Description
This Crockpot Marry Me Chicken is a delicious and easy-to-make Italian-American dish featuring tender chicken breasts cooked in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. Perfect for a fuss-free dinner served over angel hair pasta or spaghetti squash, it combines savory seasonings with a rich, cheesy sauce for a comforting meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ¼ lbs)
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (drain, if packed in oil), chopped
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Optional for Serving
- Hot, cooked angel hair pasta or cooked and shredded spaghetti squash
- Fresh basil leaves
- Additional Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat and Sear Chicken: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, mist with cooking spray, add olive oil, and heat until shimmering. Add chicken breasts and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned but not cooked through.
- Prepare Slow Cooker Base: Meanwhile, add chicken broth and cornstarch to the slow cooker and whisk well to create a smooth slurry without lumps.
- Add Seasonings: Stir in minced garlic, Italian seasoning, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper into the broth mixture and whisk again.
- Add Chicken to Slow Cooker: Place seared chicken breasts into the slow cooker, turning once to coat them evenly with the broth mixture.
- Top with Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Sprinkle chopped sun-dried tomatoes evenly over the chicken breasts.
- Cook the Chicken: Cover and cook on the low setting for 4 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender.
- Finish the Sauce: Remove chicken onto a plate. Add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese to the slow cooker liquid and stir to combine.
- Coat Chicken in Sauce: Return the chicken pieces to the slow cooker and turn them several times to coat with the creamy sauce.
- Serve: Serve the chicken topped with sauce. Garnish with fresh basil and extra Parmesan cheese if desired. Accompany with hot cooked angel hair pasta or shredded spaghetti squash.
Notes
- For a low-carb option, serve with spaghetti squash instead of pasta.
- You can use regular tomatoes if sun-dried are not available, but the flavor will be milder.
- Do not overcook the chicken during searing; just browning is enough to keep it tender in the crockpot.
- This recipe works well with skinless chicken thighs if preferred, adjust cooking time accordingly.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated gently to preserve sauce texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the chicken and sauce
- Calories: 346 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 745 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 135 mg
