Crockpot Chicken with Italian Dressing

Crockpot Chicken with Italian Dressing Packet

If you want to buy a dry Italian dressing mix packet, follow the directions to make it into the dressing / marinade as directed on the back and then proceed from there. We used fresh pieces but you could actually make it as Crockpot frozen chicken too which doesn’t take any more time. You’ll be surprised at how easy this one is.

Is it good to slow cook chicken?

If you have never done this you are in for a real treat. When it comes to cooking proteins low and slow it is a game changer. Especially if you want to shred it it is definitely the way to go. May become too moist to slice actually so keep that in mind as far as how you are going to serve it up.

The biggest difference I will say is that if starting off rock hard it isn’t quite as moist as the alternative, but it is a very slight difference. You could easily swap out for other cuts too like boneless skinless chicken thighs in Crockpot too. Those tend to be a bit smaller and thinner so they don’t take as long is all. For this one we used;

Italian Dressing Crockpot Chicken Ingredients

• 4 medium chicken breasts fresh or frozen
• 1 c Italian dressing
• 6 cloves garlic or 2 tbsp
• 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

Once you try this you can swap it out for other sauces too, works the exact same way. I do this all the time when I am just done with energy but want to eat healthy at the end of the day.

Can you make this with frozen chicken?

Is it better to use fresh, defrosted, or frozen chicken breasts for this recipe? It is always better to use meat that isn’t rock hard but you would be surprised to know that with this cooking method there is not a change in the cook time whatsoever. You can throw either in there and at the end of the day it will have tenderized and be ready to shred with 2 forks.

We are going for easy peasy y’all. BUT in the case that you wanted to make your own homemade dressing you could. From scratch is always best so you can tweak it to be tangier, spicier, or otherwise. Love heat in all your dishes? Easy to add a bit of Sriracha powder or chili powder into the mix but you should be light handed and add more later if you don’t think it is spicy enough for your tastebuds.

How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken with Italian Dressing

• Spray inside of slow cooker with non stick spray.
• Lay chicken on the bottom, add garlic on the top.
• Pour dressing over the top of everything
• Sprinkle whole garlic cloves or minced on top
  • you can lay a few fresh lemon slices on top of that if you want a bit of a citrus flavor
• Cover and cook for 4-6 hours until middle thickest part is cooked thru and reaches 165 degrees F.
• Serve over slow cooker brown rice or mashed potatoes with sauce from inside of the pot poured over the top of each serving.

Our family loves it with some pasta too. Top both with parmesan cheese and it is a super easy meal you can serve with all sorts of things. Keep the Crock pot on warm and it will stay for a while too if you are serving this Crockpot Italian chicken recipe for brunch let’s say.

How to Make Creamy Italian Dressing Chicken Breasts

Want to make this more of a creamy Italian chicken recipe?? Cut up 1/2 a block of softened cream cheese and add that halfway thru to the top so it melts. Then shred the meat at the end and toss it with the sauce for a delish combo. Another version of our creamy Crockpot chicken (that one has cream of chicken soup in it) that the kids just go crazy over.

How Long to Cook 3 Ingredient Crockpot Chicken?

Typically boneless skinless chicken breasts need 6 hours to cook all the way thru to a safe 165 F. degrees. Larger pieces will be able to slice while smaller will fall apart and be easy to shred with 2 forks. Low is the best setting to use for poultry to break down the connective tissues.

How do you store slow cooked chicken?

Always allow leftovers from your slow cooker Italian chicken mixture to cool completely. Then move it over into a sealed container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat you will want to add a bit of chicken broth if there isn’t enough liquid in your bowl. Transfer to a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute or so until warmed and tender again.

Why can you only reheat chicken once?

Yes. What I do is if I don’t want to waste food, which is always the case, I take out just what I want to use that night. I have so many leftover chicken recipes that there are plenty to choose from. I can get 1-3 more meals out of it in the nights thereafter and my family never even knows that inside their casserole was originally baked 1-2 nights before.

If you do reheat it as is without any other ingredients you will want to spoon some more dressing over the top to keep it moist. Use some fresh right out of the fridge if you didn’t save enough when it was cooked originally.