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An easy, hands-off dinner everyone will love! This comforting chicken Parmesan is slow-cooked in a flavorful Italian tomato sauce with garlic and fresh basil. Just before serving, sprinkle on mozzarella and let it get perfectly melty. Top everything with buttery Parmesan bread crumbs and serve the chicken, sauce, and cheese over bowls of spaghetti. So simple, so easy, and so delish — the perfect wholesome meal to come home to after a busy day.
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When it comes to making chicken Parmesan at home, I tend to avoid it. Honestly, I probably make a classic chicken Parmesan two, maybe three times a year. I don’t love that you have to bread the chicken and then pan-fry it in hot oil — it’s just a little too time-consuming and messy for a typical weeknight. I think a lot of us feel the same way! You really have to be in the mood (and have the energy) to make it.
That being said, my brothers love chicken Parmesan. So I wanted to create an easier, cozier version — and of course, I turned to the crockpot. I’m all about hands-off cooking right now: less prep, less work, and totally effortless but still incredibly delicious. It’s not always easy to achieve, but this slow-cooked chicken Parmesan is so, so good. I added a few special touches that make it extra flavorful and truly delicious.
Full disclosure — this isn’t your traditional chicken Parmesan, but the flavors are just the same. It’s lighter, simpler, and even more comforting. We love that, of course!
You just can’t beat a cozy crockpot dinner this time of year — it’s the ultimate comfort food made easy.
These are the details
Ingredients – for the Crockpot
- chicken breasts
- canned crushed tomatoes – love Italian style
- tomato paste
- shallots
- Italian seasoning
- fresh basil – feel free to use dried basil if necessary!
- chili flakes
- parmesan rind – if you have one lying around, use it!
- fresh grated parmesan
- whole milk mozzarella or provolone cheese – I mix them
For Topping
- salted butter
- panko breadcrumbs
- garlic
- parmesan
For Serving
- fresh parsley or basil – or use both
- cooked spaghetti – or your favorite pasta!
The Tools
For this recipe, you’ll need a crockpot, a small skillet, and a nice big pot for boiling spaghetti at the end.
The Steps
Step 1: Prep the Chicken
Arrange the chicken in the bowl of your crockpot. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, shallots, Italian seasoning, basil, and season with chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
Pour in a splash of water — or for even more flavor, use broth, red wine, or white wine. (I usually just use water.) Give everything a quick mix to combine.
Step 2: Slow Cook the Chicken
Cover and cook on low for a few hours, or on high for a couple of hours if you’re short on time.
About 20 minutes before dinner, remove the lid and shred the chicken — it should fall apart easily. Add the cheeses and let them melt right over the chicken and sauce.
Step 3: Make the Parmesan Crumbs
While the cheese melts, take a few minutes to make the crumbs — it’s so worth it!
In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs and garlic, toasting until the butter turns golden and the crumbs are fragrant. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and remove from the heat.
Step 4: To Serve
Boil the spaghetti, then toss it with butter and fresh basil. Spoon the chicken, sauce, and melted cheese over each bowl of pasta. Top with the crispy Parmesan breadcrumbs and plenty of fresh parsley (and extra basil if you’d like!).
Recommendations
Serve this cozy crockpot chicken parmesan with homemade garlic bread — trust me, it’s worth it and so yummy with the chicken Parmesan! Add a simple fall salad on the side for a dinner that’s effortless, comforting, and completely delicious.
Looking for other slow cooked fall recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribs
Slow Cooker Red Wine Braised Short Rib Pasta
Slow Cooker Coq au Vin with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Chicken Parmesan, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to 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 Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts
- 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1/4 cup Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- chili flakes
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1-2 Parmesan rinds
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella or provolone
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- fresh parsley or basil, chopped
- 1 pound (16 ounces) hot cooked spaghetti, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, add the chicken, tomatoes, tomato paste, shallots, Italian seasoning, basil, and season with chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Add 1/2 cup of water. Stir it. Drop in 1-2 Parmesan rinds. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2 hours.2. Crank the heat on the slow cooker to high. Remove the lid, stir, and shred the chicken. Stir in the 1/2 cup parmesan, then top with mozzarella/provolone. Cook for 20 minutes on HIGH, until the cheese is melted.3. Meanwhile, add the butter to a skillet with the Panko and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the butter browns and the panko is toasted. Remove and mix in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with salt. 4. Serve the sauce, chicken, and cheese over bowls of cooked spaghetti. Top with Parmesan crumbs 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.
Can this be frozen, thaws and reheated in oven??
Hey Norrie,
Totally, that would be okay for you to do! I hope you love this dish!
This is the most tender, “I cooked the sauce all day”-tasting chicken parmesan I’ve ever served. I omittd the panko step and just put a slice of mozzarella atop each chicken breast whenserving.
Hey Diane,
Wonderful! I appreciate you making this recipe, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you!
I made this tonight. My husband and son could not get enough! Delicious and will be using other recipes! It’
Hey Ada,
Wonderful! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
Have a great week ahead!
Tough chicken. Sauce was amazing, but would’ve worked better with beef. Meatballs or something.
Hi Courtney,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it!
Hey Tieghan,
While this recipe was good I was even more impressed by the creativity in designing the recipe. Love it when you think outside the box and turn a traditional dish and put your own spin on a classic well done. I’ll be honest this was even better the 2nd day I had it so win win for me great job as always!
Thanks so much, Mike! Love to hear your enjoyed this dish and thanks for your kind message! Happy Holidays!
This was tasty and satisfied my craving for chicken parm with less effort. I didn’t have the fresh ingredients and just used what I had on hand. The bread crumbs were yummy. I would make more sauce next time just because I like saucy noodles. Thanks for the fun idea! Bonus my toddler even enjoyed the meal and the shredded chicken made less cutting for me.
Hi Kaisa,
Wonderful! Love that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for sharing back!
This was dinner last night! Very good and very easy. The sauce was so tasty with all the spices and cheese!! Looking forward to the leftovers!!!
Thanks so much, April! Love to hear this dish turned out well for you! Happy Monday!
Honestly the dish lacked overall flavor and the sauce thinned with the cheese onto leaking too mush moisture. We could not save it and ended up eating coldcut sandwiches. I have had good results with other recipes this oe clearly missed the mark for me.
Thanks for trying this recipe Chrissy. So sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know!
Would this work in the instant pot?
Hey Beth,
I haven’t tested this recipe in the instant pot. Please let me know if you give it a try! Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
If using a Dutch oven instead of crockpot how would I modify timing and temperature? Obviously less time cooking if in Dutch oven.
Hi Bridget,
I haven’t tested this recipe on the stovetop in a dutch oven, so I do not have exact instructions with temp and timing. I think it should work nicely for you though. I hope you love this recipe!
Flavor was great, loved the ease of it. Loved the bread crumb topping. The sauce had the best flavor. Were the rinds supposed to melt into the sauce? I had to pull a rind out, only one melted in, I probably used too large a rind for the 2nd one. The issue we had was the shredded chicken overtook the sauciness. We wouldn’t do it shredded if we did it again. I needed to have chunks of chicken or leave the breast whole and melt the cheese onto each one, then sprinkle the breadcrumbs onto the top when you serve a whole chicken for each person. That would probably be how I make it again because I felt like the sauce ended up overtaken and it was my favorite part. My family didn’t really eat much of it and I have a feeling the leftovers are going to sit in the fridge. That’s usually an indication that I need to tweak something.
Hi Sarah,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe! The rinds are not meant to melt into the sauce, you can pull them out, they just add flavor. Sorry to hear you didn’t love this!
Winner winner, chicken dinner! This one is a keeper. Loved coming home to dinner basically done and it was so flavorful – and that was without having any Parmesan or fresh herbs on hand. Do NOT skip the panko garlic butter crumbs!! 10 out of 10 chance we will be adding this to our rotation of crock pot meals!
Lol thanks so much, Ellie! Love to hear this dish turned out well for you! Hope you are having a great day!
Hi! Instead of shredding the chicken, is cubing it an option or cutting into just smaller pieces? Can’t wait to try!
Hi Heather,
Sure, you could cut the chicken however you like.
I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try!
Hi! Made this tonight and it was delicious! I was wondering if I could freeze the leftovers? Not the noodles and breadcrumbs obviously, but the crockpot mixture. Thanks!
Hey Carrie,
Thanks for testing this recipe out, I’m thrilled it was a success for you. Happy November!🍂🍁
I don’t see why you couldn’t freeze it!
Do we leave the rind in?
You can remove it:)
I normally don’t love Chicken Parmesan, but decided to give this one a go after looking for some crockpot meals. This is so good! I love the “deconstructed” idea of it, and it was so easy to make. 10/10!
Hey Olivia,
Fantastic! I’m so glad to hear you loved this dish, thanks a bunch for making it! Happy Tuesday!