Slow-Cooker Italian Chicken

Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this easy dish.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: Chicken thighs have the right amount of fat to stay moist and tender during a long slow cook. Don’t be tempted to substitute breasts, as they’re too lean and will dry out.

Marinara Sauce: A jar of sauce is a timesaver and already packed full of flavor. Since it’s the main ingredient in this dish, we recommend a good quality sauce like Muir Glen™.

Frozen Pepper and Onion Blend: Using frozen peppers and onions saves time on prep, but if you want to use fresh, use an equal volume of sliced fresh peppers and onions.

Sliced Cremini Mushrooms: Buy pre-sliced mushrooms to cut down on prep, or slice your own! Button mushrooms, baby bellas, or cremini are interchangeable here.

Linguine: The slightly-wide shape of linguine helps it hold onto the sauce, but you can use any favorite pasta shape.

Other Ingredients You’ll Need: garlic powder, kosher salt.

How to Make Slow-Cooker Italian Chicken

See how easy it is to make Slow-Cooker Italian Chicken. For more detail, follow along with the recipe.

1. Add Chicken and Sauce Ingredients to the Slow Cooker

This recipe is so simple. Place the chicken in the slow cooker, and top with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Give it a good stir!

2. Cook Pasta

When your chicken is almost done, boil a pot of water. Cook and drain the pasta.

3. Serve

The sauce is done when it has thickened a bit, veggies are soft, and chicken is almost falling apart. Give it another quick stir to incorporate any liquid that may have separated out. Serve the chicken and sauce spooned over pasta, sprinkled with Parmesan.

How to Store (and Reheat) Slow-Cooker Italian Chicken

Here’s how to store your leftover Italian chicken.

Refrigerator Storage

Store chicken and pasta separately. Place sauce and chicken in an airtight food storage container and keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Store any leftover pasta separately, in an airtight food storage container for 4 to 5 days.

Freezer Storage

Freeze sauce and chicken in an airtight food storage container or resealable zip top freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Reheating

• From the Fridge: Place chicken and sauce in a microwave-safe container with lid. Microwave, covered, on Medium-High for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir, cover, and heat for an additional 2 minutes until steaming hot and chicken is at least 165°F (use a food thermometer).
• From the Freezer: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Then, reheat in the microwave according to the instructions above.