Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Broccoli

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Broccoli is the kind of cozy weeknight dinner that tastes like you fussed far more than you did. Chicken breasts cook gently with garlic and Italian herbs, then get cut into tender bites and folded into a silky garlic-Parmesan sauce with bright broccoli florets.

The finished dish is creamy and spoonable, not soupy, and the broccoli still looks and tastes like broccoli. The trick is timing: the chicken cooks first, and the broccoli, cream cheese and Parmesan go in only at the end.

Why You'll Enjoy This Recipe

• Creamy without canned soup. The sauce is made from broth, cream cheese and real Parmesan.
• Tender, not dry, chicken. Breasts cook on LOW for a short window and are checked with a thermometer.
• Broccoli with texture. It goes in for the last 20 to 30 minutes, so it stays green and holds its shape.
• One pot. Everything finishes in the slow cooker.
• Flexible serving. Spoon it over rice, noodles or mashed potatoes, or enjoy it on its own.

Ingredients and Notes

You'll find exact amounts in the ingredient list above. A few notes on choosing them:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. 2 pounds (900 g), about 3 large breasts. They must be fully thawed. Breasts that are a similar thickness cook at the same rate, so butterfly or pound any very thick ends to about 1 inch.

Low-sodium chicken broth. 1 cup (240 ml). Parmesan adds plenty of salt, so starting with low-sodium broth keeps the finished sauce from tasting too salty.

Garlic. 4 cloves, minced. It cooks gently with the chicken and flavors the sauce.

Italian seasoning. 1½ teaspoons of a dried blend, usually oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary.

Black pepper. ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper.

Full-fat cream cheese. 8 ounces (225 g) from a block, not the whipped tub kind. Soften it on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes and cut it into cubes so it melts smoothly. Low-fat cream cheese is more likely to turn grainy.

Fresh broccoli florets. 1 pound (450 g), about 6 cups of bite-sized pieces. Cut the florets about the same size so they cook evenly. You can peel and slice the tender part of the stems too.

Parmesan. 2 ounces (55 g), about ¾ cup finely grated. Grate it yourself from a wedge. Pre-shredded Parmesan often contains anti-caking agents that keep it from melting smoothly.

Salt. ¼ to ½ teaspoon, added only at the end. The Parmesan and broth both add salt, so taste first.

Cornstarch slurry (optional). 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water, used only if the sauce is thinner than you'd like.

Using Frozen Broccoli

The main method uses fresh broccoli. If you have frozen florets, use a 1-pound (16-ounce) bag:

1. Thaw and drain them, then pat them dry. Frozen broccoli releases water as it heats, which thins the sauce.
2. Add them in step 8 and cook on HIGH for just 10 to 15 minutes, until heated through. Frozen broccoli is already blanched, so it softens much faster.
3. Expect a softer texture and a slightly thinner sauce. Use the cornstarch slurry if needed.

Equipment and Slow Cooker Size

• A 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, ideally oval, so the chicken breasts fit in a single layer. USDA recommends filling a slow cooker between half and two-thirds full. With the broccoli added, this batch fits that range in a 4- to 5-quart cooker.
• A 6-quart cooker also works, but the liquid is shallower and the chicken may cook faster, so start checking 30 minutes earlier.
• An instant-read thermometer. It's the only reliable way to know the chicken is done without overcooking it.
• A cutting board, sharp knife and a sheet of foil for resting and cutting the chicken.
• A whisk for smoothing the cream cheese into the sauce.
• A box grater or microplane for the Parmesan.

Recipe Notes

• Times at a glance: 15 minutes of prep, 2½ to 3½ hours on LOW for the chicken, then about 45 minutes on HIGH and WARM to melt the cream cheese, cook the broccoli and finish the sauce.
• Total time: the 4 hours 30 minutes on the recipe card uses the longest LOW time. Most batches finish sooner.
• Cooking on HIGH: cook the chicken on HIGH for 1½ to 2 hours instead of LOW, then finish the same way. LOW is gentler and gives more tender breast meat.
• Yield: about 6 servings of chicken, broccoli and sauce. Rice, noodles or potatoes are extra.
• Cooking times are estimates. Slow cookers vary by brand, size and age, and thicker chicken breasts take longer. Go by the thermometer, not the clock.

How to Check the Chicken

USDA lists 165°F as the safe minimum internal temperature for poultry. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of each breast. Every breast should read at least 165°F before you take it out.

Start checking at the early end of the range: 2½ hours on LOW or 1½ hours on HIGH. Chicken breast has little fat, so it dries out if it sits in the cooker long after it's done.

Use thawed chicken only. USDA advises thawing meat and poultry before putting it in a slow cooker, because frozen pieces can stay too long at temperatures where bacteria multiply. Thaw chicken in the refrigerator overnight.

Why the Chicken Comes Out Before the Broccoli Goes In

Taking the chicken out at 165°F stops it from overcooking while the sauce and broccoli finish. It rests on the cutting board for 20 to 30 minutes, which keeps it juicy and makes it easy to cut neat 1-inch pieces. It goes back into the hot sauce at the end just long enough to warm through.

How to Get a Smooth, Creamy Sauce

1. Soften the cream cheese and cut it into cubes before it goes in. Cold cream cheese melts slowly and can leave lumps.
2. Melt it into the hot broth first, before the broccoli, so you have room to whisk until completely smooth.
3. Thicken early if needed. Cornstarch needs bubbling heat to thicken, so add the slurry before the broccoli. It cooks on HIGH along with the broccoli for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Add the Parmesan last, on WARM. Stirring it in a handful at a time over gentle heat helps it melt smoothly instead of clumping or turning stringy.
5. Don't let the finished sauce boil. Long, hard boiling after the cheese goes in can make dairy sauces separate or turn grainy.

Troubleshooting

Thin sauce. Chicken releases juices as it cooks, and some slow cookers trap more moisture than others. Use the cornstarch slurry before the broccoli goes in, and make sure the cooker is on HIGH with the sauce bubbling at the edges. If the sauce is still thin at the end, lift out the chicken and broccoli with a slotted spoon, pour the sauce into a saucepan and simmer it with the slurry for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until thickened.

Grainy sauce. Usually from cold or low-fat cream cheese, pre-shredded Parmesan, or a sauce that boiled hard after the cheese went in. Use softened full-fat block cream cheese and freshly grated Parmesan, and add the Parmesan on WARM. Whisking in a splash of warm broth can help smooth a slightly grainy sauce.

Dry chicken. The breasts cooked too long or were uneven in thickness. Start checking at 2½ hours on LOW, take them out as soon as they reach 165°F, and let them rest before cutting.

Overcooked broccoli. It cooked too long or the florets were small. Cut florets into even bite-sized pieces, check at 20 minutes, and turn the cooker to WARM as soon as the stems are tender. With frozen broccoli, cook only 10 to 15 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

The base dish is complete as written. These sides are optional and are cooked separately, not in the slow cooker:

• Rice: steamed white or brown rice.
• Pasta or noodles: egg noodles, penne or rotini. For a broccoli-friendly side, see Easy Buttered Noodles with Broccoli and Parmesan.
• Mashed potatoes: creamy mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce.
• Crusty bread or dinner rolls.
• A crisp green salad to balance the richness.

Looking for more creamy slow cooker chicken dinners? Try Slow Cooker Crack Chicken or Crockpot Angel Chicken. For something sweet and tangy, see Slow Cooker Orange Chicken.

Storage, Freezing and Reheating

Refrigerator. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking (1 hour if the room is above 90°F). Store them in shallow, airtight containers so they cool quickly, and use within 3 to 4 days.

Reheating. Reheat leftovers to 165°F. Warm them in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, or in a covered dish in the microwave, stirring every minute. Add a splash of broth or milk to loosen the sauce, which thickens in the refrigerator. Don't reheat leftovers in the slow cooker, which heats food too slowly.

Freezing. Freeze cooled portions in freezer containers for up to 3 to 4 months for best quality. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat to 165°F. Cream cheese sauces can look a little separated or grainy after freezing; whisk the sauce well as it reheats, adding a splash of broth or milk. The broccoli will be softer after freezing and reheating.