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This easy Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken recipe creates tender, juicy chicken breasts in a creamy lemon garlic sauce. Perfect weeknight dinner ready in just 4 hours with minimal prep work required!

A plate of white rice topped with a piece of cooked chicken, garnished with parsley, sits beside a fork and knife. A slow cooker, lemon, and red-striped cloth are in the background.


 

🍋 Using simple chicken breasts and pantry staples, this recipe delivers restaurant-quality results without breaking the bank. It tastes like you spent hours cooking when you barely spent minutes prepping!

Table of Contents

My 2 Best Tips For Making Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken

Use Fresh Lemon Zest: Fresh lemons make all the difference in this recipe. The zest adds incredible aromatic oils that you just can’t get from bottled juice. Use a microplane grater for the finest zest that distributes evenly throughout the dish.

(Extra tip: I freeze lemon zest when I buy a bag of lemons so I almost always have it on hand when I want to make a lemony dish!)

Adding Cream: This is crucial for preventing curdling! Always whisk the cornstarch completely into the cold heavy cream before adding it to the slow cooker. Add this mixture during the last 30 minutes of cooking when the temperature is more stable, and resist the urge to lift the lid frequently.

Melissa in her kitchen smiling in front of the starting ingredients for the chicken the quinoa salad and skillet chicken on the wood block in front of her

🩷 Melissa

This sauce is bright and tangy — you are going to love it! The combination of bright, zesty lemon with rich, creamy garlic sauce creates the perfect balance. It’s comfort food that doesn’t feel heavy and is just so good!

This recipe feeds a crowd and reheats beautifully, making it ideal for meal prep or feeding hungry teenagers who seem to eat everything in sight.

Whether you serve it over rice, pasta, or veggies, everyone at the table will be asking for seconds.

Four chicken breasts sit in a creamy, seasoned sauce inside a white slow cooker, each piece topped with a lemon wedge and a sprinkle of herbs. The sauce has a slightly browned edge around the cooker.
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Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken

By: Melissa Griffiths
This easy Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken recipe creates tender, juicy chicken breasts in a creamy lemon garlic sauce. Perfect weeknight dinner ready in just 4 hours with minimal prep work required!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6
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Ingredients 

  • 2 to 2.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 3-4 lemons, zested and juiced
  • ½ cup salted butter, cut into pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon, powder or granules
  • 1 to 2 cups chicken broth, start with 1 cup, add more if needed
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions 

  • Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
  • Add the lemon zest, garlic, butter pieces, chicken bouillon, lemon juice, and 1 cup chicken broth.
  • Cover and cook on Low for 4 hours or High for 2 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
  • About 30 minutes before serving, whisk together the heavy cream and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Stir the mixture into the slow cooker. (Add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch if you prefer a thicker sauce.)
  • Cover and let the sauce thicken for the remaining cook time.
  • Serve hot over rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes, spooning the creamy lemon sauce over the chicken.

Notes

Slow Cooker Size: 6-quart
Tips for Cooking Chicken in a Slow Cooker:
  • Slow cookers heat quite a bit differently and chicken comes in a lot of different thicknesses so adjust the cooking time as needed.
  • If it starts to not have enough liquid you can add that remaining 1 cup of broth as needed. 
  • If you cook the chicken longer for the recommended time, it’ll start to fall apart and shred easily. If you don’t want shredded chicken, don’t over cook it. 
  • And if your slow cooker runs hot, check the chicken after 3 hours on low or 1.5 hours on high. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
Serving Ideas: 
  • If you prefer shredded chicken, simply shred the breasts in the sauce before serving.
  • We like it over rice the best to help soak up all the sauce. 
Storing & Reheating: Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat beautifully! I actually think the flavors develop even more overnight. Reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of chicken broth if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 6 servings, Calories: 470kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 34g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 183mg, Sodium: 845mg, Potassium: 696mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 1121IU, Vitamin C: 31mg, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 1mg
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How To Make Creamy Lemon Chicken in the Crock-Pot

Raw chicken thighs seasoned with herbs and minced garlic, topped with cubes of butter, placed in a white slow cooker on a wooden board with a granite countertop in the background.

Step 1: Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker and sprinkle with seasonings. Add the lemon zest, garlic, butter pieces, chicken bouillon, lemon juice, and 1 cup chicken broth.

Chicken breasts simmer in a seasoned broth inside a white slow cooker, set on a speckled granite countertop.

Step 2: Cover and cook on Low for 4 hours or High for 2 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

A slow cooker filled with creamy lemon chicken, garnished with lemon wedges and chopped herbs. The cooker sits on a white surface beside a pink-striped cloth.

Step 3: About 30 minutes before serving, whisk together the heavy cream and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Stir the mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and let the sauce thicken for the remaining cook time.

Overhead view of creamy lemon chicken with sauce in a slow cooker, served on plates with white rice. Two plates are on a red-striped cloth, with fresh lemons and forks nearby.

Step 4: Serve hot over rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes, spooning the creamy lemon sauce over the chicken.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?

Yes, chicken thighs work beautifully in this recipe and stay incredibly juicy. You might need to adjust the cooking time slightly – they typically need about 30 minutes longer than breasts to become tender enough to shred.

How do I prevent the sauce from being too thin?

The cornstarch and heavy cream mixture is key to getting the perfect consistency. If your sauce seems thin after adding the cream mixture, try mixing an additional tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and stirring it in during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

What if my slow cooker runs hot and the chicken seems to be cooking too quickly?

Every slow cooker is different and new ones seem to run hotter! If yours runs hot, check the chicken after 3 hours on low or 1.5 hours on high. The internal temperature should reach 165°F. You can always add that extra cup of broth if things seem to be getting too thick or cooking too fast.

More Fabulous Chicken Recipes To Try

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