Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes (2024)

Feeling hassled and harried and just want an easy, hands-off dinner thateveryoneat your table will eat in glorious, satisfied silence? Here for your sanity, your healthy dinner needs, and your picky eaters’ approval: Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes.

Why You’ll Love This Crockpot Chicken Recipe

• Comfort Food at its Best—and Easiest. First cousin toCrock Pot Chicken and Rice, this is one of those unabashedly unfancy, take-me-home basic crock pot recipes that is ultra useful to have in your arsenal. This recipe offers every food group in a single pan (er, crock pot), is reasonably healthy, and you can even repurpose the leftovers.
• Family-Friendly. The ingredients here are approachable and picky-eater-approved. When you are attempting to serve a household of different tastes, manage your day-to-day responsibilities, plan for tomorrow, and survive today—all while maintaining a scrap of personal dignity—well, sometimes you need to fall back on those go-to meat-and-potatoes kinds of meals that everyone will love.
• Dump and Go. I have dozens ofhealthy slow cooker recipesandhealthy crock pot chicken recipeson my site, but it’s the “dump and go”/“set it and forget it” ones like thisSlow Cooker Honey Garlic Chickenand thisCrockpot White Chicken Chilithat are most prized for their ease. I’m happy to share that this crockpot chicken with potatoes and carrots fits that category too!
• Versatile. You can make this crock pot recipe with chicken breasts or thighs, add extra seasonings if you’re feeling adventurous, or keep it just as it is when you need a simple slam dunk.
• Light, Not Heavy! This recipe is hearty and satisfying, but one thing it isn’t is heavy or creamy. While some crockpot chicken and potatoes recipes call for cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup, I wanted this recipe to be healthy and use minimally processed ingredients.

How to Make Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes

The Ingredients

• Potatoes. For quick prep, I use baby potatoes, which can be quartered in a flash. Yukon gold potatoes are nice and buttery, and red potatoes are another creamy option. You can also use regular-sized Yukon gold potatoes; dice them into rough 1-inch pieces first.
• Carrots. Carrots are the perfect complement to the tender potatoes. They add a nice crunch to the dish and a load of nutrients. (For another recipe combining potatoes and carrots, check out theseRoasted Potatoes and Carrots.)
• Chicken. The universal protein! I opted to use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but it would be equally scrumptious with chicken thighs.
• Unsalted Butter. Using unsalted gives you more control of the flavor (and sodium level) of this dish.
• Garlic. Five whole cloves for big garlic flavor!
• Italian Seasoning. This blend of herbs is a staple in many of my recipes (Italian Sheet Pan Chicken, anyone?), because it provides a myriad of flavors per teaspoon, without having to separately measure individual spices. During the slow cooking process, the Italian seasoning sneaks flavor into each ingredient and makes the sauce extra yummy.
• Onion Powder. Onion powder is an easy way to amp up the savory flavor of a recipe.
• Cayenne Pepper or Red Pepper Flakes. Give it a kick! Or leave it out if you prefer your crockpot chicken and potatoes mild.
• Kosher Salt and Black Pepper. The essential seasonings!
• Lemon. Lemon brings a bright, fresh, and citrusy flavor to the recipe. Once you taste the lemon butter Parmesan herb sauce, you’ll want to pour it over everything!
• Honey. It might be a little unexpected, but it brings balance to the tart lemon.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese. Or try feta or grand Pardana.
• Parsley. The finishing touch to add an herbaceous note.

The Directions

1. Add the Veggies. Quarter large potatoes and halve smaller ones, then place them in the bottom of the slow cooker and stir in the carrots.

2. Add the Chicken. Arrange the chicken on top of the veggies.

3. Make the Sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan, then add all of the ingredients through the pepper.
4. Cook. Pour half of the butter sauce over the chicken and vegetables, then cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or low for 4 to 5 hours.

5. Remove the Chicken. When the chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, transfer it to a plate and cover it with foil.
6. Test the Veggies. If the vegetables are tender, you’re good to go. If not, cover the slow cooker and keep cooking them until they’re easily pierced with a fork.

7. Finish. Reheat the remaining butter and stir in the honey. Pour over the crockpot chicken and potatoes, season to taste, and serve garnished with Parmesan and parsley. ENJOY!

Recipe Variations

• Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes and Green Beans. Swap the carrots for trimmed and halved fresh green beans, or try a mix of vegetables. Celery works well too!
• Extra Lemony Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes. Double the lemon zest, using two lemons instead of one. Once the chicken and potatoes have finished cooking, squeeze the juice of the additional lemon over the top.
• Crockpot Chicken and Sweet Potatoes. Swap the diced white potatoes for 3/4-inch diced sweet potatoes.

Storage Tips

• To Store. Place cooked leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• To Freeze. While I do not recommend freezing the potatoes (they can become mealy when frozen), you can freeze the chicken and carrots. Store cooked chicken and carrots in an airtight freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
• To Reheat. Gently rewarm the chicken and vegetables on a plate in the microwave until warmed through.

What to Serve with Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes

• Vegetables. To serve even more vegetables with your dinner, try pairing crockpot chicken and potatoes withSautéed Cabbage,Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Garlic, orRoasted Zucchini.
• Applesauce. Applesauce makes a simple and healthy side dish that’s both tasty and kid-friendly. I love making thisCrockpot Applesauce, but Instant Pot Applesauce is fantastic when you want something faster.
• Salad. A big green salad is a great complement to the chicken and potatoes in this recipe. Try it with thisAnytime Arugula Salad, which has a simple olive oil dressing.

• Programmable Slow Cooker. I love that this one switches to “keep warm” once the cooking time ends, so food runs less of a risk of overcooking. Still KEEP AN EYE on your chicken and check early! Every slow cooker is different.
• Instant Read Thermometer. The best, surest way to know when your slow cooker chicken is done and not overcook it.
• Melting Pot. It’s a nice-to-have, not a must-have, but I like this little pot for melting butter and making sauces because it has a spout for easy pouring.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Cut the Potatoes in Uniform Sizes. This ensures that they’ll all be done cooking at exactly the same time—and that you won’t have some potatoes that are falling apart, while others are unpleasantly hard.
• Know When Slow Cooker Chicken Is Done. It is easy to overcook chicken in the slow cooker, especially if you are using boneless skinless chicken breasts, which dry out easily. Thebest optionis to use aninstant read thermometer! I typically pull my chicken out when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F, then place it on a plate and cover it to keep warm. This carryover cooking takes the chicken to the safe, FDA recommended temp of 165 degrees F.
• Or Use a Knife. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can use a knife to check if the chicken is done. Make a small incision in the middle of your piece of chicken. Use a fork to peek inside the incision and check the color. If the meat still has pink hues, then it needs to cook longer. If the chicken is white, then it is done.
• Check Early and Often. I recommend checking your chicken early to make sure it doesn’t overcook. Each slow cooker is different (some run hot; mine does!), and this can alter how long your chicken will take to cook.