Slow Cooker Cheesy Pesto and Mushroom Chicken–We had so much fun making our first video “So Easy a Kid Can Do It” with Reagan making the Mexican Orzo that Skyler (my 6 year old) wanted to get in on the action! Here he is making a super simple but delicious recipe, Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken and Mushrooms. Get the full recipe by scrolling to the bottom of the post.
The key to this recipe is the super short cooking time. I know what you’re thinking, “but it’s in the slow cooker, my chicken won’t be cooked in time!” Well you’re wrong 🙂 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts simply should NOT be cooked longer than 4 hours in the slow cooker. And for best results they should only be cooked for like 2 hours on low (if you’re nervous, use a meat thermometer). That’s what I did and the chicken was tender and juicy. Not dry and gross like normal chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Believe me. And if you don’t believe me then believe America’s Test Kitchen because they say the same exact thing in their new healthy slow cooker cookbook!
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Slow Cooker Cheesy Pesto and Mushroom Chicken
- Cook Time: 2-3 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 chicken breast halves)
- 1/3 cup pesto sauce
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella
Instructions
- Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker and salt and pepper it. You can put the chicken breasts in whole or you can cut into bite size pieces.
- Add the mushrooms to the slow cooker.
- Spoon the pesto over the chicken and mushrooms in dollops.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
- Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Check chicken for doneness.
- If the chicken is already cut into pieces, stir a bit and serve. If the chicken is whole, then slice the chicken on a cutting board and stir together with the pesto sauce and mushrooms and then serve.
Notes
Ideal slow cooker size: 3 quart
Nik says
We threw in a head of cauliflower and a tiny zucchini as well. It was great!
Karen says
Thanks Nik! Sounds like a great dinner 🙂
Joanna says
I threw in some sliced cherry tomatoes as well. Might add some zucchini next time
Karen says
Sounds amazing!
Tori says
Do you cook the mushrooms before they go in the crockpot?
Karen says
Nope!
Jim Allen says
Since I am on a dairy-free diet could I leave the cheese out and still have a good result ?
Karen says
I am pretty sure you could. However check the ingredients of your pesto because a lot of them have cheese in them.
Mystawnya says
Good job Skylar! Can't wait to try it! Karen, your kids are movie stars!
[email protected] says
Thanks! He was so excited when I read him this comment 🙂
Catherine says
Dear Karen, This looks wonderful! xo, Catherine