Garlic Tomato Chicken

Garlic Tomato Chicken–this slow cooker cheesy tomato chicken is an easy dump-and-go dinner made with tender chicken thighs simmered in a buttery tomato sauce and finished with melty mozzarella and parmesan.

Pin this recipe for later!

Crockpot Garlic Tomato Chicken

This easy chicken with garlic tomato sauce is a true dump-and-go slow cooker recipe that couldn’t be much simpler to throw together. Everything simmers into a rich, buttery tomato sauce, and then the mozzarella and parmesan melt in at the end to give it a creamy, cheesy finish. I especially love using chicken thighs here because they stay so juicy and tender while they cook. To make dinner even easier, I boiled about 8 ounces of penne on the stove, drained it, and tossed it straight into the slow cooker so it could soak up all that delicious sauce. It turned into such a simple, kid-friendly meal. Reagan’s friend Lisa happened to be over for dinner and said, “I’ve missed your cooking!”…which totally made my day. 😊Skyler took the leftovers for lunch the next day. I’ll be making this again soon and teaching my kids how to do it too…it’s a perfect young adult meal.

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Crushed tomatoes
• Butter
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Minced garlic–fresh or jarred
• Kosher salt
• Tomato paste
• Boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Mozzarella cheese–I like using whole milk mozzarella
• Parmesan cheese–or romano cheese

Steps

Add tomatoes, butter, onion powder, garlic powder, minced garlic, salt and tomato paste into slow cooker. Stir. Nestle the chicken into the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low 4 hours. 

Break up the chicken and stir in the mozzarella and parmesan.

Serve chicken and sauce over hot cooked pasta, if desired. You can also stir the cooked pasta into the slow cooker to coat it entirely in sauce. 

Notes/Tips

• Serve with hot cooked pasta like spaghetti, penne or rotini. Garlic bread and a simple green salad are also great alongside this dish.
• You can break the chicken into small pieces with a spoon or shred it with two forks depending on the texture you prefer.
• Spinach, mushrooms, or diced zucchini can be added during the last 30–60 minutes of cooking.
• Stir in a couple tablespoons of cream cheese or heavy cream at the end for an even richer sauce.
• For extra flavor, add cooked pasta directly into the slow cooker and stir to coat it completely in the sauce.
• I used my 6 quart Ninja slow cooker.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This freezes well. Let the chicken and sauce cool completely, then freeze in freezer bags or containers for up to 3 months.
• Other recipes you can make with mozzarella are Instant Pot Caprese Chicken and Instant Pot Spinach and Ravioli Lasagna.

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for. 

Pin this recipe for later!

Print

If you want to add uncooked pasta directly into the slow cooker, you just need to make sure there’s enough liquid for the pasta to absorb and add it near the end of cooking so it doesn’t get mushy.

I haven’t tried it yet but here’s what I would do…

1. Add extra liquid to the sauce at the beginning.
   Stir in 2 cups chicken broth (or water and Better Than Bouillon chicken base) with the tomatoes and seasonings. This gives the pasta something to cook in later.
2. Cook the chicken as written.
   Cook on LOW for about 4 hours until the chicken is tender.
3. Break up the chicken.
4. Add uncooked pasta.
   Stir in 8 oz uncooked pasta (penne, rotini, or ziti work best).
5. Cook a little longer.
   Cover and cook on HIGH for about 20–30 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir once or twice if you can so the pasta cooks evenly.
6. Add the cheese last.
   Once the pasta is cooked, stir in the mozzarella and parmesan so it melts smoothly into the sauce.

Pin this recipe for later!

More dump and go slow cooker recipes…

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.