Crockpot Marry Me Chicken with Garlic-Parmesan Sauce and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
By Emma Collins
Prep
20 min
Cook
180 min
Total
200 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Quickly sautéing chicken before cooking it in the slow cooker adds color to the dish․ A cornstarch-broth mixture thickens the sauce as it cooks․ Crockpot Marry Me Chicken includes a chicken dish seasoned simply that comes with a cheesy garlic Parmesan sauce and sun-dried tomatoes and basil with a hint of red pepper heat․
The chicken is dredged in garlic powder‚ onion powder‚ salt‚ and pepper and cooked in olive oil and butter․ The chicken broth and cornstarch are mixed together and poured into the slow cooker with heavy cream‚ fresh garlic cloves‚ Italian seasoning‚ red pepper flakes‚ paprika‚ and other seasonings․ Chopped sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese and fresh basil are added to the sauce for flavor and texture․
Before serving‚ the sauce should completely cover the chicken and be fully cooked‚ not undercooked and starchy‚ and the chicken should be fully cooked․ Ways to tell if chicken is fully cooked include searing the chicken before adding other ingredients․ Searing does not make the chicken fully cooked․ Failure to sear could result in a lack of flavor․ Thin chicken breasts cooked in a slow cooker may be overcooked by the time the slow cooker is done․ Do not open the lid during slow cooking to prevent uneven heating in the slow cooker․
Serve with Broccoli Cauliflower Salad and use the tender chicken in wraps and over mashed cauliflower․ Another side suggested in the reference article is Russian Apple Kvas․ Other sides that are good with extra sauce are suggested in place of sides where you wouldn't be able to eat all the sauce․
Why you'll love this recipe
- A quick pan-searing step using olive oil and butter browns the exterior of the seasoned chicken․ The chicken continues to cook more gently in the slow cooker to produce tender chicken breast․
- Adding cornstarch to chicken broth before adding it to the pressure cooker helps ensure that the cornstarch blends well into the sauce․ This avoids clumps and other texture issues․
- Slow cooking for three hours on LOW or one and a half hours on HIGH will help the garlic and Parmesan and other seasonings flavor the chicken․
- Sun-dried tomatoes and basil are added to the sauce for this dish․ Eaters of this dish will enjoy the tomato and basil flavors․
- Red pepper flakes add a slight spicy flavor to balance the cream and Parmesan flavors in the dish without masking or changing other flavors․
- The recipe calls for both a skillet to brown and a slow cooker․ This enables you to brown the ingredients without having to slow cook them․
Ingredients
- •4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- •½ teaspoon salt
- •½ teaspoon garlic powder
- •½ teaspoon onion powder
- •¼ teaspoon black pepper
- •2 tablespoons olive oil
- •2 tablespoons butter
- •1 ½ cups chicken broth
- •3 tablespoons cornstarch
- •1 cup heavy cream
- •4 cloves garlic (minced)
- •1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- •½ teaspoon salt
- •½ teaspoon black pepper
- •½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- •½ teaspoon paprika
- •⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes (chopped and drained)
- •½ cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
- •10 leaves fresh basil (chopped)
Instructions
- 1
Season the chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- 2
Heat the olive oil and butter in a pan.
- 3
Sear the chicken until golden brown, a few minutes per side.
- 4
Whisk the chicken broth and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth.
- 5
Pour the broth mixture into the slow cooker and stir in the garlic, heavy cream, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and paprika.
- 6
Add the sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, and chopped basil to the sauce mixture.
- 7
Nestle the seared chicken into the sauce.
- 8
Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours or HIGH for 1½ hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- 9
Serve hot with sides such as Broccoli Cauliflower Salad or chilled Russian Apple Kvas.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
688
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