Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken is an easy crockpot recipe. Juicy bone-in chicken thighs cooked with basil pesto, broth, parmesan, and garlic!
Crispy Slow Cooker Chicken is a mind-blowing Crockpot Recipe for crispy and juicy chicken without an oven. This pesto version is even more flavorful and just as juicy!
Table of Contents
- Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Recipe
- Ingredients
- Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- How to Make Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken
- Can Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken be made ahead?
- Nutritional Facts
- Recipe Tips and Tricks
- What to Pair with Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken
- How to Store
- Alternative Cooking Techniques
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Recipe Card
- Variations
- Related Recipes
Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Recipe
This easy Pesto Chicken recipe is perfect for days you know you’ll be busy during dinner time! Just a little prep work in the morning, then set it and forget it for a delicious Italian main dish ready to eat when you are. You can also make this Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken as an easy meal prep on Sunday and have a go-to lunch for the rest of the week.
Crockpot Pesto Chicken is one of the easiest, most stress-free chicken recipes you can make. Use a jar of pesto from the store or if you have about 5 minutes more, make my easy homemade Pesto Sauce recipe! The best part of making your own pesto is that you can make a big batch for less than a small jar and freeze portions for later recipes for up to a year! This delicious Chicken recipe is so quick to prep for the crockpot and then finishes hands off for tender, juicy chicken.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil: You’ll use vegetable oil for searing the chicken and crisping up the skin.
- 6 chicken thighs: Use juicy thighs to make this Pesto Chicken. Dark meat is super flavorful all on it’s own and turns out really well in the slow cooker.
- Salt and pepper: Before you sear your chicken you will season with salt and pepper. These simple ingredients are just the start, as rest of the flavor will come into the delicious sauce.
- 1 cup chicken broth: Chicken broth is the cooking liquid for the flavorful sauce, which is a classic choice for cooking chicken and will bring more flavor than water alone.
- ½ cup pesto: Pesto has so much flavor by itself. It contains basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and all comes together with rich olive oil. Use jarred pesto, or make it yourself ahead of time.
- Extra seasoning: Add some extra seasoning to your pesto sauce. 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan, ¼ cup chopped parsley, and 5 cloves of minced garlic will really do the trick.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Large Skillet: Take out a skillet large enough to sear your chicken on each side. If it large enough you can sear all 6 thighs at once, otherwise sear in batches.
- Kitchen Knife: Use a sharp knife to mince the garlic and chop the parsley for your pesto sauce.
- Grater: Use a grater or microplane to grate your Parmesan cheese, unless you purchase pre-grated Parmesan from the store.
- Slow Cooker: Grab your trusty slow cooker or Crock Pot to let this recipe cook while you go on about your day.
- Liners: If you want a really easy clean up you can line your slow cooker and then just toss it out when you’re finished. Your Crock Pot could end up spot free after cooking!
How to Make Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken
Time needed: 8 hours and 10 minutes.
- Sear
Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Add vegetable oil to a large skillet on medium high heat and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Arrange
Add chicken to the cooker, skin side up and pour chicken broth around it.
- Pesto
Mix pesto with garlic and Parmesan cheese and spread mixture over the chicken thighs.
- Cook
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
- Serve
Garnish with parsley and additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
Can Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken be made ahead?
This recipe is better served fresh, and considering how you can just let it cook in the crock pot all day long, it isn’t super difficult to serve it same-day. However if you really need this to be ready ahead of time, you can prepare the recipe, then let it cool completely and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Reheat it in the oven at 350 degrees, placing the chicken in a baking dish, and covering it to retain moist and tender chicken. Make sure you heat the chicken thoroughly until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Nutritional Facts
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Create the most juice, flavorful Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Recipe ever by following a couple of easy tips.
- Don’t Skip Searing
- This recipe requires breaking out your skillet to sear the chicken before slow cooking, but this extra step is definitely worth it! Crisping the skin on your chicken thighs before placing in the slow cooker seals in the juices and gives your chicken dish even more flavor.
- Avoid Overcrowding the Skillet
- Make sure you have plenty of room in your skillet when you sear the chicken, otherwise a good sear will be difficult to achieve. You want to maintain high, direct heat on the chicken.
What to Pair with Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken
Pesto Chicken is great to serve with almost everything! This recipe is perfect for low carb diets served with Sauteed Green Beans. You can make a complete meal with rustic chicken and Roasted Red Potatoes. Make a full Italian feast and serve Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken with pasta favorites like Baked Ziti, Italian Roasted Vegetables, and Garlic Bread. Keep it simple with pasta dressed in the extra basil pesto and garnished cherry tomatoes with fresh mozzarella!
How to Store
- Serve: Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken is best served right away but can be kept on the warm setting up to 4 hours.
- Store: Once cooled, store Pesto Chicken in an airtight container and refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Place Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken in a sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw chicken overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven on low, adding broth to the pan and covering to keep from drying out.
Alternative Cooking Techniques
Instant Pot Pesto Chicken
Love your Instant Pot, especially on busy weeknights? Try this version of the Pesto Chicken recipe.
- Turn your Instant Pot on Saute and add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
- Sear your chicken thighs on each side for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove chicken and deglaze pot with chicken broth, scrapping off all the browned bits.
- Turn off Instant Pot and return chicken to pot.
- Mix pesto mixture and spread over chicken thighs.
- Close lid and turn pressure valve on sealing. Set to manual high pressure for 12 minutes.
- Naturally release pressure for 5 minutes, then quick release pressure to remove lid.
- Serve with Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Baked Pesto Chicken
For those who really like baked chicken, give this recipe a try.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add oil to a large dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Sear seasoned chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Remove from heat and add chicken broth to pan.
- Mix pesto, Parmesan, and garlic and spread mixture over chicken.
- Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Cook the chicken with 2 cups potatoes like Yukon potatoes, red potatoes, or russet potatoes. Either halve baby potatoes or cut into 2 inch chunks.
Add fresh broccoli, baby carrots, whole green beans, zucchini, summer squash, mini corn cobs, or cauliflower to the slow cooker around the chicken.
Use a sun-dried tomato pesto, or add chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the top of the chicken. You could also use roasted red peppers, adding them in the last hour of cooking so they don’t get too mushy.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 chicken thighs , bone in and skin on
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup pesto , recipe
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese , shredded
- 1/4 cup parsley , chopped
- Parmesan cheese , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Add vegetable oil to a large skillet on medium high heat and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Add chicken to slow cooker, skin side up and pour chicken broth around it.
- Mix pesto with garlic and parmesan cheese and spread mixture over the chicken thighs.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
- Garnish with parsley and additional parmesan cheese if desired.
Nutrition
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Variations
- Lighter Version: Make a lighter version of this recipe using skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead. You can still sear them to ensure nice browning, and to seal the moisture in the chicken.
- Chicken Breasts: Instead of chicken thighs, you can use bone-in chicken breast with skin. If you want to use boneless, skinless chicken breast or boneless, skinless chicken thighs, wrap the chicken in bacon to keep it moist.
- Pesto Chicken Pasta: Another meal idea is to make a pasta dish out of this recipe by removing the flavorful chicken, shredding it into bite-sized pieces, and tossing the chicken and leftover sauce with the pasta of your choice. You can even use zucchini noodles if you’d like to make a more healthy meal.
- Cheesy Pesto Chicken: Add an extra final touch to the chicken by placing it on a baking sheet, and topping with mozzarella cheese. Place the cheesy chicken under a broiler to melt and brown the chicken a tiny bit before serving.
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