15 Best Slow-Cooker Chicken Recipes

Slow-cookers have a special place in our kitchens (and our hearts). There is nothing quite like the knowledge that you are safely cooking a hot dinner, stress-free,  while you're away from your kitchen; and the delightful smell of your meal hitting your olfactories as you cross the threshold when you return is simply bliss.

One of the most comforting slow-cooked foods you can make is, of course, chicken. Chicken is inarguably one of the ultimate comfort foods; it's used in soups and stews, of course, but it's also implemented in so many other creative and tasty ways (like our Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Marsala, for example.) Kids love it, adults love it, and everybody in between loves it, too.

We've compiled our favorite slow-cooker chicken recipes for your stomach's pleasure. Use these to pull off a lovely weekend dinner, or maybe to make a weeknight a little less insane. The only question is: Which recipe will you make first?

When slow-cooked, these drumsticks are tender and incredibly flavorful. To get a crispy skin, however, brush the cooked drumsticks with a bit of the marinating liquid and throw them under the oven broiler to develop texture and a little charred flavor. For this recipe, click here.

You can keep dinner prep to 10 minutes with store-bought alfredo sauce and frozen mixed vegetables when you make this creamy and delicious chicken stew. Check out this easy recipe here.

Throw all six ingredients into a slow-cooker for a soft squash and tasty chicken dinner. The sage and garlic are perfect complements to the butternut squash and the juices — punctuated by a dash of balsamic vinegar — cook down into a delicious sauce that keeps the chicken flavorful and moist. Use this as your main course or as a side dish for your next family meal. For this recipe, click here.

This casserole may take some time to make, but it's definitely worth it (plus the cooking time is all hands-free). The chicken and beans are both soft and tender, and are full of amazing flavor. For this recipe, click here.

Everything except the cheesy tortellini is added to the Crock-Pot to be simmered on high for four to six hours. Then, 10 minutes before mealtime, toss in the pasta and finish the dish with generous shavings of quality Parmesan. For this recipe, click here.

The simmered chive dumplings thicken the broth making this soup into a warming, hearty, and comforting meal. Check it out here.

You don't need to spend hours over the stove working on that comforting chicken matzo ball soup. Let the slow-cooker put all the effort in so you don't have to. Click here for the recipe.

This soup is thick and creamy just like the filling of a chicken pot pie. Serve this soup with a side of biscuits to recreate all the flavors of the original. For this recipe, click here.

Chicken is first seared lightly in a pan to develop a crust and deep, delicious flavors. The onion and spices benefit from some high-heat contact, too, before all the ingredients are layered into a slow-cooker and cooked on high for four hours or on low for eight. This recipe is a winner; check it out here.

This particular chicken tortilla soup is easy as heck (don't let the list of ingredients fool you). It's healthy, fresh, and reheats ever so nicely. Check it out here.

Chicken is slowly braised in roasted tomatillo salsa and spices to make a super easy yet tasty version of chicken verde. For this recipe, click here.

Chicken is slowly braised in roasted tomatillo salsa and spices to make a super easy yet tasty version of chicken verde. For this recipe, click here.

This lemon chicken and rice soup recipe is flavored with lemongrass, cilantro, and serrano chiles to give it a unique taste and heat. Check it out here.

This chicken soup is something serious: Aside from the fact that it's perfumed with more than 40 cloves of garlic, pinches of saffron, cumin, cayenne, and paprika; it is topped with a poached egg, which, when pierced, infuses the soup with its rich flavor. For the recipe, click here.

Shhhh, don't tell... but the secret to this dish is to  simply pile all the ingredients into your slow-cooker and let it do all the work. Check out this recipe here.