Slow cooker balsamic chicken is easy to prep with just a few ingredients for a simple weeknight dinner that has big flavor!
We are quickly moving to the end of preschool and kindergarten for the year and I’m trying to get all my loose ends tied up so I’m not completely work-bound while the kids are home and underfoot the next few weeks.
Or, actually, each begging to sit in my lap while I lean around them to work on the computer. 😳
However, I am taking off tomorrow night for my annual baking day with my mom!
We’re definitely doing our Rice Krispies Christmas wreaths and my grandmother’s 4-ingredient chocolate chip brownies as well as our family’s classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. And we’ve always got lots of other recipes we want to try – just not enough time — or enough people to eat it all!
Coming up is a super packed weekend and lots of family around, which is when I tend to fall back on slow cooker recipes that will be ready and waiting for us at dinnertime.
Honestly, I’ve been putting my slow cooker to seriously good use for the last couple of months now.
Apart from my regular rotation of chick peas and slow cooker turkey breasts (that we use for sandwiches), I’ve been making lots and lots of dinners in our slow cooker.
I love being able to set it and forget it, while I’m working, running out to get J from preschool, M from kindergarten, running errands and, this time of year, buying presents, going to parties and visiting with family.
Having the slow cooker going is just one less thing to think about at the end of the day when I’m exhausted and starving and ready to eat 5 minutes ago.
(You can see all of my slow cooker recipes and check out my slow cooker chicken recipes. This slow cooker cream cheese chicken is a favorite. I even have a slow cooker e-cookbook.)
Today’s slow cooker balsamic chicken is one that’s really easy to prep and requires just a few basic ingredients. All kinds of good things about that!
It’s a recipe I originally came up with at a family beach vacation, when we were staying in a condo and didn’t want to have to buy too much stuff for our dinners.
(We also needed meals to be gluten-free for my mother-in-law.)
And at home, it’s a great go-to recipe because it’s all on-hand ingredients that you can throw together in the crock pot in the morning and off you go.
Then you come home to this aromatic balsamic-laced chicken with onions and tomatoes and all kinds of delicious sauce. You know I love me a good sauce!
And the balsamic vinegar + tomato combo is just killer. A little tart, a little sweet, a little acidic and such a good melding. 👌
Notes on this slow cooker balsamic chicken recipe:
-
- I serve the chicken breasts sliced and topped with lots of extra sauce. It’s all about the sauce. You could also shred the chicken if you prefer and stir it back into the sauce.
- I serve this with quinoa or steamed brown rice, but it would work with couscous or polenta too. Or just add some crusty bread to scoop and eat with. The delicious juices are just dying for something else to soak into!
- The recipe serves 6-8, but if you’ve got a smaller group for dinner, you can save the leftovers for lunch or freeze them for another time. Make sure to include plenty of sauce so your leftovers don’t dry out when you reheat them.
(Also served here 👆 with my quick Southern collard greens with bacon from earlier this week. That was a good dinner!)
Here’s to simple weeknight meals with big flavor! 🙌
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Slow cooker balsamic chicken
Slow cooker balsamic chicken is easy to prep with just a few ingredients for a simple weeknight dinner that has big flavor!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
For serving:
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Combine Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle over chicken breasts. Place chicken breasts in the insert of the slow cooker.
- Top chicken with onion slices and diced tomatoes. Pour balsamic vinegar and chicken broth over chicken.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
I serve the chicken breasts sliced and topped with lots of extra sauce. It’s all about the sauce. You could also shred the chicken if you prefer and stir it back into the sauce.
I serve this with quinoa or steamed brown rice, but it would work with couscous or polenta too. Or just add some crusty bread to scoop and eat with.
The recipe serves 6-8, but if you’ve got a smaller group for dinner, you can save the leftovers for lunch or freeze them for another time. Make sure to include plenty of sauce so your leftovers don’t dry out when you reheat them.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 355Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 161mgSodium: 412mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 60g
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen says
I’ve got a slow cooker meal on the blog today too. Serious life saver when times get busy. And I feel in the cookie department. The issue is always not enough people to eat all the cookies 🙂
Kathryn says
Yay slow cooker twins! And yes, you totally feel me on the cookie front 😉
Rose says
Can i use mushroom in it ? Would it cook in the slow cooker ?
Kathryn says
Absolutely! Yes, the mushrooms will cook right along with everything else. If you are using small ones, I’d leave them whole so they don’t fall apart. I think I’m going to do this next time, too!
Antoinette Samuelson says
I used bone in thigh chicken in my slow cooker and kept the liquid in the tomatoes. It smells great and I hope it cooks through, I have it for 5 hours, will let you know how it comes out.
Kathryn says
I hope you enjoyed it!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Just the kind of recipe I love <3 So much flavor!! I can't wait to get home so I can use my slow cooker again! Bahaha!
Kathryn says
My slow cooker game has been strong lately – such a help!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
Oh, SOO fun that you have a annual baking day with your mother!!! I hope you guys have a great time, but I feel like that is a given, right? Anyways, slow cooker meals are the best, but they are a definite life saver this time of year! I am LOOOOVING this balsamic chicken!!! I adore balsamic in general, so I am swooning over here. Plus I have a weird addiction to slow cooked onions, so I’m loving that this chicken is adorned with them! I am totally adding this to the rotation! Pinned! Cheers, friend!!
Kathryn says
We have so much fun!! And yes, bring on the balsamic! I love that stuff so much! And I’m totally addicted to slow cooked onions too – my husband and kids are kinda “meh” on them so I usually put them ALL on my plate!! XO
Arleen says
Do u have to used onions in this recipe
Kathryn says
Nope, Arleen, you can skip them! I kind-of adore slow cooked onions but I know lots of people – my husband included – don’t, so you’re fine to leave that out. Hope you give it a try and let me know what you think!
Arleen says
Thank u cause my kids don’t like onions. Making it tonight will let u know
Emily says
I just realized my chicken is frozen. Is it ok to put in the crock pot frozen? I’m really wanting to try this tonight!
Kathryn says
I’ve used frozen chicken in the crock pot before for a number of different recipes and it’s always worked just fine. Technically, they say you shouldn’t because there’s a risk of the chicken being at an “unsafe” temperature during the cooking time, but again, I’ve done it a lot before and never had a problem.
Malia says
Will this recipe turn out if I cook longer than 6 hours? I’d love to be able to prep before I head off to work
Thanks!
Kathryn says
Hi Malia! I find chicken in the slow cooker dries out a bit after 6-7 hours on low. Does yours have a warm setting? Mine will switch to warm after the cooking time is done so that’s what I do if I’m gonna be gone all day (set to 6 hours and then let it stay on warm until I’m home). If yours doesn’t, you can let it cook longer and just spoon on extra sauce when you serve it to offset any dryness. Hope that helps!
Lauren says
What kind of onion do you use? Thanks! Can’t wait to make this recipe for lunch this week!
Kathryn says
Hi Lauren! I tend to buy sweet or Vidalia onions (maybe because I’m from the South) but any yellow onion will do here. You could use a white onion too if that’s all you have. Hope you enjoy it!
Allissa says
If I use frozen chicken is the time for low or high differnt in anyway?
Kathryn says
Hi Allissa! No, 6-7 hours on low should still be fine for frozen chicken breasts. As mentioned above, I’ve used frozen chicken in the slow cooker before for a number of different recipes and it’s always worked just fine. Technically, they say you shouldn’t because there’s a risk of the chicken being at an “unsafe” temperature during the cooking time, but I’ve never had a problem.
Lauren says
I just finished and it smells great! My sauce is pretty watery, is that the way it is supposed to be? Just wanted to know if I did something wrong for the next time. I took a little try and it is so tasty! Thanks!
Kathryn says
Hi Lauren! So glad you liked it! Yes, the sauce is pretty thin for me too, so I serve it with quinoa or rice or couscous to help soak up some of those juices. 👌 You could also try skipping the chicken broth if you wanted it to be thicker next time.
Corie says
If you want to thicken the sauce, you can always remove the chicken from the slow cooker when finishes and then whisk in a corn starch slurry. Add chicken back to sauce when finished.
Kathryn says
Great tip Corie! That would definitely work as well. Thanks for sharing!
Genna says
I have this in the crockpot now and it smells delicious! I didn’t have any chicken broth on hand so I didn’t drain the can of diced tomatoes and included the liquid. Hope that doesn’t change much and it turns out! Excited to eat this tonight!
Kathryn says
Hi Genna! I bet you’ll be fine – plenty of liquid is released and retained in this slow cooker meal so it’s probably OK you didn’t have any broth. Let me know how it turns out!
Kels says
Have you ever tried serving this over angel hair pasta? Have this in the crock pot now and thought it might be interesting! Thanks!
Kathryn says
I have not, but I think it sounds like a great idea! Would love to hear how you enjoy it!
Christina says
Can i do this on high temperature instead? If so, for how long then?
Kathryn says
Hi Christina! Yes, as noted in the recipe above, you can also cook this on high for 3-4 hours. Hope you give it a try!
Diane says
I just noticed in the nutrition facts the sodium amount is 5957? Is that correct?
Kathryn says
Hi Diane! No, that’s definitely not correct!! Thanks for pointing it out! I got in touch with the tech people behind the recipe card database and they confirmed there’s a problem with the sodium content across a bunch of recipes. They’ve removed it temporarily and are working on a fix in the next couple of days. Thanks again!
Jeanette says
Hi. Can you use beef broth instead of chicken broth?
Kathryn says
Hi Jeanette! I think that would be fine! Hope you love it!
Jeanette Borges says
I ended up using a chicken bouillon and made a mock broth. The meal was a little too vinegary for us but still pretty tasty!
Bethany says
Do you think it would come out ok if I use a jar of spaghetti sauce instead of crushed tomatoes?
Kathryn says
Hi Bethany! I don’t think that would work because spaghetti sauce usually has lots of extra add-ins and flavors that just a jar of tomatoes doesn’t have. But you could probably just skip the tomatoes all together if you don’t have any.
Gabriel says
How long do you think I can keep this in the fridge. I was hoping 2-3 days.
Thanks!
Kathryn says
Hi Gabriel! Once cooked, it’ll keep 4-5 days in the fridge. I’ve also frozen the leftovers for 5-6 months and it was fine! Hope that helps!
Tabitha @ Tabitha Talks Food says
I’m going to have to try this. I love balsamic chicken!
Kathryn says
I hope you enjoy it Tabitha! 😊
Mariah says
I was not sure what to do for dinner tonight and stumbled onto this recipe. I love it when I have all ingredients on hand and don’t have to make a trip to the store. It smells wonderful! Thank you for posting this!
Kathryn says
That’s the best, isn’t it Mariah?! I’m so glad you found this recipe at the perfect time and I hope you enjoyed it!
JENN says
Can I use tomato paste instead of tomatoes?
Kathryn says
Hi Jenn! Tomato paste and canned diced tomatoes aren’t really interchangeable in terms of taste, texture and amount. You could just leave out the canned tomatoes. Or try 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste that would melt into the sauce, but I’m not sure how that will affect the final dish. Let me know if you try it!
Angel says
was wondering if you thought cornstarch would be ok to add to thicken it a bit and maybe make the vinegar less strong? Nervous my kids may not like the taste but I’m making it anyway!
Kathryn says
Hi there! You could use a little cornstarch if you wanted to thicken it — it doesn’t have a ton of liquid and isn’t overly saucy, but feel free to try that. I’m not sure it would cut the vinegar flavor much, but balsamic vinegar has such a good sweetness to it that it’s not so strong for kids. You could also serve theirs without much extra sauce, which might help them. Would love to hear what you think!
Angel says
Thank you I will see how it looks toward the end and see if I want to try it. I do that with teriyaki chicken to make it kind of like a gravy but I don’t want to mess this up because it already smells delicious!
Beth says
I need to serve 12-15 would I be able to double this recipe? I have a large slow cooker.
Kathryn says
Hi Beth! That’s a big crowd! Yes, I think you would be fine to double this recipe if you have a large slow cooker. Just be sure to check that the chicken breasts are cooked through (I prefer to use a meat thermometer). And if you need to stretch this a little, you can slice the chicken breasts or cut them into large chunks after they are cooked (be sure to return them to the slow cooker and get them coated in the sauce). I hope you enjoy it!
Beth says
Thank you! That helps
Jenny Hiller says
What is the nutrition info? I’m mainly looking for the calories per serving. Thanks!
Kathryn says
Hi Jenny! I had to work with my tech team to figure out why the nutrition information wasn’t displaying for this recipe. They finally resolved it and it’s showing up now! It’s 269 calories/per serving for 6 servings total. Hope that helps!
rachel says
This looks great! Question, do your kids like it? I’ve never made Balsalmic chicken before but having a dinner party tomorrow night and this looks divine! However we will have 4 children under the age of 5! They aren’t super picky eaters but curious how your children like it?
Kathryn says
Hi Rachel! My kids do like this but it does have a strong vinegar flavor, which could be a turn-off to some kids. Balsamic vinegar is a lot sweeter, so I think that helps balance the acidity, but you never know! Would love to hear if you try it!
John Wiankowski says
Hello kathryn,
I like that you use chicken breasts in your recipe. Chicken thighs I think would work well too.The choice of spices is nice.
Kathryn says
Thanks! And yes, chicken thighs should work well here too!
Laila says
Hi there I actually have the crock pot going right now with this recipe in there!!! CANT WAIT … Just wanted to know how to do the shredded chicken instead of the whole chicken breasts. Love that idea…
Thank you
Kathryn says
Hi Laila! You can just remove the chicken breasts after they are cooked and use two forks to shred it. Then return the meat to the crock pot and stir it into the juices and let it sit on warm for 10-15 minutes. Hope you enjoy it!