Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken

 

This Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken is the ultimate high protein meal that the whole family will love. Tender chicken breasts are cooked in a rich red pesto sauce with a touch of stock, and finished with spinach, crème fraîche and Parmesan for a silky smooth, creamy finish. It's comforting yet fresh - and only takes a few minutes of hands-on prep.

This slow cooker pesto chicken takes just 5 minutes to throw everything in the slow cooker. It's protein packed (a whopping 37g of protein per serving) and you can easily add lots of vegetables to it, to make it even more nutritious.

It's so versatile too, as there are so many different ways to serve it depending on what your family enjoys. It's also great for meal prep and batch cooking, as it freezes really well.

Any kind of slow cooker chicken goes down well with kids, and I am yet to meet a kid that doesn't love pesto. That makes this is winning family meal!

• Chicken breasts - We use skinless chicken breasts to keep this lean and protein packed. But you could swap it for chicken thighs which would be juicier, but it would change the cooking times. See our Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs recipe.
• Shallots - You can use a brown onion instead if you like. Save time by using diced frozen onion. You could add some frozen garlic too.
• Pesto - This is where all the flavour comes from. Use a good quality pesto as you will taste the difference. This recipe uses red pesto, but it can be swapped for green.
• Stock - Chicken or vegetable stock will work.
• Spinach - Always a great addition to slow cooker recipes because it cooks so quickly. You could add kale instead.
• Crème Fraîche - This is what makes the slow cooker pesto chicken nice and creamy. You could swap it for coconut milk or single cream if you prefer.
• Sun-dried tomatoes - This adds an extra tomato boost to the recipe. You could leave them out if you prefer.
• Parmesan cheese - Finish the dish off with some extra creaminess.

• Variations

  Green pesto - swap red pesto for classic basil green pesto, or a homemade pesto like our Mixed herb Pesto.

  Add veggies - stir in roasted red peppers, mushrooms, aubergine (eggplant) or courgettes (zucchini) for extra goodness.

  Make it dairy-free - use a dairy-free pesto, coconut cream instead of crème fraîche, and nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan to make this a dairy-free option.

  Add heat - stir in chilli flakes or harissa for a spicy kick.

  Creamier - add a splash of double cream or mascarpone for an extra-luxurious sauce.