Crock pot tuscan chicken is the healthy weeknight meal of your dreams! Easy to meal prep for the slow cooker in just under 5 minutes and full of healthy, whole food ingredients like chicken, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and a creamy, dairy free Alfredo sauce. Serve over pasta or zucchini noodles or with a side of broccoli and mashed potatoes!
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This recipe is literally bursting with flavor. It is so juicy and creamy and tastes just as delicious as the real thing with Alfredo sauce made with heavy cream or cream cheese!
I swapped out traditional Alfredo sauce for a healthy version using creamy coconut milk sauce. This sauce makes this crock pot Tuscan chicken totally dairy free and Paleo compliant. If you are hoping to keep this recipe keto or low carb, read on for my modifications for these dietary restrictions.
My entire family gobbled this dinner up! We love this dinner for an easy weeknight meal - if we're not having another kid-friendly favorite like instant pot chicken parmesan sandwiches, slow cooker chicken spaghetti, chicken penne pasta, or no eggs meatballs with instant pot tomato sauce.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy prep and cleanup! A one pot meal that is simple to prep for easy weeknight dinners.
- Versatile! It can be served over pasta, with a veggie side or even shred the chicken to make a hearty soup or stew - delicious with tortellini!
- Great recipe for dietary restrictions. Healthy to make for various dietary restrictions including keto, paleo and dairy free.
- So much flavor! Bursting with flavor from simple, fresh and whole ingredients.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
- Chicken breast: Alternatively you can use thighs if you prefer.
- Butter: Use vegan butter for dairy free, ghee for paleo.
- Garlic: I prefer roasted garlic cloves, however garlic powder will work.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: May also use canned or fresh tomatoes.
- Spinach: Kale and arugula will be great substitutes. You can also add other veggies to this dish like asparagus, broccolini or artichokes.
- Full fat coconut milk: Can make with cream cheese or heavy cream if not dairy free.
- Nutritional Yeast: Can use parmesan cheese as a substitute if not dairy free.
How to Make This Recipe
Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe with the best results. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.
- Season meat with salt, pepper and oregano. Add to slow cooker and pour in coconut milk. Drop in vegan butter or ghee, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Cook on low for two to three hours or until an instant read thermometer reads 165F. Remove meat to a side dish and tent with foil. Allow chicken to rest before cutting against the grain.
- Mix spinach and nutritional yeast into the sauce. If desired, cook pasta noodles to serve with sauce. Mix cooked noodles into sauce and top with sliced chicken.
Expert Tips
- Make Ahead: Prep recipe ahead for up to 1 day prior to slow cooking.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat or in the microwave until heated through.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. Allow to defrost prior to adding to slow cooker.
- Serving: Serve crock pot tuscan chicken over pasta, Banza spaghetti noodles, zoodles or with a vegetable side like broccoli.
Dietary Modifications for This Recipe
I made this creamy chicken with spinach and a dairy free sauce. Here are a few ideas if you have a specific dietary restriction but still want to enjoy this recipe:
- Gluten Free: To make this recipe gluten free, serve with gluten free pasta or eat without pasta.
- Dairy Free: This recipe as written is dairy free, enjoy!
- Keto or Low Carb: To make keto tuscan chicken, serve over zucchini noodles or enjoy without pasta.
- Paleo or Whole30: Similar to low carb, serve over zucchini noodles or enjoy without pasta.
FAQS
A consideration for cooking juicy chicken is how long to cook it in the crock pot. Many recipes will list 6 to 8 hours on low for crock pot chicken cook time. However, I have found that this produces dry meat.
If there is a right amount of liquid then it is harder to over cook slow cooker chicken. However, I have found that cooking it longer than 3 hours (even on low) dries it out, no matter how much liquid there is.
America's Test Kitchen recommends cooking the breast meat for no more than 2 hours on low in their top tips for slow cooker chicken guide. My advice is to follow the recipe as written and ensure the meat is cooked to 165F prior to serving.
You can put raw chicken directly into the slow cooker and a sear is not necessary. Searing will help to keep flavor and moisture in even more, however it is not absolutely critical.
Quality of meat is extremely important in making moist & juicy slow cooker chicken. My favorite chicken to use comes from ButcherBox. ButcherBox has only free range, certified organic chicken that is humanely raised with zero antibiotics or added hormones.
To avoid dry and mealy meat the best tool you can add to your kitchen tool box is an instant-read thermometer. At the two hour mark, check your chicken for temperature.
Cooked chicken has a temperature of 165F. If your chicken maintains a temperature at or above 165F, it is done.
It also helps to allow the meat to rest and then cut against the grain prior to serving.
Technically yes you can use frozen meat, however you will need to add on additional cooking time (could be up to 8 hours!). I prefer thawed meat as it has better texture and taste in this recip.
Related Recipes
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Crock Pot Tuscan Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast (approximately 3 large breasts)
- salt + pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk more if desired
- 3 tablespoon vegan butter or ghee
- 6 garlic cloves minced or grated
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes sliced
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Season the meat with salt, pepper and oregano. Add to slow cooker and pour in coconut milk. Drop in vegan butter or ghee, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Cook on low for two to three hours or until an instant read thermometer reads 165F. Remove chicken to a side dish and tent with foil. Allow meat to rest.
- Mix spinach and nutritional yeast into the sauce. If desired, cook pasta noodles to serve with sauce. Mix cooked noodles into sauce and top with sliced chicken.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Prep recipe ahead for up to 1 day prior to slow cooking.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat or in the microwave until heated through.
- Serving: Serve slow cooker tuscan chicken over pasta, Banza spaghetti noodles, zoodles or with a vegetable side like broccoli.
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Kayla says
Would low fat/lite coconut milk work for this? Thanks!
Lyndsey Piccolino says
You could probably try it but the sauce will not be creamy.
Lauren says
How much pasta to cook add mix in?
Lyndsey Piccolino says
I would say about 8 to 12 ounces.
Christy says
Delicious!!! it's first time I've tried it. We'll make this again I'll double the batch.
Lyndsey Piccolino says
Thanks for your 5-star review Christy! I'm so glad you liked it.
Rhonda says
Should this be 2-3 hours on High Versus Low?
Lyndsey Piccolino says
I generally do low because I find high dries it out. Start with 2-3 hours on low and temp after 3 hours then you can always bump it up to high to finish it.
Laurie says
Hi! I would love to make this recipe!
If I substitute the sundried tomatoes for canned, what kind of canned tomatoes and what size can?
Thank you so much!
Laurie
Lyndsey says
I think you could use canned diced tomatoes and just make sure they are drained. Let me know how it turns out!
Laurie says
Lyndsey,
Thank you for the reply on what kind of canned tomato to substitute the sundried tomatoes for.
I actually tried a can of san marzano tomatoes where those are our favorite!
I mushed them up in my hands before adding them to the crock pot and didn't drain them at all, I added the whole can.
This recipe was d e l i c i o u s!!!!!
I cooked cavatappi pasta on the side. The sauce it made was great to spread over the chicken and pasta!
I will definitely make this recipe again!
Thank you again for getting back to me on my canned tomato question!
Laurie
Lyndsey says
Yum! San Marzano tomatoes are one of my favorites too. Glad you liked it!
Marc says
What a great meal!
Lyndsey says
a family favorite for sure!