Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken

Slow cookers & chicken go hand in hand, this rich creamy Italian chicken recipe is just what the slow cooker ordered. Our crockpot chicken made with Italian dressing is slow cooked with minimal ingredients- probably ones you already have on hand!

 

My house is always busy. Work, play, even times of rest have the litany of to-do’s running around in my head. 

It’s nobody’s fault, and not something I’m even particularly mad about. It just is in this season of life, and I embrace it.

There are definitely things that make tackling the chaos easier though. Like coffee. Wine. Fair weather days where I can kick all the kids outside to play for a while. 

And of course easy meals that make ticking some of the musts, like feeding the family, off of the day’s list of things even easier.

I tend to migrate a lot towards bakes & casseroles. Mostly because they’re often a one stop shop when it comes to a meal. Meat, veggies, and a carb all in one prepared dish.

I’m sure you’ve noticed if you’ve followed along for any amount of time. There’s plenty of good casserole recipes to fall in love with here.

The other secret to my no stress success when it comes to feeding my hungry little family? My slow cooker. That thing is my best friend some days.

Toss everything in in the morning, and dinner’s ready to go when I walk in the door that evening.

If the next morning’s supposed to be jam-packed? Well, then I get everything ready in the crock the night before, cover it tightly with cling wrap, and refrigerate it overnight.

When we get up, I just take the wrap off and drop it back into the outer crock pot and set it to cook as instructed. So simple, and zero stress.

This slow cooker creamy Italian chicken is one of my favorite meals for just that reason!

Making A Creamy Italian Chicken- It’s Easy Thanks To The Slow Cooker

Whether you call it a crockpot or a slow cooker, that appliance is one of my best friends and often my saving grace come dinner time. This recipe is no exception and it’s key to getting this Italian chicken on the table in time on even my busiest of days.

Another thing I love about this chicken recipe is that it only requires a handful of ingredients:

• chicken breasts
• Italian dressing mix
• cream of chicken soup
• cream cheese

That’s it.

Four ingredients are all that’s needed to make a creamy, dreamy saucy chicken dinner the whole family will fall in love with. Most of which, you probably already have on hand.

Prep the bowl of the crock pot by lightly spraying it with non stick cooking spray. This isn’t an absolute, but it helps in keeping things from sticking and also aids in easier clean up down the road. So, I highly recommend this extra step.

To actually get this recipe going, start by adding your boneless skinless chicken breasts to the bowl of your slow cooker. I like to cut any and all fat chunks & veins off of mine, but this isn’t absolutely necessary.

If I’m making something like soup, I tend to leave the little bit of fat since it will leach out and add to the overall flavor and richness of the broth. However, in a recipe like this it will often end up breaking off when cooked and someone will inevitably bite into a bit of chewy bleh.

I’d just rather that not happen, because inevitably it will be me.

Sprinkle the Italian dressing mix, as evenly as possible, out over the chicken. It’s ok if you’re heavy handed. It will all get mixed in in the end. Just don’t dump it on, clumps are harder to incorporate.

Pour the soup over top of the chicken and then add the cream cheese to the bowl of the crock. There’s no need to stir at this point.

At this point it’s time to get cookin!

Cover your slow cooker with it’s lid, and set it to cook on low heat for 5-6 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours. 

I use high in a pinch, but if you can plan it out I recommend doing the low and slow method. It yields much more tender chicken that’s juicier and just yummier all around.

Once the chicken’s cooked, shred it. You can use two forks and shred it in the crock, or use tongs and transfer it to a cutting board and then add the shredded chicken back to the bowl.

Stir everything together.

The mixture should be thick, but creamy. Don’t forget to scrape any of the fronds down from the sides of the crockpot. It’s not burnt, it’s just caramelized. Again, stir everything together until evenly combined.

If the mixture is too thick for you, or not creamy enough, you can always stir in a bit of chicken broth until it reaches the consistency you prefer.

Creamy Italian Chicken- How To Serve It

We love making this slow cooker creamy Italian chicken. It’s one of our family favorites, and a regular in our recipe rotation. That being said, we don’t always serve it up the same way.

Most of the time I serve this over a bed of our favorite pasta. Topped with some freshly shaved Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of parsley (fresh or dried, both work), it’s a dream dinner made on a dime budget- and in my kind of time.

Other ways I like to serve it are over a bed of mashed potatoes, or mashed cauliflower. It’a also great over steamed white rice. We’ve even let it cool slightly and served it in lettuce wraps. 

TIPS & TRICKS For Making The Best Creamy Crockpot Chicken

• This recipe makes a big batch- if you aren’t feeding a large family then you can easily halve the recipe. Otherwise, this recipe freezes really well which makes it a great option for meal planning and batch cooking.
• For easier clean up, skip the non stick cooking spray and use a slow cooker liner instead!
• Want to get more veggies in? You can add vegetables into the slow cooker and let them cook with everything else. Depending on their cooking time may depend on when you actually add them in, but we love: broccoli, green beans, a handful of spinach, & mushrooms in this meal.
• Don’t have a crockpot? Don’t want to slow cook this recipe? That’s ok! Read on for how to make this creamy Italian chicken on the stove top!

Making Creamy Italian Chicken On The Stove Top

This is when I love to find ways to use up a rotisserie chicken!

In a skillet on the stove top over medium heat, stir together the cream of soup, the cream cheese, and the Italian dressing mix until smooth and evenly combined.

Let the sauce simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. If it’s too thick, thin it out with a little chicken broth. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.

Add the cooked chopped or shredded chicken and let everything heat through before lading over noodles.

Don’t Have A Crockpot? You Can Make This Creamy Italian Seasoned Chicken In The Instant Pot

To the bowl of your instant pot, add one cup of chicken broth. Whisk in the Italian dressing mix until smooth. Whisk in the cream of chicken soup, again until the mixture’s smooth. 

Place the chicken breasts into the pot, but try to put them in so that the soup/broth mixture mostly covers them. Close the lid to your pressure cooker, locking it closed and setting the valve to seal. 

Set the pressure cooker to manual pressure cook for 10 minutes.

When it’s done, let the pressure naturally release for another ten minutes. Then (being careful of the hot steam) switch the valve to vent to release to let the rest of the steam escape.

Break up the chicken, and stir everything together then serve as desired!

Other Crockpot Chicken Recipes To Try:

• Crockpot Chicken & Gravy
• Crockpot Chicken & Stuffing
• Crockpot Crack Chicken Sandwiches
• Crockpot Chicken Sausage & Rice

If you’ve tried this SLOW COOKER CREAMY ITALIAN CHICKEN, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!