See my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.
This Tuscan Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs recipe is an easy crock pot meal with tender chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach in a creamy sauce.
If you love chicken thighs you might also enjoy these recipes: Crockpot Chicken and Mushrooms, Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes and Baked Chicken Thighs.
Slow cooker meals are one of the best ways to a get wholesome, delicious dinner on your table when life is busy! There’s nothing better than having dinner cooking away in your crockpot while you go about your day, ready to enjoy at dinnertime. These slow cooker chicken thighs have the same flavors as my Creamy Tuscan Chicken recipe, but with the added convenience of a crockpot chicken recipe.
You’ll love cooking chicken thighs in the crock pot because they don’t dry out as easily as chicken breasts can. These slow cooker chicken thighs are moist and tender, cooked to perfection in an herbed sun-dried tomato sauce. After the chicken is cooked through, you’ll stir in fresh spinach and a bit of heavy cream to make the sauce rich and creamy. You can use coconut milk in place of the cream for a dairy-free option.
Sooo good I’m licking my plate!! Surprisingly quick and easy, threw it all in the crock pot and forgot about it until it was time to eat. We will be adding this recipe to recipe box!
Monique
Ingredients You’ll Need
Besides pantry staples like olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic, chicken broth and cornstarch, you’ll need just five ingredients for this recipe:
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: I like to make this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs because they are leaner than skin-on thighs. If you want to use bone-in chicken thighs, add about 1 hour to the slow cooking time. You can use an instant read thermometer to check that the chicken has cooked through to at least 165° F.
- Shallots: Their mild sweet onion flavor works well with the other ingredients in this recipe. If you don’t have shallots on hand you can substitute an equal amount of sweet yellow onion.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: For sweet, concentrated tomato flavor and a beautiful pop of color.
- Spinach: Fresh spinach wilts down quickly in the heat of the crock pot.
- Heavy Cream: To make the sauce creamy.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
Brown the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a skillet on the stove. Sear the chicken thighs on the first side until they release easily from the pan, then flip the chicken pieces and brown them for a few minutes on the second side. Then transfer the chicken to the slow cooker.
Sauté the shallots and garlic, then deglaze the pan. To make sure that you get all of the flavorful bits from the sauté pan into your slow cooker meal, you’re going to deglaze the pan with some chicken broth. This just means that you will pour in the broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Then pour the contents of the skillet into the slow cooker.
Add seasonings and sun-dried tomatoes. Add the Italian seasoning, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper to the slow cooker.
Slow cook. Cover and cook on high for 2-2.5 hours or low for 4-5 hours, until the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165° F. If the chicken cooks a bit longer than needed, don’t worry. It will still be tender and flavorful.
Finish the sauce. Make a cornstarch slurry by stirring together the cornstarch and heavy cream; stir this into the slow cooker. This helps to thicken the sauce. Add the chopped fresh spinach, cover, and cook on high for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the spinach wilts.
Serve the slow cooker chicken thighs with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
Recipe Tips
- This recipe slow cooks for a couple of hours, so you should make it on a day when you’ll be able to start your crockpot mid-day. The chicken will be overcooked if it cooks all day.
- Don’t skip the step of searing the chicken in a skillet on the stove before adding it to the slow cooker. This step adds a lot of flavor to the finished dish.
- If you like a lot of sauce, increase the chicken broth to 1 1/2 cups and the heavy cream to 1/2 cup. Use 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3 cloves garlic.
- I tend to go light on the salt in my recipes. I recommend tasting the finished dish and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper as needed.
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
These slow cooker chicken thighs are really versatile. Serve them with pasta, rice, mashed potatoes or quinoa. Vegetable side dishes that pair well with this dish include Sautéed Green Beans, Roasted Carrots and this Arugula Salad. This homemade Focaccia Bread is always a welcome addition to this meal, as well.
More Crockpot Chicken Recipes
- Crockpot Whole Chicken
- Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
- Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- Crockpot Sesame Chicken
- Crockpot Chicken Tacos
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4.95 from 34 ratings
Tuscan Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 4 hours hrs
Total Time: 4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
This Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs recipe is flavorful, comforting and easy to make. It has boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and Italian seasonings in a creamy sauce. Serve it with pasta, mashed potatoes or rice and a green vegetable for a delicious dinner that the whole family will love.
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 6 thighs
- ½ cup chopped shallots
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- ⅓ cup heavy cream, or coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- grated Parmesan cheese, optional, for serving
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the chicken thighs. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Brown the chicken on both sides, 2-4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to the slow cooker.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots to the pan. Sauté, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
Pour the chicken broth into the pan and cook for 1 minute, gently scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat.
Transfer the contents of the pan to the slow cooker.
Add the Italian seasoning, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and sun-dried tomatoes to the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high heat for 2-2.5 hours or low for 4-5 hours, until chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165° F.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and cornstarch. Stir it into the slow cooker, along with the spinach. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
- You can substitute 1/2 cup chopped sweet yellow onion for the shallots.
- If you like a lot of sauce, increase the chicken broth to 1 1/2 cups and the heavy cream to 1/2 cup. Use 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3 cloves garlic.
- You can substitute coconut milk for the heavy cream for a dairy-free recipe.
Calories: 301kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 159mg, Sodium: 271mg, Potassium: 890mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1724IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 64mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: Italian
Course: Main Course
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