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Crockpot Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Chicken, a cozier weeknight, slow cooker meal. This comforting chicken and broccoli is tossed in a creamy, spicy salsa verde white cheddar cheese sauce, then finished with a golden garlic thyme butter, so delish. It’s the perfect hearty and delicious meal to come home to at the end of a busy day. And what’s even better is just how easy it is to prepare!
And just like that, the crockpot recipes are slowly returning for the season ahead. To say that I’m excited would be an understatement. It’s not that I’m ready for chilly fall days, but I am ready to celebrate and share all of my favorite things. Baked apple recipes, dishes made with pumpkin, cozy stews and chilis, fresh bread, and warming cocktails.
As we enter into September this year, I have so much excitement. There’s so much to look forward to in the autumn months.
And the one thing I think we all know I love is creating easy, cozy dinners that we can all really enjoy.
At this point, I have more broccoli cheddar recipes in my toolbox than most need, but they’re all so yummy. My very favorite is a good bowl of broccoli cheddar soup. But I love my broccoli cheddar chicken noodle casserole, broccoli cheddar chicken and rice casserole and we can’t forget creamy one pot broccoli cheddar orzo.
Yes, I love this combination. But this is my first recipe for the crockpot, and I think you’ll really love it. This is the creamiest chicken, and it’s topped with a little garlic butter to make it that much more delicious.
Here are the details
Step 1: layer the chicken
Working in the bowl of your crockpot, layer the onion, chicken, and seasonings. Pour over the salsa verde, then add some water.
Now cover the crockpot and let the chicken cook. I usually cook 1-2 hours on high or 3 to 4 hours on low.
Step 2: make the chicken creamy
Once the chicken is cooked, mix in a bit of milk or cream, a block of cream cheese, a couple of handfuls of cheddar cheese, then lots of fresh broccoli.
Now let this cook on high for 10 or 15 minutes. Just until the sauce is very creamy and the cheese has melted.
Step 3: brown the butter
Brown the butter in a small skillet with garlic and thyme. The goal is to get the butter to a nice golden color and the thyme crispy. This takes about 4-5 minutes.
This is “extra” and while you don’t need it, it makes every bite of this dish that much yummier. So I of course recommend it.
I love to serve the chicken, broccoli, and sauce over rice or creamy polenta. And then drizzle that golden butter on top.
Once you plate this, I recommend adding fresh basil on top and some crusty bread on the side. The bread is perfect for scooping up all that extra creamy sauce.
Looking for other easy weeknight night dinners?? Here are my favorites:
One Pan Herb Butter Chicken and Zucchini Rice Pilaf
Simple Thai Chicken Zucchini Meatball Curry
Sheet Pan Hot Honey Garlic Chicken and Zucchini
Slow Cooker Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
30 Minute Creamy Chicken and Parmesan Sage Dumplings
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Chicken.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 612 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3/4 cup salsa verde
- 1/2 cup milk or cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 3-4 cups chopped broccoli
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
- fresh basil for serving
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your slow cooker, layer the onion and then the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the salsa verde and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 1-2 hours.2. Crank the heat on the slow cooker to high. Stir in the milk, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese. Add the broccoli. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the sauce is creamy.3. Melt together the butter, garlic, and thyme leaves in a small skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter is browning and the thyme is crisp, 4 minutes.4. Serve the chicken, broccoli, and sauce topped with brown butter and fresh basil. Enjoy!
Instant Pot
- 1. In the bowl of your Instant Pot, layer the onion and then the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the salsa verde and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.2. Once done cooking, release the steam. Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Stir in the milk, cream cheese, and cheddar. Add the broccoli. Cook 6-8 minutes, until the sauce is creamy.3. Melt together the butter, garlic, and thyme leaves in a small skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter is browning and the thyme is crisp, 4 minutes.4. Serve the chicken, broccoli, and sauce topped with brown butter and fresh basil. Enjoy!
So easy and sooooo yummy! My fiance and I’s new go-to dinner.
We haven’t tried it with the browned butter yet as I don’t think it’s necessary because it is already so creamy and tasteful without (but I’m sure that is delicious too :)!
We froze leftovers and I bring them to work when I’m in a pinch.
Thank you for your great recipe!
Hey Alexandra,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, I love that it was enjoyed! xT
Easy and delicious. Will make this again.
Hey Pam,
Fantastic! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Xx
This was so quick and easy to make! I used the instant pot version of this recipe, and it was delicious and flavorful! I skipped on the butter sauce and fresh basil (just to say some money on the fresh herbs/didn’t have them on hand). Served it over rice just like Tiegan! M
Hey V,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx
I really wanted to love this but it just tasted so bland. I followed the recipe verbatim but it just wasn’t it, I added extra seasonings to be able to finish the meal.
Hi Rachel,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and your comment, I’m so very sorry to hear the recipe was bland for you. Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xT
End result was great but I made a few tweaks after reading other reviews. I have had bad luck with some of these easier recipes, like the onions not being great. So I sautéed onions (and added garlic) before putting them in the instant pot and adding the chicken. I think that gave it a lot more flavor and the onions weren’t still crisp. It doesn’t say it in the recipe, but after cooking I removed the chicken and added in the cheese/milk. From there I cooked it down longer to make it more cheesy and less watery. End result was great!
I was also confused about rice as a lot of people referenced it but it wasn’t in the recipe. I was thinking rice should be in the instant pot with the other ingredients, but then realized I needed to make it separate.
Hey Katie,
I appreciate you making this dish and sharing the tweaks that worked well for you! So glad to hear it turned out great in the end! The rice is just something I like to serve this over, but it’s also great alone or even over noodles or orzo! xT
Absolutely delicious. The whole family LOVED it. Everyone asked for seconds and my picky daughter asked to have it in her school lunch tomorrow. Home run and so easy and quick. I mixed in the rice at the end which soaked up all the sauce and then poured in the butter. Putting in our rotation of favorites. So good, thank you for creating!
Thanks so much Marion! I really appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback! Love that your daughter wants it in her lunch:) Xx
Is there a substitute I can use for the cream cheese? Just don’t don’t have it in my fridge right now.
Hi there,
Creme fraiche or ricotta would also work well here! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Can you do this without chicken?
Hi Dena! I haven’t ever tried this without chicken before so I can’t say for sure! So sorry! xT
Ack! I brought all the ingredients to make this at an AirBnB, but forgot to bring my Instant Pot :-/ Any recommendations for modifying this for the stove/oven?
Hi Lori! No worries! I would just follow similar instructions to the crockpot recipe! I would let the chicken and onions simmer/cook for about 20 mins, and then add the salsa verde and water and cook for another 10 mins or so. Then from there add the rest of the ingredients and let the flavors combine for about 10-15 mins! Hope this helps! xT
This is so yummy! I microwaved the onions for a couple minutes before adding them, as I tend to get crunchy onions with my slowcooker. I also microwaved the broccoli quickly before adding it. All turned out perfectly!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it out and leaving such a kind comment! xT
In the tik tok video, it looks like you used bone broth instead of water. Do you recommend using bone broth over water? Thanks! Love your recipes
Hi Lauren! You can totally use either! xT
This recipe was *so* good, loved the flavors and the chili verde was a really yummy secret ingredient. I did the faster version in the slow cooker on high and was really pleased with it. I will say that if you want softer onions or broccoli, might be worth giving the longer version a go and adding the broccoli sooner. I made one slight modification – I didn’t have any rice so I cooked up some orzo and added it at the very end with some pasta water. Will make this again someday but definitely have so many other recipes of hers I want to try first 🙂
Hi Heather! Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have an awesome New Year! xT
So, so good. I did the faster version in the crockpot too and pre-cooked the broccoli, perfection 😀
This is the fourth time I’ve made this dish, it always turns out so delicious, thank you so much, Tieghan! Greetings from Germany🍀
Hi Kiki! Thanks so much! Wow, so crazy this recipe has reached you in Germany! Love to hear that 🙂 xT