Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts with Gravy is the ultimate comfort food. Easy crockpot recipe for tender chicken and savory gravy.
Hearty, comfort food like Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Chicken and Smothered Pork Chops are the kind of Dinner Recipes that never go out of style. This southern classic is sure to warm your belly and heart.
There are many slow cooker recipes to choose from, but this easy Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy meal is sure to be one of your new go-to recipes that your whole family will love! Fork tender chicken and thick flavorful gravy served with mashed potatoes is the ultimate comfort food. It’s a holiday dinner that you can make easily all year round.
Everyone loves how this yummy recipe comes together in just minutes. The cooking time is long and slow and results in a delicious meal. Throw everything into the slow cooker first thing in the morning and the only thing you’ll have to worry about are sides.
For sides, serve an easy veggie like Green Beans. Spoon your chicken and gravy over Mashed Potatoes, White Rice or even a thick piece of Texas Toast. A batch of fresh French Rolls would taste delicious (and soak up any extra gravy).
The nice thing about saucy recipes like this Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy is that you can use your boneless skinless breasts and expect tender chicken every time. The creamy soup keeps your meat from drying out and makes it easy to shred.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
The process for making this is so easy and is completed in only three steps! Simply prepare the simple ingredients and put them into the pot for the perfect slow cooker meal. Check it out!
- Step One: Mix the gravy ingredients. Just a few ingredients, mixing them ahead in a bowl or in the insert is just a few seconds of effort.
- Step Two: Add chicken in whole. This will keep as much moisture as you can given the meat is so low in fat. Cutting in into chunks ahead of time will make the end result drier.
- Step Three: Shred minimally. When shredding or cutting you don’t have to shred the chicken too small or it’ll be like a filling versus a meal.
More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
Yes! If you’ve been a longtime reader, or are have seen some of our other Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes, you know we usually don’t suggest putting boneless, skinless chicken breasts into a crockpot. Many previous posts have cautioned to stick to bone-in chicken thighs. But for this recipe, you can easily use either. Just remember to take the bones out before serving.
Absolutely. We highly recommend it too! To eliminate the processed canned soup, you can use a Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup recipe instead. You can easily make chicken gravy mix from scratch with the quick recipe down below.
Depending on various reasons, the final product might not have as much of a gravy consistency as you might like. Not to worry! This can easily be remedied by simply adding a flour or cornstarch slurry. Add a tablespoon of cornstarch to a cup of cold water and whisk it until it has thickened. Once this is done, then you can mix it into the gravy base and give it a good stir to blend it in. Take the chicken out first to make it easier to stir. Also, thicken it at the end of cooking to make sure it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the crockpot.
Yes! You can make this on the stove top easily by assembling according to the instructions. Bring it to a quick boil and immediately drop the stove temperature. Let it simmer on Medium for about at least an hour, maybe tow depending on your stove. Depending on the strength of your stove, you might need to let it simmer on Low for about two hours so it doesn’t burn. Either way, give it a quick stir several times throughout the cooking to ensure it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the Dutch oven. Make sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly with an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Yes, you can, but it’s better to used thawed chicken because the frozen chicken will release water as it thaws in the pot which will dilute the gravy. If you do this, cook uncovered on high after shredding to thicken it back up.
You can easily switch it out for equal parts heavy cream, Greek yogurt, or ¼ cup cream cheese. If you accidentally forget to add it to the meal, it will still taste amazing!
You can substitute with condensed cream of mushroom for an amazing meal! Regular cream of chicken soups are good too. Add a cornstarch slurry if you’d like to thicken it even more. You can also make your own Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.
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Key Ingredients in Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
This is an amazing budget-friendly recipe because all the ingredients can easily be found at your local grocery store, if you don’t already have them in your pantry. Check it out!
- Chicken: The boneless, skinless chicken breasts make this super easy to just serve. If you’ve got chicken broth, feel free to use that instead of water too!
- Gravy Mixture: We are using a cream of chicken soup along with extra packets of gravy mix to really get a nice gravy.
- Sour Cream: This adds a delectable creaminess to the gravy that is mouthwateringly delicious.
Variations on Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
- Meat: This simple dinner is great for whatever boneless, skinless meat you have on hand. You can easily substitute pork chops, turkey breasts, or chicken thighs for the chicken breasts.
- Mushroom: Cream of Mushroom Soup is a tasty substitute for the chicken soup. For more of that earthy flavor, add diced brown mushrooms during the last 2 hours of cooking.
- Broth: Give your gravy more chicken flavor and use chicken broth instead of water. You can also use beef broth to make more of a brown gravy.
- Veggies: The last hour of cooking, stir in your favorite frozen veggies like peas and carrots to make this dish heartier and well rounded.
- Gravy Mix: Instead of chicken gravy packets, use 4 tablespoons of the Chicken Gravy Mix below to make it completely homemade.
- Noodles: Instead of serving over rice, you can make this a super hardy meal by adding boiled egg noodles to the gravy at the end after it has completed cooking.
Homemade Chicken Gravy Mix
Use 4 tablespoons of homemade gravy mix in the recipe. Usually a packet of dry mix is 2 tablespoons.
- 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
- Blend bouillon and seasonings in a food processor until fine. Sift into flour until well combined. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
Instant Pot Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
This is a great way to get a quick and easy dinner. To avoid getting an Instant Pot error and burning the meal, add the condensed cream of chicken soup after it has cooked completely, just before serving. Feel free to add a cornstarch slurry if you’d like the gravy to be a little thicker.
- Place chicken and water into Instant Pot.
- Cover with gravy mix and seasonings. Do not stir.
- Cover and set valve on sealing. Set for 15 minutes on manual high pressure.
- Let pressure release naturally for 5-10 minutes, then turn valve to venting.
- At the end, add the condensed cream chicken soup and stir well to incorporate and thicken.
- You may need to add a cornstarch slurry to thicken gravy since Instant Pots tend to release more liquid.
More Yummy Chicken Recipes
How to Store Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
- Serve: This will stay good in the slow cooker on warm for up 4 hours. If at room temperature, store after no more than 2 hours.
- Store: Transfer Chicken and Gravy to an airtight container and store for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Freeze: Freeze this dish for up to 3 months. Cool completely and seal tightly. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 packets chicken gravy mix
- 1 1/4 cup Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (don't dilute before measuring)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 3 whole chicken breasts , boneless, skinless (about a pound)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Season chicken breasts with garlic powder, black pepper and salt.
- In slow cooker, whisk together the water, gravy packets, condensed chicken soup, garlic powder, salt, paprika and pepper until smooth
- Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker and flip on both sides to coat well.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
- When done, carefully remove chicken, shred or cut as desired.
- Whisk the sour cream into the slow cooker until smooth and serve over chicken.
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could I substitute the chicken gravy packet for a hidden Valley ranch powder packet?
I’ve not tested it that way but if you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
Would I be able to substitute the chicken gravy packeys for chicken bouillion cubes? If so how many??
Thanks and Happy Holidays!!
Yes, I give instructions on how to do that in the post above (homemade chicken gravy mix). Enjoy!
Right now, I have skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts in my freezer. Once thawed, will they still work in this recipe?
Thanks!
Yes 🙂
This was delicious! Only changes were using bone Broth in place of water and Better than Bouillon for gravy mix. Will make again. Thank you!
I would use chicken soup next time and throw in some mushrooms. Just didn’t have any. Still delicious!!
I Used 1 can of condensed mushroom soup. 4 Tbls chicken gravy granules. 1 low sodium stock cube and a knorr stock pot. Super easy. I added diced potatoes and some chunky carrots. Had to put it on high to cook potatoes. Didn’t use sour cream. Plenty of sauce!! Could use on chops or pasta. Delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it, Toffie.
Thank you for this comment. I was looking through the comments looking to see if anyone subbed cream of mushroom soup because I dont have cream of chicken. We’ll see how it turns out tonight! Thanks again.
This was so good! I added mushrooms as I had some on hand and it was a great addition. Such a tasty meal that doesn’t dirty up a ton of dishes.
Sounds delicious!
I want to make this but I need to use The Who chicken I have in my freezer. Can I use a whole chicken and pull the meat off instead of chicken breasts?
Yes absolutely. The extra fat of the whole chicken will be an issue so if you can remove as much of it as possible that would reduce the grease in the final product. Happy Thanksgiving!
I only have chicken tenderloins. Can I use it in this recipe? And how long to cook for if I can?
You’ll probably need to cut back on the timing since they’re are smaller and thinner. Good luck!
Can I put it on low for the first 2 hours? High last 2 hours? Or low for all hours?
I’d recommend low for 4-5 hours.
I don’t have anything called Condensed Chicken Soup, all I have is low-fat Cream of Chicken Soup, will that work??
It has the same consistency and texture so it should still work.
Can you use frozen chicken for this recipe
You can, but the chicken will release water as it thaws which will dilute your gravy. If you do this, you may want to cook, uncovered on high after shredding to thicken it back up. Happy Thanksgiving!
All I can say is I love you.Saved my day.
Yay!!
I made this in my instant pot and I followed the instructions. Sometimes when I use my instant pot before it even switches from “on” to “timer” it will put up a “burn” on the screen. Am I doing something wrong? The recipe was good .
That’s usually your instant pot’s way of letting you know things are getting too hot. Might depend on the brand though. I would look through the owners manual just to be safe though.
This was soooo good! The whole family loved it! I added frozen vegetables and served it over egg noodles! Very delicious! This recipe is a keeper!
This was sooooo good, I added frozen vegetables and served it over egg noodles, will be definitely making this again. Truly delicious!!!
Oh so good, I made the homemade gravy recipe and changed out the sour cream for heavy cream. This is so good I shared on my Facebook and emailed to my mom and bestie. We made Hot Chicken sandwiches with mashed potatoes and side of corn, can’t get much more American then that, lol. This one is a keeper. FYI my neighbors are having some tomorrow with my leftovers. Sharing is caring.
Love it!
If I wanted to add frozen egg noodles to this recipe what should I do differently?
I’ve not tested it that way but I’m thinking you could add them in at the last part of the cooking process. You just don’t want them in there too long to get mushy. If you decide to try, I’d love to know what timing worked for you. Thanks!
When you made the homemade gravy did you add the water and condensed chicken soup to the crockpot recipe as it called for it did you tweak it to your liking?
Do I have to put sour cream in the gravy? If I don’t, will it affect the taste?
It makes it creamier and does change the taste. You can use Greek Yogurt instead if you’d like.
I made this it was awesome, i poured it over some Jasmine rice and a side of cabbage, just delicious.????? I highly recommend it.?
Thanks for the 5 star rating.
We LOVED this. My husband and I don’t normally eat chicken breasts as we find them too dry, but we had been given them so I needed to find a recipe. This was great. We thought the gravy was fabulous and the breasts themselves were tender and moist. Thank you for such an easy and delicious meal.
Glad to hear it was a hit for you guys.
Hi Sabrina, love your recipes. Question about this CP chicken & gravy, can I use boneless chicken tenders? I’m assuming cooking time for CP would be less??
I haven’t tested it but you’re right, the timing would be less. If you decide to try, I’d love to know what worked for you. Thanks!
How long will it take on medium heat?
About 2-3 hours.
Do you place the chicken back into the sauce after it’s shredded or leave separate to serve the gravy on top?
I like to pour the gravy over the top but you can do it either way. Enjoy!
Can you use country gravy packet instead of chicken gravy?
Sure 🙂
I am trying to do some meal prep to get ready for school starting and I saw that it could be frozen, but how would I prepare it in the instant pot or crockpot on the day of? I would like to have it all prepared, do you think it would work or do you have any advice? Thank you for your help…it looks delicious!
I usually pull mine out the night before and thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then place in the slow cooker in the morning. Enjoy!
I made it with the homemade gravy and it was amazing! I forgot the sour cream at the end but realized it actually was just perfect without it. Thank you for a terrific recipe!
Yay! I’m glad it all worked out, Kelly.
This is awesome!! I used jar chicken gravy because I couldn’t find the dry packet one. It tastes just like chicken papirkash I severed it over spaetzels.
So glad you enjoyed it, Kim.
This is awesome!! I put it over spaetzels and it is just like home made chicken papirkash
One of my favorite recipes!!! I make this pretty much every other week, it’s so simple and full of flavor! I just make some jasmine rice with it and have leftovers for days (:
Yay!! Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you enjoy it.
Hi I want to make this tonight but my chicken is frozen how do the times change in that regard?
You want to use completely thawed chicken for this recipe otherwise it’ll release too much liquid while cooking and it’ll become soupy.
I used frozen chicken, but then substituted cream cheese for sour cream and it was great. I just put it on high rather than low and it turned out great. Both of my kids and husband were fans. Will be fixing it again for sure!!
Can you use yogurt or greek yogurt in place of sour cream?
Greek yogurt would work. Enjoy!
This looks amazing I’d love to try it for dinner tonight. But do not have chicken gravy packs, would it be ok to use brown gravy packs?
Sure 🙂
My slow cooker only has a low 8 hour setting. Do I put it on that but only let it cook for 4-5 hours? I’m afraid the chicken won’t be done?
Yes, it only needs to cook on low for 4-5 hours.
I accidently used condensed chicken broth instead of cream of chicken, will it still work or should i throw it out
Sorry, your comment got stuck in my spam filter. How did it turn out?
Can you make this recipe in an insta pot? And if so how would you convert the cook time etc? Thanks!!!
There are instruction for using an instant pot in the post above. Enjoy!
Do you use all of the homemade chicken gravy mix in this crock pot recipe?
You would use 4 tablespoons of homemade gravy mix. Usually a packet of dry mix is 2 tablespoons. Hope this helps!
Oh no … I just used all of the gravy mix as it did not indicate how much for the homemade one. We’ll see how it comes out in 4 hours …
Just making sure in making this recipe that cooking in a crockpot is 4-5 hours on low. I know most recipes in crockpot are 7-8 on low and 4-5 on high.
Yes, low for 4-5 hours. Enjoy!
I made this delicious meal last night, followed her recipe to the “T”, served over steamed Jasmine rice with fresh Peas, family loved it. A little bit (just a tad) strong on Thyme from the Poultry seasoning, otherwise its a keeper. I do recommend the “homemade” chicken gravy mix over the store bought periodic table package. I (we) will definitely have this meal again. Thank you for sharing. P.S. The gravy mix will taste a bit “salty” but after one returns the chicken to the pot and mixes well, it does not have that salty taste, just FYI. Again, thank you for sharing.
Is your recipe for Homemade Chicken Gravy Mix equal to one packet of instant chicken gravy mix as is called for in your recipe? I can’t wait to make this! Thank you.
Sorry for the delay, 1 packet of instant gravy mix is about 2 tablespoons of homemade mix, so you would want 4 tablespoons of homemade gravy mix.
This was very flavorful and liked by all.
This looks really, really good. Gona try. When you say chicken soup, do you mean Cr. of Chicken?
Yes
What is condensed chicken soup? Is it cream of chicken?
Yes 🙂
2 questions
What would you serve with this and would this work in an instant pot?
Any veggie side dish would be great or even mashed potatoes. I haven’t tested it in an instant pot but I’m sure you could find a recipe online with similar ingredients and use that as a guideline to follow. Enjoy!
We’d like to use your homemade chicken gravy mix recipe instead of the packets. How much of the homemade mix would we need? Going to make this in our instant pot tonight! Thank you so much!
Sorry for the delay – the swap is about 4 tablespoons homemade gravy mix for the 2 packets of instant gravy mix. Hope this helps and let me know how it turns out!
Below prep time it reads cook time: 8 hours… but I’m the recipe it reads cook on low 4 – 5 hours. What I missing? Thanks for your time!
Looks delicious!
Thanks for catching that. I’ve edited it to read correctly.
can this be frozen for future meals?
Yes, I give instructions for how to store and serve in the post above. I hope you enjoy it.
Now this is my kind of comfort food. So simple too.
This is definitely pure comfort food. Enjoy!
I love this slow cooker recipe. It makes a great family meal!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Erika. Thanks for the 5 stars.
Another slow cooking recipe for the WIN! Using the slow cooker helps feed my family even with our crazy schedule. This comforting meal was a win for my family.
I have a true obsession with slow cookers so I totally understand.
I love Slow Cooker recipes! They are such a lifesaver. This Chicken + Gravy looks so flavorful!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Shanika.
This seems so easy, using chicken soup will definitely save some time. Will definitely be trying this recipe!
Enjoy!
Omg. This recipe is delicious !! I used cream of mushroom soup and used the chicken gravy packets. I substituted chicken broth for water. I added a little bit of water so it wouldn’t be salty. We absolutely loved it. I will make this again and again !! I didn’t add the sour cream. I forgot maybe next time !!
Thanks for a yummy dinner.
You’re welcome, Marissa.