For the Chicken
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
For the Sauce
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, drained
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Season the Chicken
Mix the sea salt, granulated garlic, onion powder, and black pepper in a small bowl.
Pat your chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season both sides with your spice mix.
Brown It First
Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the canola oil and butter – let the butter foam up.
Lay in your chicken breasts. You want a good sizzle here. Brown them ~3-4 minutes per side until golden. You’re just building flavor, not cooking through.
Transfer the chicken to a plate. Keep all that oil and butter in the pan.
Make the Sauce Base
In a bowl, whisk together the chicken broth and cornstarch until smooth. No lumps or the sauce won’t thicken right.
Pour this into your 8-quart slow cooker. Add the heavy cream, granulated garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and paprika. Whisk it all together.
Layer Everything
Nestle your browned chicken into the sauce. Pour that reserved oil and butter from the skillet over the chicken – that’s pure flavor.
Scatter the sun-dried tomatoes over each piece.
Slow Cook
Cover and cook on low for ~6-7 hours. The chicken will be fall-apart tender. Don’t use high heat – it’ll make the chicken tough.
Finish the Sauce
Pull the chicken out and set aside. The sauce looks thin but that’s about to change.
Whisk in the Parmesan cheese until it melts and the sauce turns creamy. Takes about a minute of whisking.
Bring It Together
Put the chicken back in the slow cooker. Ladle sauce over each piece.
Tear the basil leaves and scatter on top. The heat releases all that basil aroma.
Serve over pasta, rice, or with bread to soak up the sauce. The sun-dried tomatoes give little bursts of sweetness and the sauce is rich without being heavy.
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
For the Sauce
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes drained
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 10 fresh basil leaves chopped
Instructions
- Mix sea salt, garlic, onion powder, and black pepper.
- Pat chicken dry and season both sides.
- Heat oil and butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Brown chicken 3-4 minutes per side until golden. Transfer to plate, reserve pan drippings.
- Whisk chicken broth and cornstarch until smooth.
- Pour mixture into slow cooker. Add cream, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and paprika.
- Place browned chicken in slow cooker, pour reserved pan drippings over top.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes.
- Cook on low 6-7 hours until chicken is tender.
- Remove chicken. Whisk in Parmesan until sauce thickens.
- Return chicken to slow cooker, spoon sauce over top.
- Top with fresh basil and serve over pasta or rice.
