My friend Connie, from Smockity Frocks, is hosting a “What’s In Your CrockPot?” link-up today! Head over to her blog for all sorts of yummy crockpot recipes and ideas.
It’s hard to say whether I love my crockpot or my bread machine more. Both of them are invaluable tools in my kitchen that I use again and again and again.
Italian Chicken
- One bottle of your favorite Italian salad dressing
- 6 Chicken Breasts
Stick the chicken breasts in the crockpot and pour the Italian Dressing over them. Cook on high for 4-6 hours until completely cooked through. Serve over brown rice.
For variation, you can add in a bag of frozen veggies halfway through.
Recently, I’ve been making Italian Chicken and serving it with Bread Machine Buttery Rolls and some fruit on the side. You can make this complete dinner from start to finish in 15 minutes. How’s that for simple? Plus, if you get the chicken on a good sale, the Italian dressing for almost-free, and use fruit that’s in season and on sale, it’s also very much a budget meal, too!
I’ve done this with one jar of salsa and it makes excellent chicken tacos.
If my chicken breasts are not frozen and I will be at work longer than the suggested 4-6 hours should I cook it on low or medium instead? I plan on trying this meal out tomorrow for my husband and I and I want to make sure I get it right. Thanks for the great idea!
Nope, definitely operator error! It happened in two of my crockpots. Sigh!! Perhaps the BBQ sauce? Or because chicken breasts have less fat so no water is really produced when they’re cooked? I dunno…
I’ve tried to make chicken in the crockpot twice now and both times, it has burnt! Last time I used frozen chicken breasts, added a bunch of bbq sauce, cooked on low for 6 hours….but when we got home, it was BURNT and inedible! Seriously, inedible. I’m tired of wasting food, what am I doing wrong? Not enough liquid? I’m scared to try again!
@Annette, I don’t think that it should burn. But I have had things on low for 6-10 hours and never had anything burn. Maybe your crockpot is not working right? I once cooked a whole chicken with only a smidge of water in the bottom and it makes it’s own juice, so I don’t think it’s because there is not enough liquid.
After I’ve cooked the chicken breast and Italian dressing, I shred the chicken, add 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, 1 cup chicken broth, and 8 oz cream cheese (room-temperature). It is so creamy and SO good. I serve it over rice the first night, and then scoop it into tortillas and add cheese and salsa the next night to make Creamy Enchiladas. Two great meals out of one super easy crockpot recipe.
@Leah,
Leah – do you drain off the the Italian dressing before adding the chicken soup, broth and cream cheese? I made this for the first time today – the chicken is so tender and shreds so easily. I just don’t know whether to save the “juice” or throw it out!
@Kathy, Sorry, YES, I do drain the Italian dressing off before I add the other ingredients. I promise you, this recipe is SUPER yummy.
One of my favorites.
I almost always use frozen meat in my crock pot including sausage, chicken, turkey, pork, ribs, and roasts. It ups the cooking time slightly but that is perfect for putting in before leaving on work days. Also this is great if you wake up and realize you forgot to take something out of the freezer.
Yesterday I used my crock pot to cook a large frozen turkey breast which I then cubed to make several batches of turkey tetrazinni. It cooked up nice and moist, smelt delicious and didn’t involve heating the whole house up with the oven. Plus it went from freezer to pot instead of days of de-frosting in the fridge.
Sounds so yummy and simple! LOVE recipes like that! Here’s a recipe for homemade italian dressing which makes the dressing SUPER inexpensive plus very, very healthy! http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/more-healthy-salad-dressing-recipes-italian-and-thousand-island
I love this recipe!!! It really seems to fit everyone’s palate. Love it!
I make this same “recipe” and my family (all guys!) LOVE it!!!! It’s amazing all that you can do w/ that free or nearly Italian dressing … it’s great to use w/ baked salmon, as well.
Your blog is wonderful!
🙂
This regularly makes the dinner rotation at our house. It’s on tonight’s menu, but we’re just doing it on the stove top. I’m serving it with brown rice and veggies. Thanks for reminding me that I can make this in the crockpot too! I always forget that this is faster and easier if I throw it in the crockpot!
Heiss Haus, I use frozen chicken breast in this “recipe” all the time. I just pop them in before I go to work (7am) & by 4pm, they are done! Couldn’t be easier.
I also add baby carrots and potatoes for a complete meal in the crockpot! It’s WAY simple and SO good!
I do this all the time! I also add a can of mushrooms and a can of diced tomatoes. Serve over egg noodles. The kids love it!
One of my favorite variations of this recipe is to shred the chicken after it’s done and leave it in the crock pot for at least another half hour. You can shred it right in there, no need to take it out. It’s not the most beautiful meal I serve, but everyone loves it. As others have said, BBQ sauce works well, too.
Heiss Haus — I often put the breasts in frozen.
Crystal, Thank you so much for linking up! Love your recipe. Quick and easy is just my style!
We marinate chicken like this all the time and than grill it. Ive never tried it in the crockpot before but will for sure give it a try.
I make chicken and pork chops like this in the oven, but never once thought to use the crockpot! How handy!
Crystal, do you think if started early enough in the day, I could used frozen chicken breasts?
@Heiss Haus,
I put frozen chicken in the crockpot all the time. I start it midmorning and its perfect by suppertime!
I leave for work at 7:00 am I’m also curious about how it would work if it was cooked for over 8 hours. I assume it would need to be on low. Has anyone cooked them this long or longer?
I just saw two free bottles of Italian dressing in the top of my pantry yesterday. I thought about doing something like this. Now, I know I am going to do this. Thanks!
I make chicken this way in bulk and then cube or shred it to keep in the freezer in two cup increments. It seems to stay moister than when I just bake it and put it in the freezer. This is then the chicken I use in casseroles, quesadillas etc. when it calls for two cups cooked chicken.
Thank you for the recipe!!!
Sounds delicious and very easy.
I am going to try it tonight.
Carol
I make that the same way! Another recipe is adding 1 bottle of bbq sauce, using pork and bbq sauce. I did bbq pork this way yesterday!
Oh, don’t dare be embarrassed… I worked as a server at a local seafood restaurant and that was our “secret ingredient” for our grilled chicken breasts… he he he They grilled chicken, drizzled Italian dressing over them and served them with steamed vegetables, rice and a side salad… Sound familiar? My husband’s favorite crock pot meal is just that simple… yellow BBQ pork chops, cooked on low all afternoon, the chops fall off the bone! I will definitely have to go check out the post! Thanks for sharing!
@Kassandra,
I’m curious… what’s the recipe for yellow BBQ pork chops?
@Kassandra,
Maybe I missed it, but I would love to know the “yellow bbq pork chops” recipe too. Or do you just mean that you use bbq sauce and italian dressing -and it’s that easy?
Sounds yummy – I will have to try this one!