This Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken with a delicious sun-dried tomato and spinach cream sauce is what comfort food is made of.
FREE EASY KETO DINNERS EBOOK
Juicy and tender chicken thighs are perfectly seasoned then topped with amazing Italian herb cream sauce. From there, the slow cooker does the rest!
This is such a delicious and decadent meal. It is packed with so much flavor, it tastes like it came straight out of an Italian restaurant!
On busy weeknights there is nothing better than coming home to dinner that's already prepared, like this Mississippi Crockpot Roast or a bowl of this warm and hearty Slow Cooker Chicken Soup. During the holidays when your oven is tied up, this tender and juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast is a total game changer.
What's in Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken
- Chicken thighs
- Baby spinach
- Parmesan cheese
- Heavy cream
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Chicken stock
- Garlic
- Butter
- Dried parsley
- Dried basil
- Salt
- Dried oregano
- Ground pepper
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
How to Make Tuscan Chicken Crock Pot Style
Add the butter, oil from the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic to a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté for about 20 seconds, making sure you don’t brown it.
Then pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream, then simmer for about 8 minutes or until thickened.
Stir in the parmesan cheese and continue simmering for another 3-5 minutes.
Add the chicken into the insert of your slow cooker and sprinkle the basil, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper over the tops.
Add the sun-dried tomatoes on top of the chicken.
Then pour the sauce over top and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
Remove the chicken and set it aside, then stir in the spinach and cover until wilted.
Serve with the sauce poured over the top.
Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Can I Freeze Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes Cooked with Cream Sauce?
You certainly can. This Tuscan chicken will freeze for up to a couple of months in an airtight container. There is a chance that the cream will separate when you thaw the chicken out. If that happens, whisk the sauce as it reheats until its reincorporated well.
Can I Use Bone In Chicken Thighs?
If you were to adapt this recipe to oven baked Tuscan Chicken you could certainly use bone in thighs. But for slow cooker chicken, boneless is the way to go.
When you cook chicken thighs in the crockpot, they become so tender that they literally fall apart. And because no one really wants to have to dig around in the sauce trying to find all the bones, its recommended to use boneless.
Is it Better to Cook Chicken on High or Low in Crockpot?
This is a GREAT thing about crock pot chicken! If you are in a hurry, you can cook the chicken on high and it will turn out just fine. My personal preference is low and slow. That allows the chicken to really soak in the sauce. Either way, you can't go wrong.
What Goes with Tuscan Chicken Thighs?
This Tuscan crockpot chicken has spinach cooked right in the sauce which means this could be an entire meal in one. But if you are looking for more Keto or low carb sides, here are some of the most popular ones that are sure to be a hit:
- Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
- Cheese Mashed Cauliflower
- Grilled Broccolini
- Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
- Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Mashed Cauliflower
- Easy Broccoli Salad with Bacon
Substitutions for Tuscan Slow Cooker Chicken
Chicken Breasts: You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you prefer. To use breasts, you'll want to adjust the cooking time. Breasts are much denser and require more time. Start with an additional 45 minutes and then check to see if they are done. They should easily pull apart when you insert a fork into the center of one.
Cream Cheese: If you want a thicker cream sauce, you can add a block of cream cheese to the skillet along with the cream. Keep stirring it until it's all melted.
Mushrooms: Thick and beefy sliced mushrooms are a great way to help stretch out this dish when you're cooking for a crowd.
Kale: Not a fan of spinach? You can use finely chopped kale in place of the spinach. Be sure and cut away the spine that runs down the leaves of kale or it will be tough and chewy.
More Low Carb Chicken Recipes
- Thai Red Curry Coconut Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Chicken with Rosemary Citrus Glaze
- Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole
- Creamy Chicken Tuscan Skillet
- Bacon Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Florentine Skillet
- Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
- Creamy Chicken Poblano Chicken
FREE 20 EASY KETO RECIPES EBOOK
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken thighs
- 3 ounces baby spinach
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced (packed in oil)
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon oil from jar of sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Add the butter, oil from the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic to a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté for about 20 seconds, making sure you don’t brown it. Then pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream, then simmer for about 8 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the parmesan cheese and continue simmering for another 3-5 minutes.
- Add the chicken into the insert of your slow cooker and sprinkle the basil, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper over the tops.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes on top of the chicken, then pour the sauce over top and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- Remove the chicken and set it aside, then stir in the spinach and cover until wilted. Serve with the sauce poured over the top.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container.
*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.
© Copyright for Keto Cooking Christian LLC. Please use the share buttons to share on social media, but please do not copy/paste the recipe.
Amanda
This was awesome. My husband and I loved it. I wanted leftovers so I doubled the recipe and used chicken bone broth and added some mushrooms towards the end. I also seared the chicken before hand because I just always do that haha. Served it with some rice and asparagus and artichoke
I think next time I could use a bit less butter and it still be great. Thanks for a new recipe to add to the collection!
Keto Cooking Christian
I love this recipe as leftovers as well! I am so happy you enjoyed it.
Nana_France
sounds wonderful, but would unsweetened evaporated milk be a viable alternative to cream (I react badly to cream!)
Keto Cooking Christian
Honestly, I can't say for sure, since I've never tried it.
Susan Presley
I don't have fresh spinach on hand. Would chopped frozen work?
Keto Cooking Christian
Yes it sure would, just be sure it's thawed and has all the water squeezed out.
Linda Davies
Shouldn’t make something for company you have never made before but because of the comments I decided to make this. Totally delicious and will definitely make it again. I had bone in thighs so deboned them, will make sure to buy the ones already deboned next time. Would like to try making it with chicken breasts also. definitely a keeper.
Keto Cooking Christian
I totally understand that logic, but I'm glad you decide to make it anyway and enjoyed it!
Diana
I am worried about the sauce curdling due to the heavy cream being cooked in the crockpot for so long. Does this seem to be an issue for anyone?
Keto Cooking Christian
Once the cream is combined with the other ingredients, it will not curdle. You can tell that by looking at the photos in the post. The sauce is smooth and creamy.
Rebecca
Hey! I made this dish last night and it was super amazing and flavorful. My only concern was the fact that all the high quality cheese got ruined due to it being slight burnt with build up at the bottom. What do you think went wrong? I did three hours on high
Keto Cooking Christian
I honestly have no idea because I have never heard of that happening before. If your slow cooker cooks hotter than some, that may cause it. You should try cooking it on low next time and give it a good stir a couple of times while it's cooking.
Devi
Hi, if I’m using chicken breast, how long would you advise in the slow cooker? This looks yummy and easy and I would like to try it today 🤩
Keto Cooking Christian
I hope you love it! If you're using breasts, it will determine how much chicken you're using as to how long it takes to cook. But on high, they should take around 4-5 hours.
Ella
Oh my gosh, this is one of the best things I've ever eaten and I've eater a lot of great food!!! WOW!!! Incredible! Can't wait to try your other chicken recipes. Thanks!
Keto Cooking Christian
I'm glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the glowing review!
Tori
Could I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Keto Cooking Christian
Sure! The amount of time it cooks may vary.
Lisa Barker
Loved this so much we are going to be making this a lot! My new favorite slow cooker meal! Thank you 🙏🏼
Keto Cooking Christian
That's so awesome! I love a flavorful slow cooker meal and this one is one of my favorites too.
patti
are the chicken thighs skinless or skin on ? thank you
Keto Cooking Christian
When I am cooking them my slow cooker, I prefer to use skinless most of the time.
Lilian Davies
Can I use an alternative to heavy cream?
Keto Cooking Christian
You could use milk, but it will increase the carbs some. Coconut milk would work too, but the flavor might be a bit strange.
Kelley-Ann
I made this and served it to my family - it was like eating a high-end meal at a hoity-toity restaurant. My mother has announced to the rest of us that "this dish is a definite keeper"! Oh, yeah!
Keto Cooking Christian
I absolutely LOVE this!!! You just made my day. I am so excited you enjoyed it so much. It really is a tasty dish.
Karen
How are the chicken thighs com I got put browned like in the picture? They look amazing but putting in the crockpot raw and covering with the sauce, I don’t understand how they are coming out browned?
Keto Cooking Christian
The sun-dried tomato sauce is what gives the chicken such pretty color. You can certainly brown them if you like, but it works really great without that step.
Nicole
It says to sauté the sun dried tomatoes with the butter and garlic and then to add chicken stock and heavy cream to make the sauce. So are we supposed to go in and pick the sun dried tomatoes out to put on top of the chicken before pouring the cream over chicken? It’s a little confusing bc the way it’s written says to put them on top of chicken but it has you cooking them first. Thank you!
Keto Cooking Christian
The recipe states to add the "sun-dried tomatoes oil" and the butter in the skillet, that is what the garlic is sautéed in. The sun-dried tomatoes are placed on top of the chicken, as the pictures reflect. To avoid any confusion, I've edited the recipe to say "oil from the sun-dried tomatoes".
Pat Smart
Are the chicken thighs sauteed until browned as in the description of the recipe or are they placed in the slowcooker raw as the instructions seem to imply?
Keto Cooking Christian
Oh my goodness! Thank you for pointing that out. That is what happens when you are working on too many new recipes at one time. I will edit the post to correct the error. They are seasoned and added in raw. I appreciate you letting me know, so much!
Shannon F
Unbelievably easy and delish!!
Keto Cooking Christian
Thanks so much, I'm happy you loved it!