Slow Cooker Caprese Chicken is a hassle-free, mouthwatering dish. This savory, Italian-inspired meal combines classic Caprese salad ingredients with tender chicken to create an unforgettable meal. Juicy tomatoes, minced garlic, gooey mozzarella, and fresh basil make this restaurant-quality dish a crock pot "must-make".
*This is a revised version of a recipe that was first published on August 14th, 2020
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💜Why You Will Love This Recipe
- EASE: Maximum flavor with minimal effort. Your crockpot does all the work!
- TASTE The flavor in this simple dish is ouf-of-this-world
- MEAL PREP: This dish is easy to make and eat all week. Leftovers are delicious hot or cold!
📝Shopping list
This is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. For quantities and full preparation instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts boneless skinless thighs are great, too
- diced tomato I use Italian seasoned canned tomatoes
- onion
- grape tomatoes
- Italian dressing/seasoning packet Good Seasons is my favorite
- garlic minced
- dried basil
- salt
- fresh mozzarella cheese sliced
- fresh basil chopped
- balsamic vinegar glaze optional garnish
🎥Watch how to make it
Preparing Your Slow Cooker
Prepare your slow cooker by coating it with a non-stick agent. Any nonstick cooking spray or oil will work. Olive oil and avocado oil are my go-to coatings.
NOTE: Some slow cooker inserts come with a nonstick surface. Use of a non-stick agent is still suggested. However, oil is sometimes recommended rather than spray to protect the longevity of the non-stick surface. Check your slow cooker's manual if you have any concerns.
Alternatively, you can choose to use a slow cooker liner.
Cooking
- 🍅 Place chicken pieces into the bottom of a greased slow cooker. If using chicken breasts, cut breasts in half first
- 🍅 Add in remaining ingredients other than ½ cup grape tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella
- 🍅 Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours.
- 🍅 After cooking time, top each chicken piece with a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese and place lid back on slow cooker
- 🍅 Continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so until the cheese is melted
- 🍅 Sprinkle with freshly chopped basil and remaining grape tomatoes. Serve promptly.
- 🍅 After plated, drizzle with balsamic glaze (optional) and enjoy!
🍽Serving ideas
This amazing crockpot chicken recipe is delicious served
- Over pasta
- With rice
- Next to deliciously cooked cauilfower
- On a piece of toasted sourdough bread
- Beside a crisp garden salad and heel of crusty bread
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🔁Substitutions to try
- Not a fan of mozzarella cheese you can use freshly shaved parmesan cheese in its place.
- If you can't find grape tomatoes, use cherry tomatoes instead. In fact any fresh tomatoes can be cut up and used.
- Sun-dried tomatoes are a great addition to these juicy chicken breasts
- If you love slow cooker, Italian inspired recipes, slow cooker chicken cacciatore and balsamic chicken are for you!
Storing
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container. It will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Allow frozen chicken to defrost in the refrigerator over night before gently reheating.
🍗A note about chicken
Chicken in the slow cooker can be a bit tricky. Boneless chicken breast meat can dry out and get tough if overcooked. Skinless chicken thighs are more forgiving and flexible and won't dry out quite as fast.
Using a meat thermometer is the best way to ensure slow cooker chicken is juicy and tender every time. Toward the end of cooking time, use the thermometer to test the internal temperature of larger chicken pieces. Chicken is safe to eat once it reaches an internal temperature of 165℉.
Top Tip
If your chicken breasts are dryer than you like, shred and mix into sauce in your slow cooker. Delicious every time!!
😉Hints & hacks
- This is an easy meal to prep in advance Add all the ingredients and seasonings from the second step above to a zip-top bag and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to cook, just toss it in your slow cooker and stir!
- Please note that cooking time for chicken recipes varies based on your slow cooker. The first time you make this dish, note how long it takes for the chicken to reach 165℉. This will make it much easier to judge the next time you make it.
- I always recommend the use of a slow cooker liner. Of course, this is an optional step. I like to purchase my liners in bulk for a less expensive per-piece price.
- In the market for a new slow cooker? I love mine!
- Don't forget to turn on (and plug-in!) your slow cooker!! 😜
Food safety guidelines recommend against slow cooking frozen chicken. The safest practice is to defrost chicken in the refrigerator overnight before cooking
Create your own blend with dried oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Caprese Chicken
(Click on the stars to leave a rating)
Print Pin Rate SaveAll nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
Equipment
- 3.5 qt slow cooker or larger
- spoons and knives
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs 3 breasts cut in half or 6 thighs
- 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomato with juices with Italian seasonings
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cups grape tomatoes halved, divided
- 7 oz Italian dressing/seasoning packet
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tsp salt
- thickly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese for topping
- fresh basil chopped
- balsamic glaze optional garnish
Instructions
- Place 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs into a greased slow cooker2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- Add 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomato with juices,1 small onion, 1½ cups grape tomatoes, 7 oz Italian dressing/seasoning packet , 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon dried basil, and 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine2 14.5 oz cans diced tomato with juices, 1 small onion, 2 cups grape tomatoes, 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours. This may vary slightly since each slow cooker is slightly different. Your chicken is ready to serve when it reaches an internal temperature of 165℉
- When chicken is cooked through, top with basil slices and replace slow cooker cover until melted.
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh basil , remaining tomatoes, and dizzle with balsamic glaze (if desired) and serve promptly
Final Step
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Video
Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
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Alyssa Shangold says
Hi, I'm very excited to try this recipe. For the Italian seasoning packet do we need an Italian seasoning packet with dry Italian seasoning? Or would salad dressing work? I also have dry Italian seasoning like you get in the spice aisle I don't know if this would work either. If neither of those are right I can easily get a spice packet. I was just wondering what you meant exactly if you could, please let me know thank you.
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Hi Alyssa, I use a Good Seasons dry Italian seasoning packet with this recipe. I hope you love this one as much as we do (it is a new family favorite!).