I love a good slow cooker recipe, especially when it comes to chicken. This slow cooker chicken with gravy dish by Dinner at the Zoo is one I will definitely be making again. My family loved the gravy, and I loved how simple it was to put together!
Today, I’m going to walk you through my experience making this meal with a few notes along the way – like what I paired it with and how I prepared the leftovers (I can tell you there weren’t a lot of leftovers!).
Take a look at the original recipe here, and make sure to browse Dinner at the Zoo for some more wonderful slow cooker meals and other recipes. I’m eyeing up her slow cooker Chicken Marsala and Mississippi Pot Roast!
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts*
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
For the gravy
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
*Note: I followed all of Dinner at the Zoo’s measurements, except for the amount of chicken breasts. I only used three (instead of six), and it worked well; however, I will say that you should be careful when reducing the amount of meat in comparison to sauce. While this worked well for me for this recipe, I have made other recipes where the sauce overpowered the meat I was cooking. If you’re worried, you can change the serving size in the recipe on her site, and it will automatically update the measurements of the other seasonings.
Step 1
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Step 2
Prepare the chicken by seasoning the breasts with the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Then, brown the chicken in a skillet for 4-5 minutes per side. When golden brown, place the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Note: I like how browning the chicken before placing it in the slow cooker helps to meld the seasonings on the chicken together. If you’re from the South like me (or just like a little added kick), feel free to add in a quick dash of cayenne to the chicken breasts.
Step 3
Make the gravy by combining the olive oil, chicken broth, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and garlic. Add the sauce to the slow cooker on top of the chicken. You will be saving the corn starch for later to thicken the sauce into a gravy before serving.
Step 4
Cover the chicken and sauce, and put the slow cooker on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
- Note: I would recommend sticking to Dinner at the Zoo’s suggested timeframes as much as possible. I let mine go on low for longer than 5 hours, and it was a little dry. As she mentions in her post, the sauce does help to save it, but I would definitely recommend only cooking for up to 5 hours on low, if possible. Ours was still delicious, though! Also consider using chicken thighs if you want that added juiciness.
Step 5
Take the chicken out of the slow cooker and place on a plate, covering with foil. Pour the sauce from the slow cooker into a pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Mix the cornstarch with ¼ cup of cold water and add the mixture to the pot. Bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce has thickened (about 1 minute). Finally, add the butter to the pot and stir until melted and remove from heat.
Step 6
Serve the chicken sliced or shredded with the sauce on top. Garnish with fresh or dried parsley.
Digging in
So this dish was a crowd favorite! I served the chicken shredded with rice, peas and a garlic knot. The gravy was nice and savory and would certainly have complemented a side of mashed or roast potatoes, as well!
Leftovers
I would recommend storing any leftover chicken and gravy separate from each other. The gravy did congeal when refrigerated, so you can heat this over the chicken in the microwave later or bring it back to life on the stovetop with a dash of water or broth.
When I polished off the chicken and gravy the next day, I had it over spaghetti pasta. It was a really nice way to switch up the sides and have a different version with the same flavors I enjoyed the first time.
Make sure to take a look at Dinner at the Zoo’s blog and Instagram page – her food photography skills certainly exceed mine, and she has some amazing dishes I have added to my list to try!
