Description
Hearty Crockpot Tuscan Garlic Chicken delivers Italian countryside comfort straight to dinner tables. Rich cream sauce and tender chicken create a simple yet elegant meal that home cooks will savor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) or 6 chicken thighs
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp paprika
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 cups spinach, fresh
- 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsps water (optional)
Instructions
- Preparation: Pat chicken dry and season comprehensively with Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper, ensuring uniform coating.
- Searing: Quickly brown chicken in hot skillet with olive oil to develop deep, caramelized flavor profile and enhance meat’s exterior.
- Slow Cooking Setup: Layer seared chicken in CrockPot, distributing minced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and chicken broth for moisture and infusion.
- Liquid Integration: Set CrockPot to LOW for 4-5 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours, allowing chicken to become supremely tender and absorb surrounding aromatics.
- Sauce Development: During final cooking phase, introduce heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, and red pepper flakes, creating a luxuriously complex sauce.
- Final Touches: Fold fresh spinach into sauce, allowing leaves to delicately wilt; if desired, thicken with cornstarch slurry for richer consistency.
- Serving: Plate chicken and sauce over preferred base like pasta or rice, garnishing with additional Parmesan and freshly chopped basil for vibrant presentation.
Notes
- Optimize Chicken Texture: Pat chicken completely dry before searing to achieve a beautiful golden-brown exterior and lock in moisture during slow cooking.
- Searing Secret: Use high heat when browning chicken to develop deep, rich flavor compounds that enhance overall taste profile of the dish.
- Sauce Consistency Hack: If sauce seems thin, create a quick cornstarch slurry by mixing equal parts cornstarch and cold water, then gently stirring into the liquid for instant thickening without lumps.
- Dairy Sensitivity Adaptation: Replace heavy cream with coconut milk or cashew cream for a dairy-free version that maintains the creamy texture while accommodating lactose-intolerant dietary needs.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-5 hours (Low) / 2-3 hours (High)
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3
- Calories: 680
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 900mg
- Fat: 46g
- Saturated Fat: 24g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 56g
- Cholesterol: 210mg