Crockpot Creamy Chicken

There is nothing quite like coming home to the smell of creamy, tender chicken simmering away in the crockpot. This Crockpot Creamy Chicken takes juicy golden-browned chicken pieces and bathes them in a rich, savory garlic-herb gravy until they are fall-apart tender. Spoon it over fluffy mashed potatoes, buttered rice, pasta, or just a hunk of crusty bread — pure comfort in every bite, with almost no hands-on work.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts), trimmed
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Fresh parsley or thyme, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Season the chicken: Pat the chicken pieces dry and rub them all over with the salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
2. Sear for flavor: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken 2–3 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to the crockpot.
3. Build the base: In the same skillet, sauté the onion until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds more until fragrant.
4. Mix the sauce: Whisk together the cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, sour cream, Italian seasoning, and onion powder until smooth.
5. Combine and cook: Pour the sautéed onion and garlic over the chicken in the crockpot, then pour the sauce over everything. Dot with butter. Cover and cook on LOW for 5–6 hours or HIGH for 3–3.5 hours, until the chicken is tender.
6. Finish the gravy: Lift out the chicken. Stir the sauce in the crockpot until silky; taste and adjust salt and pepper. If you like a thicker gravy, stir in a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with a tablespoon of cold water and cook 15 minutes more on HIGH.
7. Serve: Return the chicken to the gravy, spoon over mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or bread, and garnish with fresh parsley or thyme.

Pro tip: Chicken thighs stay juicier than breasts in the slow cooker — and for extra depth, deglaze the searing skillet with a splash of the chicken broth and pour all those browned bits right into the crockpot.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 390 calories, 35g protein, 8g carbs, 24g fat.