Easy Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Chicken recipe for juicy chicken breasts in a buttery lemon sauce. You’ll love this simple and delicious dish!
This Slow Cooker version of Lemon Chicken is the perfect start for a weeknight meal. For more easy tasty crockpot chicken, check out my Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken and Honey Pineapple Chicken.
Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Chicken
This creamy Lemon Chicken bucks the general rule of thumb I live by with slow cooker chicken recipes. I usually don’t add boneless chicken breast to a crockpot because it tends to dry out and isn’t as flavorful as thighs or bone-in chicken pieces. However, with a little sear to lock in the juices and lots of butter to add fat, you get juicy meat that is full of flavor. Plus the amazing sauce is packed with zesty, punchy citrus taste!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 5 chicken breasts , boneless and skinless
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 lemons , juiced and zested
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon chicken base , optional, but delicious!
Instructions
- In a large cast iron skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter to melt on medium high heat.
- Add the kosher salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning to the chicken and add it to the pan.
- Cook on each side for 4-6 minutes.
- Add the chicken to your slow cooker.
- Cover with lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic and the rest of the butter in pieces (I added the lemons in the before picture just for reference. Don't cook the lemons in the slow cooker).
- Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours.
- In a large measuring cup add the half and half, cornstarch and chicken base and whisk well.
- Add the liquid, mix, and cook an additional 1 hour on high.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
Chef’s Note: Chicken Breasts vs. Thighs
This recipe uses chicken breast meat but it would be completely amazing and delicious with chicken thighs. The reason I avoided chicken thighs in this dish was I didn’t want all the extra fat to render because the sauce would’ve been too greasy. Don’t worry; I’ve lowered the cooking time to account for the use of breast meat. If you use thighs, I would recommend using boneless skinless thighs so there isn’t too much fat.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts because the butter will add the fat that you normally get with bone-in or dark meat.
- Unsalted Butter: The butter adds moisture and a rich flavor, for juicy, moist chicken full of flavor.
- Italian Seasoning: A store-bought blend of Italian seasoning contains herbs like oregano, basil, and thyme. You can make your own combination with what you have on hand too.
- Lemons: Lemon juice adds a bright and zesty freshness that cuts a bit of richness. Lemon and chicken make a perfect pair especially in the buttery sauce!
- Garlic: I’m using fresh garlic. Feel free to adjust the quantity of minced garlic if you’re a garlic lover (or reduce it if you’re not).
- Half and Half: The half and half at the end makes the sauce extra creamy and brings everything together. You want to wait to add it so it doesn’t break or separate.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is used in the end to thicken the sauce and hold it together.
- Chicken Base: I’d highly recommend using this optional ingredient, which is a concentrated stock paste. It adds so much extra savory flavor!
Can This Be Made Ahead?
Yes, this meal can be cooked ahead, but it’s best made and served once it’s done cooking. Cooking it longer than 5 hours risks the cream sauce curdling and the chicken will dry out.
How to Store
- Store: Allow the chicken and sauce to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat on the stove top over medium low heat. Stir occasionally and avoid boiling so the sauce doesn’t break.
- Freeze: Place cooled chicken and sauce in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Serving Ideas
If you’re looking for a main dish that pairs with practically any side, this lemony chicken is perfect! The sauce doubles as a topper for pasta, rice, potatoes, and veggies. You could also slice up the chicken and use it for salads, wraps, and sandwiches. It’s a versatile chicken recipe you’ll be making over and over.
- Italian: The lemon and herb seasoning make this a perfect main dish for Italian dishes like pasta and gnocchi. Try it with my easy homemade Potato Gnocchi!
- Starchy Sides: Rice or potatoes also make a great side for this simple chicken dish. Steamed rice or mashed potatoes soak up that delicious creamy sauce.
- Veggies: The simple ease of Roasted Winter Vegetables with beets and butternut squash makes this dish a complete meal. Italian Roasted Vegetables also works great as it has zucchini and broccoli.
Frequent Questions
I wouldn’t let it keep cooking for the full 8 hours because the chicken could dry out. However if you have a slow cooker with a timer and auto-switch to warm, you could use that.
Technically, yes. Although browning adds extra flavor and is highly recommended!
If you want more sauce, feel free to double the sauce ingredients while keeping the amount of chicken the same. This won’t affect the cooking process, but you’ll have more of that delicious creamy lemon sauce to go around!
Adding the half and half at the beginning might cause it to break or curdle during the long cooking process. It’s best to add the cream mixture during the final hour of cooking.
Variations
- Creamy Lemon Parmesan Chicken: Add some more Italian flavor plus cheesy goodness with ½ cup Parmesan cheese. You want to use finely fresh grated cheese so it melts easily.
- Mediterranean Style: Swap the Italian seasoning for 1 teaspoon of za’atar and add ¼ cup of pitted, sliced kalamata olives into the slow cooker in the last hour. The cooking time remains the same, but the dish will have a more vibrant, Mediterranean flair.
Related Recipes
More Easy Slow Cooker Dinners
Photos used in previous versions of this post.
This is my second time making this chicken, followed step by step. Easy and delicious! Thank you!
You’re welcome! Happy to hear that you’ve made it a second time. Here’s to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th!
Delicious & tender chicken! I used 2 of my homegrown lemons &served with risotto!
Nothing tastes better than home grown lemons Lisa…sounds amazing and thanks for the five star review.
I love this recipe and I’ve made it several times because it is soooo delicious, but for the life of me I can’t get it to thicken at the end. I make it exactly as is.
I’ve also tried adding an extra half T of cornstarch, and switching to high earlier on in the cooking process. I thought maybe the cornstarch wasn’t cooking enough to activate, but it didn’t help. Usually I end up overcooking the chicken. I have no idea what I’m doing wrong?
The cornstarch thickens almost immediately, but slow cookers can vary in temperature so that can also be a factor in not having the consistency you desire. There’s no problem with adding more cornstarch, but make sure its added at the end in step 7. When you try this again, please let me know how it goes!
If I double the sauce, exactly what ingredients would I double? Would that include the garlic?
Hi Elle, You’ll double the lemon, garlic, half and half, cornstarch, and the (optional) chicken base. However, if you don’t want to double the garlic for personal desire, that won’t affect the consistency of the sauce. It will only affect the strength of garlic flavor.
Ate this once before and I doubled sauce b/c I’m a sauce fanatic. (its so tasty I can eat it w a spoon NO JOKE) …however, this time I may have screwed up. I added the chicken stock, lemon, zest, garlic, & extra spices all together, right after placing the chicken and butter in the crockpot. I am really hoping it will still come out super tasty and that I didn’t screw it up too much….. I didn’t add cornstarch yet and now I’m wondering how will I… Idk Ill figure something out. At least I knew to wait on the cream from last time…. Either way I know this will be delish bc of how absolutely delicious, tender, and flavorful last time was. It was so great I ate all 5 large chicken breasts to myself over 3-4 days. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed I didn’t screw this entire thing up. TY for this amazing recipe.
So, I’m on pins and needles Susan! How did your recipe turn out!!!
Thank you!
Can I use heavy cream instead of half and half? Also would you recommend adding spinach with the cream sauce?
Hi Melissa,
Heavy cream and spinach is a great idea! Let us know how your chicken turns out using your great ideas!
I have made this many times now, and it is great! I paired it with a coconut jasmine rice, and it is so delicious. Quick question, I need to make a dairy free version of this- would I need to change much about this recipe if I used coconut milk instead of cream?
I haven’t created this recipe dairy free yet but go for it Sarah. Coconut milk is general 1:1 in most recipes. Let us know how you like it dairy free! Hint: You may want to try 1/2 coconut milk and 1/2 coconut cream to get a richer creamy lemon chicken!
This recipe is AMAZING exactly as written! It is also extremely versatile … I usually use boneless/skinless chicken thighs (what I usually have on-hand) and they come out perfect. I’ve also doubled the cream/cornstarch/chicken base mixture and added 1/2 cup parmesan/asiago cheese at the end and served the sauce over pasta. I’ve even doubled the salt/pepper/italian seasoning, sprinkled it on the thighs, cooked them until fully cooked throughout in the skillet and served them with my desired sides (skipping the crockpot part of the recipe). Yes, this recipe is that good! Thank you Sabrina for sharing your passion!
You’re welcome Tracey. You are a creative cook and thanks so much for the five star review!
The sauce is no doubt super tasty.. but there is almost a 1/4 inch layer of butter sitting on top, and though I used big chicken breasts they were definitely over cooked at 4 hours on low + the 1hour on high.. maybe it would be better with thighs and no butter? I don’t know .. have you run into this problem?
Oh no! Maybe cut the butter next time? I’m wondering if your slow cooker may run hotter than mine so maybe next time use a meat thermometer with the last hour of cooking and remove the chicken when it’s done? I really haven’t run into this issue with this recipe, I’m sorry.