Feeling hassled and harried and just want an easy, hands-off dinner that everyone at 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.
First cousin to Crock 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.
Chicken. Potatoes. Carrots. <—All are approachable and widely accepted additions to the dinner plate.
Lemon. Butter. Parmesan. Italian herbs. <—I dare you (and anyone else to whom you serve this slow cooker chicken and potatoes) to argue that there is a single objectionable item on that list.
And…that’s it!
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 nothing being wrong with a recipe is also everything that is exactly right about it.
I have dozens of healthy slow cooker recipes and healthy crock pot chicken recipes on my site, but it’s the “dump and go”/“set it and forget it” ones like this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken and this Crockpot White Chicken Chili that are prized most for their ease. I’m happy to share that this crockpot chicken with potatoes and carrots fits that category too!
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. This recipe offers every food group in a single pan (er, crock pot), is reasonably healthy, and you can even repurpose the leftovers.
How to Make Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes
The straightforward ingredient list and easy prep tells you everything you need to know: this is a simple, comforting dish that’s here to help you get dinner on the table at end of a long day.
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 regularly sized Yukon gold potatoes; dice them into rough 1-inch pieces first.
- Chicken. The universal protein! I opted to use chicken breasts for this recipe, but it would be equally as scrumptious with chicken thighs.
- Carrots. Carrots are the perfect complement to the creamy potatoes. They add a nice crunch to the dish and a load of nutrients. (For another recipe combining potatoes and carrots, check out these Roasted Potatoes and Carrots.)
- 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.
- 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!
What you won’t see on the ingredient list: cream of anything soup. 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. The Parmesan cheese and touch of butter add just enough indulgence to make the recipe satisfying, no canned soup required.
The Directions
- First, grab your potatoes and dice them into roughly 1-inch pieces. Place them in your slow cooker. Then, add in your carrots, and spread everything into an even layer.
- Lay your chicken on top of the vegetables in the center of the slow cooker.
- Next, use a small saucepan to melt your butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, remove from the heat, and stir in the garlic and spices. Then, pour the mixture over the top of the chicken and vegetables. Hello, flavor.
- Now, cover your slow cooker, and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or on low for 4 to 5 hours. Use an instant read thermometer to check when your chicken reaches 165 degrees F. As soon as your chicken is done, place it on a covered plate to keep warm. Then, check your vegetables to see if they are tender. If not, stir them, and place the cover back on your slow cooker. Continue cooking until they are tender and pierce easily with a fork (up to 1 additional hour on high or 2 additional hours on low).
- When you’re ready to serve, briefly place the chicken back in the slow cooker, and sprinkle Parmesan and parsley over the top. Time to DIG IN!
How to 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. Here are tips to know when your chicken is done and to avoid overcooking.
- Using a sharp knife, 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.
- The best option is to use an instant read thermometer! I typically pull my chicken out at 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.
- 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.
Can I Put Frozen Chicken in the Crockpot?
This is a question I receive often, and the short answer is no, you cannot put frozen chicken in the crockpot.
Here’s why:
- While place raw chicken in the slow cooker, the chicken MUST be thawed first. If you use frozen chicken, during the cooking process, the chicken will spend too long at room temperature, and this may cause the meat to become unsafe to eat.
GOOD NEWS: You CAN put frozen chicken in the Instant Pot!
- The Instant Pot cooks frozen chicken quickly enough to where it stays at a safe temperature.
- See Instant Pot Chicken for cook times for fresh or frozen chicken breasts and thighs. The post includes cooking times for both boneless and bone-in chicken as well.
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.
- 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.
What to Serve with Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes
This recipe is plenty hearty as a stand-alone meal, as it includes servings of protein and vegetables. If you’d like to add more to the meal, here are some suggestions:
- Vegetables. To serve even more vegetables with your dinner, try pairing crockpot chicken and potatoes with Sautéed Cabbage, Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Garlic, or Roasted Zucchini.
- Applesauce. Applesauce makes a simple and healthy side dish that’s both tasty and kid-friendly. I love making this Crockpot Applesauce.
- Salad. A big green salad is a great complement to the chicken and potatoes in this recipe. Try it with this Anytime Arugula Salad.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- To Store. Place cooked leftovers in an airtight storage 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.
- I also enjoy shredding the leftover chicken and tossing it (either chilled or at room temperature) with a green salad.
More Favorite Crockpot Chicken Recipes
- Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
- Slow Cooker Greek Chicken
- Plus, this full list of the Best Crockpot Recipes!
Recommended Tools to Make Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes
- 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.
The next time life feels like it’s moving too fast to keep up, I hope this slow (cooker) dinner helps to ease your weeknight routine.
Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes or baby red potatoes
- 1 pound baby carrots
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless thighs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced, about 1 tablespoon
- 2 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus additional as needed
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus additional as needed
- Zest and juice of 1 medium lemon
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley optional for serving
Instructions
- Cut any potatoes that are larger than a ping pong ball into quarters; if smaller than a ping pong ball, cut in half. You want the pieces to be a rough 1-inch dice. Lay them in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
- Stir the carrots into the slow cooker with the potatoes, then spread them into an even layer. Arrange the chicken in the center, placing it on top of the vegetables.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic, lemon juice and zest, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the top of the chicken and vegetables.
- Cover the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or low for 4 to 5 hours. (The total amount of time you need will vary based upon your slow cooker model and the size of your chicken breasts. If your slow cooker runs hot—mine often does—check early to avoid drying out the meat). The chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees F at the center with an instant read thermometer. The moment the chicken is done cooking, remove it to a plate, and cover to keep warm. Test the vegetables to see if they are tender. If they are not yet tender, give them a stir, recover the slow cooker, then continue cooking until they are tender and pierce easily with a fork, up to 1 additional hour on high or 2 hours on low. When ready to serve, return the chicken to the slow cooker. Sprinkle the Parmesan and parsley over the top. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- TO STORE: Place cooked leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm chicken and potatoes on a plate in the microwave until warmed through.
- 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.
Nutrition
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I made this yesterday and loved how easy it was! I sprinkled some extra salt on the potatoes and chicken and added a half cube of bouillon to the sauce for extra flavor. We were really happy with it, and I’ll be making it again! I forgot the Parmesan at the end, but we’ll try that on the leftovers.
Thanks so much! It’s my first crockpot meal in years!
Hi Mary! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
you left out HOW MUCH of each ingredient, unless I missed it!!
Hi GC! I’m pretty sure you missed it. It’s all located in the recipe card, where I list all of the amounts of ingredients and directions on how to make the recipe. Hope this helps!
Wow!! You make the best recipes! You put 150% into writing your blog! Thank you so much for all your hard work!
I was curious if you could recommend a crock pot, ours just broke?
Have a wonderful day!!
Ally
Hi Ally! this is the one I recommend: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B94BN16?ref=exp_wellplated_dp_vv_d (affiliate link) Hope this helps!
I want to try this but I don’t eat cooked carrots (raw only). Could you use either fresh or frozen green beans instead?
Hi Deanna! I’ve only tested the recipe as written but you likely could. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Easy and delicious. Recipe was plenty moist as-is, but throw in a splash of stock if you think you need more.
The chicken cooked much faster than the carrots and potatoes, so heed Erin’s warning about over-cooking it and adjusting times for your particular slow cooker, the size of the chicken, etc. I make my own Italian seasoning which has salt, pepper and garlic (powder), so I skipped those and adjusted to taste when served.
Next time I’ll go a little easy on the lemon rind. I also threw in a couple of hands-full of sliced cabbage in the last couple of hours to add some more veggies.
Thank you, Erin…this will be a regular in my kitchen – and, nice site; very easy to use!
Hi Tom! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Made this for dinner tonite and my husband asked me to make it again! Thought it was delicious. Great recipe.
Hi Debbie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Cooking this right now. Just reading the reviews….there are some very rude people out there, no way this will be “tasteless” butter and garlic will see to that. I did add 1/2 an onion with about 2 tblsp more butter on the veggies and added celery as well. If it’s not completely done in the allotted time, I can fix it in a covered electric skillet or an Instant pot very quickly. Take her advice and get an instant read probe thermometer and your cooking will get a lot easier.
Hi Graham! Thank you so much for your kind comment! I really appreciate it! So glad you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Erin,
I have made many of your recipes and enjoy them very much. My Crockpot is made by Crockpot it is 6 quart and Programmable and Manual. I love having the choice and its new. I am at 2 hours on High and my Crock pot runs hot usually, so I was excepting to have to pull chicken early, unfortunatly at 2 hours on High my vegetables are completely raw and my chicken is raw underneath so I am bumping it up to 3 more hours on high.
I am using two skinless , boneless chicken breasts at 1.22 wt. I really think either some liquid like broth or water needs to be added and cooking time needs to be adjusted. The Chicken was completely defrosted . I’m hoping as long as I keep it on high for a total so far of 5 hours nobody will get sick- is this correct? Thank you! Its smells delicious , just not cooking so as long as I add extra time on high will chicken and veggies be safe?
Update I moved vegetables to side putting chicken to center bottom closer to butter sauce and tossed veggies around side on top of cooked and underside is cooking up! Yay! Still cooking times may have to be longer.
Hi Maria! When in doubt always, always temp your chicken to make sure it has reached the right internal temperature before serving. Hope you enjoy it!
We loved this recipe. It was simple and ready to eat when we were. I didn’t have a lemon so substituted jarred lemon juice. Next time I’ll plan and use fresh lemon thank you
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Karen! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Super easy recipe! The chicken came out so tender and juicy! I did a dry rub on my chicken first with some cayenne, smoked paprika, a chicken spice blend and some other random spices/herbs. I am definitely making this again. Thank you!!
Hi Dee! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Delicious!!! I forgot to add the yogurt and cheese but it was delicious without! This recipe is a winner!
Hi Kayla! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I’ve loved SO many recipes from this site, but sadly this one just did not work for me. I followed directions to a T and after 4 hours of slow cooking the chicken was not done. After 5 hours it still was not done. At around 6.5 hours it was finally at 165. The veggies still weren’t done at this point, and it was way past dinner time, so I cranked the heat to high. They didn’t finish for another approx 1.5 hours, or a total of 8 hours in. I don’t understand what went wrong with the timing here for me, as I haven’t had this issue with other crock pot recipes.
Unfortunately, after all that waiting, the chicken was pretty dry and bland. I added more butter, spices, and a splash of white wine vinegar to the pot, which helped, along with plenty of parmesan.
Hi Leslie, I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with the recipe. The method and timing has worked well for myself (and others) but I know how frustrating it can be to try a new recipe and not have it work out, so I really wish you would’ve enjoyed it!
This smelt absolutely delicious, but after over 2 hours on high, chicken was raw and veggies were not cooked. Took it all out and threw it on a sheet pan and finished cooking it in the oven. I think next time I’ll pound the chicken breasts or cook it for 5 or 6 hours.
I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with the recipe, Lynda. The method and timing has worked well for myself (and others) but I know how frustrating it can be to try a new recipe and not have it work out, so I really wish you would’ve enjoyed it!
I am trying this Monday night. How do you guys keep the protein “foam from forming on top? I have not tried this yet, but plan to tomorrow.
Hi Sally! I haven’t experienced that with this particular dish. Hope you enjoy it!
I followed this recipe as closely as possible but was minus a few ingredients, so I had to improvise. For example, I didn’t have baby carrots (we grow our own food), so I cut up whole carrots. I didn’t have Parmesan cheese or any cheese, so that was eliminated. My other half is on a low-fat diet; by virtue of that circumstance, the butter was also eliminated. I had to substitute russets for the Yukon or red potatoes. I followed the rest of the ingredients and slow cooked on low.
This is a no fuss-no-muss-quick-to-go-together recipe which I truly appreciate with all the other work that goes into homesteading. The last thing I want to do is spend two hours putting a meal together. In 1987, I gave my Crock Pot away and just purchased another. This easy recipe was a great way to dust off my crockery cooking skills.
Thank you for a great meal and hardly any kitchen time!
My family cleaned my slow cooker and hollered for more! That was just five nights ago. Wanna guess what’s in the slow cooker for tonight?! :)
Glad it worked out for you Annie!
Made this several times now. Twice with chicken thighs and tonight with thin chicken breasts. We really liked it with thighs but loved with the chicken breasts. I followed the recipe exact. Delicious!
Hi Melanie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!