Slow Cooker Italian Chicken 3- Ingredient Recipe is a classic family favorite that comes together with minimal effort and maximum flavor. This quick-store Italian dressing mixed with only 2 additional ingredients can be poured into the chicken breasts in the slow cooker on any Sunday night, creating a comforting and reliable meal everyone knows and loves.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts
- Quantity: 2 chicken breasts, without skin (boneless) and about 3-4 breasts.
- Notes: Use boneless and skinless for the best shredding texture.
- Italian salad dressing (zesty or regular, bottled)
- Quantity: 1 cup
- Notes: Zesty gives more flavor; regular keeps it mild.
- Grated Parmesan cheese (out of the can or freshly grated)
- Quantity: 1/2 cups
- Notes: Freshly grated melts more smoothly; canned works for convenience.
Directions: Slow Cooker Italian Chicken 3- Ingredient Recipe
- Coat the inside of your slow cooker with a bit of cooking spray or a little oil so that when the day is over it will be easy to clean it.
- Put the breast of chicken in a single layer in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the Italian salad dressing and grated Parmesan cheese in a small bowl and mix them well.
- Sprinkle the dressing and Parmesan mix evenly on the chicken ensuring every piece has been covered.
- Cover and cook either on LOW 4-6 hours or on HIGH 2.5-3.5 hours or until the chicken is extremely tender and shreds easily with a fork.
- Cooked chicken can be shredded by using two forks in the slow cooker and stirring it into the sauce to allow it to absorb the flavor of the slow cooker.
- Add taste and season (add a pinch of salt, pepper or more Parmesan). Serve hot on pasta, rice or vegetables.
Variations & Tips
- Creamier: Add 4 ounces softened cream cheese or 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt to the cooking mix in the very last 20-30 minutes of cooking to make the sauce richer and creamier.
- Spicer: To make it spicier, use an Italian dressing that is zesty or spicy, and a pinch of red pepper flakes before cooking, in case you want it to be spicy.
- Thighs rather than breasts: Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts in case it is all you have. They remain very juicy and will be very forgiving when you allow them a little more time in the slow cooker.
- Veggie boost: Chickens Scatter sliced bell pepper, onions or mushrooms before dressing it. They will boil and absorb all the Italian taste–just pure to blend with pasta.
- Cooking hack: Cook twice and divide the prepared chicken into the containers with rice or pasta to have lunch on hand. It is also very microwave-reheatable and it does not dry out easily due to the sauce.
- Freezer-friendly: Put the raw chicken and Italian dressing in a freezer bag and freeze flat. Set the night in the fridge, and pour into the slow cooker, Parmesan and cook accordingly. It is a simple method of creating a mini freezer stockpile during those weeks that you are sure you will be busier than usual.
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