add spinach, then cover and cook on high for 10–15 minutes until thickened and spinach is wilted.
Return chicken to the pot, spoon sauce over the top, and serve topped with fresh basil or parsley.
Craving More Recipes?
Crock Pot Tuscan Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup finely diced yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon cold water
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- fresh basil or parsley (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Stir together.
- Season both sides of 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts with the seasoning mixture. Place in the bottom of a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
- To the slow cooker add ½ cup finely diced yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic, minced and ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped over the chicken.
- Pour 1 cup chicken broth around the chicken breasts. Place 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened and cubed on top and around the chicken.
- Cover and cook on low for 4–6 hours or until the chicken is tender and can shred easily (the internal temperature should be at least 165F degrees when ready.)NOTE: Please do not keep opening the lid to check on the progress. Doing this will cause the chicken to take longer to cook and it not being as tender. Just cover and let it cook.
- Remove chicken from the sauce. You can leave the chicken whole or cut it up or shred it at this point (I prefer to dice it up a bit)
- Whisk the cream cheese into the broth mixture in the crock pot until smooth.
- Whisk in 1 cup heavy cream and ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese.
- In a separate small bowl, mix 1 Tablespoon cornstarch with 1 Tablespoon cold water until smooth, then whisk it into the sauce.
- Add 2 cups fresh spinach, then cover and cook on high for 10–15 minutes until thickened and spinach is wilted.
- Return chicken to the crock pot, spoon sauce over the top, and serve topped with fresh basil or parsley (optional).
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- NOTE: when it comes to cream sauces, it is best to cook on low if possible. You could technically cook this on high for 2-3 hours but depending on the type of slow cooker you have, the edges could potentially burn and the sauce may curdle.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I never leave reviews on recipes, but I’ve made this twice now and just printed it so I can add it to our regular rotation. Almost everyone in the house eats this happily (a feat here) and it’s so easy to throw together that I can make it even on busy baseball nights (also a feat – I made this instead of ordering pizza last night)!
Thank you SO much Carrie! Comments are so helpful so we know what is working (or what isn’t lol) and so I really appreciate you taking the time!
Love it! Very simple and delicious.