Slow Cooker Chicken Salad & Smashed Potatoes

📝Shopping list

To make this amazing slow cooker recipe you will need these basic grocery store items:

Chicken and Potatoes Prep

• non stick cooking spray
• boneless skinless chicken breasts*
• chicken stock
• lemon - juiced, or pure lemon juice
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• paprika
• salt
• ground black pepper
• baby potatoes*

Chicken Salad

• grapes cut in half
• cashews* or nuts of choice - broken in pieces (optional)
• mayonnaise
• garlic salt
• fresh dill -  chopped (optional)
• mustard powder (optional)
• green onion - finely chopped (optional)

Smashed Potatoes

• olive oil or avocado oil
• garlic salt - or garlic powder and salt
• onion powder
• sea salt - optional

The coolest thing about this is that it is actually three easy recipes in one. You can serve it hot right out of the crock pot as an amazing chicken and potatoes dinner. Or, follow the instructions below for an out-of-this-world cold dinner.

Serve it hot on day one then use the leftovers to make chicken salad and smashed potatoes. However you serve it, your whole family will beg for more!

Hands free cooking followed by a few easy assembly steps and you have the perfect warm weather meal. This will quickly become one of your new busy day family favorites!

🔪Instructions

Start by spraying your slow cooker with a nonstick cooking spray. Add chicken to the bottom of your slow cooker. Top with all remaining prep ingredients, other than baby potatoes and stir to combine.

Place baby potatoes in slow cooker on top of mixture. Do not stir.

Cover with lid and cook on the low setting for 3-4 hours. You are ready for the next step when your potatoes can be easily pierced and chicken reaches 165℉.

Chicken Salad

Once chicken has been removed from the slow cooker, shredded it and allow it to cool. Add all chicken salad ingredients to shredded chicken other than grapes. Stir to combine. If the recommended quantity of mayo doesn't yield your desired consistency, feel free to add in a little more.

Grapes should be folded into chicken salad last to ensure they don't get crushed during the mixing process. Sprinkle the top with extra crushed cashews (optional) just prior to serving.

Smashed potatoes

Remove potatoes from slow cooker and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Now comes the fun part! Smash each potato into a flat pancake. I like to use a sturdy drinking glass for this.

Once smashed, drizzle or spray olive oil over potatoes to fully coat. A basting brush or even your hands may be helpful with this process.

Taste test crispy smashed potatoes and sprinkle additional sea salt flakes over top if needed. Enjoy!

🍽Serving suggestions

There are so many amazing ways to serve this delicious chicken and potato meal! You can serve both the chicken and potatoes hot right out of the slow cooker. A crisp garden salad and crusty roll would round out the meal perfectly.

If you choose to turn them into chicken salad and smashed potatoes, the chicken salad is great in sandwiches. Or on top of a garden salad or a bowl of quinoa! The potatoes are great served with ketchup for dipping.

A dollop of sour cream, teaspoon pepper and sliced green onions are also great on top of the potatoes. As is some freshly grated parmesan cheese. Ranch seasoning is also wonderful sprinkled on top.

Vanilla maple carrots, garlic mushrooms, green beans and dijon cauliflower each make a delicious side dish for this hearty meal.

Looking to add some extra flavor to your dish? Mixing in a chopped fresh herb like fresh dill, fresh thyme or fresh parsley to chicken salad goes a long way.

🔁Substitution ideas

1. Boneless skinless chicken thighs can be used in place of breasts if you prefer.
2. Small red potatoes can be used in this easy dish.

Storing

Store Leftovers of your chicken salad and smashed potatoes should in an airtight container or bag. I prefer to store them separately.

They will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Bake potatoes in the oven or toaster oven to reheat and restore their crunch.

😉Hints & hacks

1. There are a lot of different opinions regarding the best way to shred chicken. Some people prefer to use a potato masher while others use the beaters of a handheld mixer. This chicken will be so tender it will be very easy to shred with two forks. I like to keep it simple 😉
2. This chicken salad recipe works great with the flavorful chicken from tons of different slow cooker recipes. I have made it with lemon pepper chicken and tomato basil chicken and both were delicious!
3. A slow cooker with a built-in meat thermometer is really helpful with this recipe. Chicken is considered safe to eat when it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
4. If your slow cooker doesn't come with one, a separate meat thermometer works for this too.
5. All slow cookers are different and may have slightly different cook times. The first time you make this dish note how long it takes for your chicken to reach 165℉. This will make your timing easier to gauge the next time you make it.
6. Store leftovers in individual serving-sized containers for easy grab-and-go future meals. It makes the perfect meal on a busy day.
7. This is one of the best slow cooker recipes to use with slow cooker liners. If you use a liner, you can skip spraying your slow cooker with non-stick spray.
8. Don't forgot to plug your slow cooker in and turn in on! 😏