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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!
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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.
Ingredients
- Yellow onion
- Boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Chili powder
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Salsa verde
- Milk or cream
- Cream cheese
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Chopped broccoli florets
- Salted butter
- Garlic
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Fresh basil
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.
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!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I thought the salsa verde was such a great addition flavor-wise! I was honestly in a bit of a time crunch when I made this and tend to eyeball things anyway, so I didn’t read the measurements quite as closely as I should have. I accidentally added the entire can of salsa verde instead of just 3/4 cup and didn’t realize it until the end when I was getting ready to add the dairy. Thankfully, it turned out great!
I also used chicken broth instead of water because I had seen a few reviews saying the dish was a little bland, and I figured that would add some extra flavor. I eyeballed the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt and was pretty generous with the seasonings.
For the broccoli, I happened to buy two 12-ounce bags of steam-in-bag broccoli. Instead of adding it to the slow cooker for the last 15 minutes, I just steamed it in the microwave and stirred it in at the end, which worked perfectly. I also used a full 8-ounce block of cheddar that I shredded myself rather than measuring the cheese exactly.
It turned out really flavorful and delicious! It’s essentially a creamy broccoli-cheddar chicken stew, so the flavors themselves aren’t overly complex, but I thought the salsa verde added a really nice background note that gave it more depth.
For anyone worried about the reviews saying it’s bland, I think this is one of those recipes where it’s incredibly easy to adjust to your taste. Use broth instead of water, be generous with the seasonings, add a little extra salsa verde or cheese, etc. It’s a really great base recipe that you can easily make your own.
Overall, I think the author did a great job creating something that’s easy, comforting, flavorful, and family-friendly. I’d definitely make it again!
Hi Laura,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and taking the time to comment, I’m so glad it was enjoyed!
This was great. As I always do, I made a few changes to fit my family’s personal preferences:
1. Doubled the spices + added 1 tsp dried thyme, omitted the salsa + water in favor of 1.5 c. broth and a splash of white wine vinegar.
2. Omitted the cream/milk when it was done, and didn’t cook the broccoli in the crockpot.
3. Served this over spaghetti noodles and for the last 3 minutes of cooking, threw in the 4 c. broccoli florets to blanch them. Strained them out and tossed back into the sauce with the chicken shredded. Didn’t worry about the butter sauce.
Overall with these simple changes but keeping everything else the same, I found this is a super easy and delicious meal.
Hi Chloe,
Awesome! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Loved this! Riffed a little and let the chicken cook 5 hours, used an extra tbsp of smoked paprika, and extra tsp garlic powder. I will also insist on cream over the milk, as well as putting in the broccoli when the chicken still has 30 mins to cook before you start adding in the cheese, cream cheese, etc.
Chicken was so tender and basically became shredded on its own and kids loved this!
Hey Kayla,
Wonderful! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for choosing to making it!
We liked this recipe but agree it needs a little more. We’re thinking next time we’ll shred the chicken so the spices get spread around a little more. Tieghan do you have any thoughts on how that would effect this dish?
Hey Spencer,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your thoughts, so happy it worked for you!
I think that would be okay for you to do next time.
Everyone in my house liked the recipe. I did blanch the broccoli because of reading some of the reviews.
Hey Beverly,
Amazing! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
This was so good! Everyone in my family loved it and that’s hard to accomplish!
Hey Natalie,
Big thanks for making this recipe and sharing back. So glad it hit the spot!
Enjoy your Wednesday!
Made this last night. It was a little bland like others have said for those of us in my house who like flavor (the younger kid who has no spice tolerance still found it spicy!) But has potential with a few tweaks!
1. I’d chop the broccoli up very small and/or pre-cook (steam or microwave) the broccoli. Parts of the broc were still crunchy and I cooked it for like 45 minutes on high in my crockpot!
2. I’d add more veg! This begs for more veg which would make it more interesting and give more flavor. I’d add some colorful bell peppers (also pre-cook them) or some green chilis to perk this up.
3. When I added the broccoli there just wasn’t enough liquid in the pot – so I added some broth
Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you for sharing all of your helpful notes! I appreciate you trying the recipe and sharing your feedback!
This is very delicious. My family doesn’t like onions, so I used dehydrated minced onion in its place. Took a little longer than 15 minutes for the broccoli to cook, but I left the veg as mini florets rather than chopping. Used the medium Herdez Roasted Salsa Verde and it imparted great flavor. Served over basmati rice. Very tasty and I have saved this recipe to make it again for the family. Thank you! Feeding 3 people, I have enough to serve this for dinner again tomorrow, which is always a win in my book.
Hey there,
Awesome! Love to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it and your comment!
I gave it 3 stars for the ease of making this crockpot meal. My family found it to be bland. My husband saw me when I started the meal with the onions, chicken, spices, and salsa verde. When I took the lid off to do the next cheesy steps, it smelled great! I made it as the recipe was written. Even served it with polenta and crusty bread! It was bland and lacked the oomph I was expecting. Sorry HBH, but I won’t be remaking this one.
Hey Joy,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback. So sorry to hear it was not enjoyed!
This was good, but I think I like the “One Skillet Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Orzo much better.”
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Angela!
Followed the recipe exactly. So incredibly bland tasting. Basically just tasted like a cream cheese, salsa verde mash in the end… Not sure how this recipe is getting 5 stars.
Hi Van,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed!
Easy and delish! Thank you for sharing!
Hey Aleah,
Wonderful! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
Have a great weekend!
Could I just add the garlic and thyme into the cream sauce instead of the butter sauce? My picky kids would never eat this topped with that butter sauce but I also don’t want to loose those flavors?
Hey Hillary,
Sure, that would work nicely for you. I hope you love this recipe!
Have a great Friday!
Can I make this in a dutch oven? How long/at what temp?
Hi Alaina,
So sorry, I have not tested that method with this recipe so I do not have the exact instructions.
Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
This is a recipe we rotate in our house!!
My husband is pretty picky but LOVES this recipe. We put it over rice. My kids 2&4 ages also love it!! A hit.
Hey Peyton,
Happy Sunday! Big thanks for making this recipe so often and your comment, I love that it always turns out well for you!