Slow-Cooker Boneless Chicken Breasts

By Sarah DiGregorio

Published Jan. 28, 2025

Slow-Cooker Boneless Chicken Breasts
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
2¼ hours
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours and 10 minutes
Rating
5(554)
Comments
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These simple, savory chicken breasts are money in the bank on a weeknight: Chop them for a salad, tuck them into quesadillas or tacos with cheese and salsa, add to a ready-made simmer sauce, or toss with pasta. The seasoning is punchy but neutral enough to work in many preparations, and you can easily tweak it to your taste by, for instance, slightly increasing the cumin and red pepper to make tacos, or decreasing the cumin and increasing the thyme to make a classic chicken salad. The real key to this recipe is checking the internal temperature of the chicken. White meat will dry out if overcooked, so pull the chicken out of the slow cooker when the thickest part of the breast reaches 155 degrees for about a minute, which will ensure juicy, tender meat that’s fully cooked.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large)
  • ¼ cup olive oil 
  • 1teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1teaspoon paprika
  • 1teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin 
  • Pinch crushed red pepper, optional, more to taste 
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper 
  • 1lemon, halved
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

407 calories; 20 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 52 grams protein; 614 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put the chicken into a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, in a single layer. Add the oil and the spices, plus 1 tablespoon salt and several generous grinds of black pepper. Mix well with a spatula to evenly coat all sides of the chicken with the oil and spices.

  2. Step 2

    Cook on low until the thickest part of the chicken breast reaches 155 degrees, 2 to 2½ hours. (If necessary, it’s fine to leave the chicken on the warm setting for an hour or two.)

  3. Step 3

    Remove the breasts from the slow cooker and let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving, spritzed with lemon juice. Or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
554 user ratings
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Comments

PNC

Is the large slow cooker recommended to keep the breasts in a single layer as they cook? Is there any time adjustment needed to cook fewer breasts in a smaller cooker? I would like to try the technique with a 4 qt slow cooker. Thank you

Lorna G

Would this work in a sous vide? Put all the ingredients in a bag, seal it and go to 160?

Emily

@PNC - yes to the single layer. And the time wouldn't need to change at all!

Footnoted

Made this last week with assistance of slow cooker’s temperature probe, and it was probably the best boneless chicken breast I’ve ever made.

Lisa

My 9 year old absolutely loves this chicken recipe! I’ve found it’s easier to mix the spices in a small bowl first, then add the oil & mix, then pour the blend on the chicken in the crockpot and move around to coat as best as possible. I’ve made it with frozen chicken breasts placed right into the crockpot, starting them with an extra hour or so to be sure they get to temperature. I move them around a few times while cooking to coat them in the mix and be sure they cook as evenly as possible. With leftovers, I found that pouring most of the extra oil into the container with the chicken helped to keep the leftovers moist when reheated. Hope that helps others!

Rebecca

I assume an Instapot on slow cooker mode will work for this?

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