Easy chicken with Italian dressing in slow cooker recipe is here! 3 ingredients with chicken breasts is a cheap, low carb and healthy meal. One of our favorites using fresh or made with Crockpot frozen chicken.
Italian Crockpot chicken is so very simple! Just a bottle of dressing and some fresh or frozen breasts or thighs is really all you need. Slow cooked all day youโll get tender fall apart, melt in your mouth meat that is family friendly and one of our easy Crockpot recipes. (affiliate links present)
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 doesnโt take any more time. Youโll 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.
Ingredients
- 4 medium chicken breasts fresh or frozen
- Your favorite Italian dressing bottled
- 6 cloves garlic or 2 tbsp
- 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
Substitutions
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 donโt take as long is all. For this one we used;
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?
This is a way of how to cook frozen chicken breasts but it is always better to use fresh. Although, 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 yโall. 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 donโt think it is spicy enough for your tastebuds.
How to Make Crock pot Italian Chicken
- Lay chicken on the bottom of your pot with garlic
- Pour dressing over the top of everything ensuring it is coated well
- You can lay a few fresh lemon slices on top for a citrus flavor
- Cover and cook on low until middle 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 letโs say.
Creamy version
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.
FAQ
Typically boneless skinless chicken breasts in slow cooker or thighs are used with diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic, onion, bell peppers, and herbs. OR use our easy Italian chicken recipe with salad dressing for a 2 ingredient meal.
Yes! We will show you how to cook frozen chicken in the Crockpot to tender here. Use any sauce you would like and the cook time is the same as defrosted or fresh pieces.
You can but I would add them halfway thru after 3 hours or so. Vegetables like bell peppers, onions, zucchini, or mushrooms can be added to the slow cooker along with the chicken to create a complete meal.
Crockpot Chicken with Italian Dressing Recipe
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
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
Instructions
- 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, 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 on low until middle thickest part is cooked thru and reaches 165 degrees F. Bone-in may take closer to 6 where as small boneless may be done as soon as 4 depending on their thickness.
- Serve over rice or mashed potatoes with sauce from inside of the pot poured over the top of each serving.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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 isnโt 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 donโt 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 didnโt save enough when it was cooked originally.
Trying the recipe for the first time
Enjoy