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This Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken is covered in a creamy sauce made with plenty of lemon, butter and garlic! Serve the sauce over pasta or rice for an easy, delicious dinner!
This post is sponsored by Challenge Butter, but all opinions are my own.
Since having our twins almost a year ago, life has been busy! My mom was visiting this past weekend and looked at me at one point and said, “Do you realize that you never stop moving? You’re always in motion.” And it’s true. If I’m not working, I’m chasing after two little boys who are moving like crazy these days. It’s busy and fun!
So in order to make dinner happen at night amongst all the crazy, the slow cooker has become my best friend. I’ve been making lots of tasty dinners and playing around with recipes and I’m excited to share some of them with you starting with this Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken! Lemon is one our favorite flavors around here and the boys love anything covered in a tasty sauce, so this chicken has become quite popular in our house.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY LEMON BUTTER CHICKEN
To get started making the chicken, you’ll want to get your slow cooker set up. I’m a fan of using a slow cooker liner to make clean up easier, but that definitely isn’t required. Next, you’ll want to add your chicken to the cooker and make the sauce that the chicken will cook in.
It’s important when cooking in a slow cooker to have enough liquid to cook the chicken in to keep it moist. You definitely don’t want it to dry out, so I like to have enough liquid that it comes up at least about half way up the sides of the chicken. My slow cooker is a 6 quart, so even if you have a smaller one, this should be plenty to keep the chicken tender.
You’ll start by combining some chicken broth, half and half and lemon juice. The lemon juice adds lots of flavor, the half and half lends creaminess and the chicken broth brings it own flavor, as well as some additional liquid.
For additional flavor, we add garlic, salt and pepper, thyme, oregano and paprika. You know I love to have plenty of flavor, and this recipe doesn’t lack in that department! The final thing you’ll add is the melted butter – more “liquid” and definitely more flavor! It’s best to melt the butter before getting started, let it cool a bit and then add it at the end. It helps it incorporate better that way, since some of the other ingredients are cooler and you don’t want the butter to seize up if it’s still really warm when added.
THE BEST LEMON BUTTER SAUCE
And speaking of butter, I used my favorite in this lemon butter sauce – Challenge Butter! It’s such a creamy butter made from the freshest milk and goes from farm to fridge in just two days. Plus, there aren’t any growth hormones, nor do they use any artificial preservatives, fillers or dyes. These things are more important to me than ever these days, since I always have the boys in mind when cooking.
Pour that delicious lemon butter sauce over the chicken and let it cook on high for 3 hours. At that point, remove about 1 cup of the lemon butter sauce and add some cornstarch to it. Pour the mixture back into the slow cooker and stir it around a bit, then let it cook for another hour.
When it’s done, you end up with the most creamy lemon butter chicken! The sauce thickens up beautifully and goes so nicely with the chicken. It makes a wonderful sauce not only on the chicken, but also to drizzle over rice, pasta, mashed potatoes or whatever you decide to serve your chicken with. We absolutely love it and make it all the time! So fresh and tasty and such an easy way to put together a great meal!
TIPS FOR THE BEST CREAMY LEMON BUTTER CHICKEN
– Pay attention to the amount of liquid in the slow cooker. I use a 6 quart cooker and have the liquid about half way up the sides of the chicken. If use you a smaller cooker and the liquid covers the chicken more than that, that’s fine, but you don’t want it to be less.
– Be sure not to overcook the chicken. You can cook this chicken on high for 4 hours or low for 8, but I do think that the chicken is a little more moist when cooked on high for 4 hours. It’s also best to not leave the chicken sitting for took longer after it’s cooked. The heat can continue to cook the chicken as it sits.
– The cornstarch really thickens up the sauce so that it’s nice and creamy. You can always adjust it to your liking, if you prefer it a little more or less thick. Keep in mind that the sauce continues to thicken as it cools.
– Serve the creamy lemon butter chicken sauce over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes for a great meal!
– Use leftovers for chopping up and adding to salads!
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”chLLPDtB” upload-date=”2019-01-23T14:00:47.000Z” name=”Slow-Cooker-Creamy-Lemon-Butter-Chicken-BLOG” description=”This Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken is covered in a creamy sauce made with plenty of lemon, butter and garlic! Serve the sauce over pasta or rice for an easy, delicious dinner!”]
Read transcript
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Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken is an ultra flavorful comfort-food entree that’s easy to make in your slow cooker! Tender chicken breasts are cooked in a buttery lemon garlic sauce for a family dinner that will go down in history.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp unsalted Challenge Butter
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 4 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
1. Add the butter to a microwave safe bowl and heat until melted. Set aside.
2. Place the chicken breasts into a 6 quart slow cooker.
3. In a large bowl or measuring cup, combine the chicken broth, half and half and lemon juice, then add the garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano and paprika. If it curdles a little bit, that’s fine.
4. Add the melted, cooled butter to the lemon mixture and stir to combine.
5. Pour the lemon butter mixture over the chicken, then cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 7 hours. Slow cookers can vary a little so adjust cooking time as needed.
6. Remove about 1 cup of the lemon butter mixture from the slow cooker and whisk in the corn starch. Add it back into the slow cooker and stir to combine.
7. Place the top back on the slow cooker and cook for another hour, then serve.
Notes
I used my favorite butter in this sauce – Challenge Butter! It’s such a creamy butter made from the freshest milk, and it goes from farm to fridge in just two days. Plus, there aren’t any growth hormones, nor do they use any artificial preservatives, fillers or dyes. These things are more important to me than ever these days, since I always have the boys in mind when cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 546
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 806.5 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.6 g
- Protein: 63 g
- Cholesterol: 245.8 mg
Filed Under:
I am not a real fan of chicken breasts because I think they are kind of dry for the most part. I made this for my husband and I. I did double the sauce and, let me tell you, the chicken just fell apart! It was the most moist and tender chicken breast I have EVER had! We BOTH loved it. Will be making this for company anytime! (And us too!)
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Could you use a bunch of chicken tenders instead of whole breasts? How would that affect the cooking time?
You could. I’m not sure exactly about the cooking time, but it would certainly be less. You could probably cut the time in half.
I would like to try this recipe, but for eight people. Should I simply double the recipe? Also, can this be made with chicken thighs?
Yes, you can just double it. And chicken thighs should be fine.
Do I need to mix the cornstarch with cool water first so it doesn’t clump?
I didn’t find that to be an issue, but you certainly could just to be safe.
Tastes so good! My only thing is next time I would add less cornstarch and cook on low for less time. My chicken was so tender it shredded – not sure if that was suppose to happen? Even shredded, it was still good
I’m glad you enjoyed it! In my experience, crock pot-cooked meats tend to shred and fall apart. But you could certainly cook it for less time, if you’d like.
Made this today for the first time, and we loved it! Even my picky teenage daughter ate every bite.
I’m so glad to hear it was a hit!
2nd time I’ve done this. Both times used heavy whipping cream instead of half and half. I also use fresh thyme and oregano and salted butter. It turns out amazing over rice with broccoli. Left over the next day dice in to squares and fry up with taco seasoning and make lemon fired street tacos
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoy it!
I recently tried out a recipe that had a great starting point and was a good idea. However, I did have one issue with it. The recipe lacked balance due to the abundance of acidity. Although the acidity would be appropriate for a dish that is potent and robust, the recipe appeared to be more on the savory side with all the butter and cream. Therefore, I decided to add half to a teaspoon of granulated white sugar to balance out the acidity. Additionally, I increased the amount of garlic and pepper to a tablespoon each. I also want to mention that adding cornstarch or flour directly to the hot liquid without creating a water-based slurry will only result in clumps, and the ingredients will not blend well.
I make this for my mom about once a week, per her request. She LOVES this!! I serve it over Jasmine rice and it is always well enjoyed. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
That’s so great! I’m glad she enjoys it!
This was awesome! I have tried a couple of other lemon chicken crock pot recipes that were either too garlicky or too greasy, or both, but this was flavorful with just the right amount of garlic for me and not greasy or heavy at all. I used one very large (over a pound) breast in my 1.5 quart crock pot and I added half quantities of the rest of the ingredients. My only change for next time would be less corn starch, as half of what was listed made the sauce too thick. I just added more chicken broth to thin out the sauce and it was perfect. I did use low-sodium broth and unsalted butter. If using regular sodium broth I would recommend adding less salt than listed in the recipe as I thought it was plenty salty with the low sodium broth. Mine was done in about 2 hours on high, so I ended up just adding the cornstarch to the sauce and eating immediately. Thanks for the great recipe, I will definitely make this again!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This sounds great, but how do you keep the acid in the lemon juice from curdling the half and half, which would break the sauce?
I didn’t experience that being an issue.
My husband and I loved the flavor! We definitely agree we will be making this regularly! However, after 3 hours on high when I stirred the sauce back in the chicken fell apart and then we basically had shredded chicken. Does this mean it was cooked too long? How would you suggest adjusting the time. Thanks.
I don’t know that you cooked it too long. Chicken cooked in a slow cooker tends to fall apart like that. That’s part of what can make it so good and tender. It sounds like you may just want to stir the sauce back in a little more gently and without moving the chicken around too much. Glad you enjoyed it!
What would happen if I accidentally added the cornstarch with the rest of the ingredients from the beginning? Would it still turn out ok ?
It’s not really going to hurt it, but the cornstarch could break down after being exposed to heat for that long. If the sauce doesn’t thicken up like you want, just add a little more at the end.
Can I use bone in chix thighs with skin for this?
That should be fine. You just may need to adjust the cook time a little bit.
Can you use regular butter?
Absolutely. Challenge butter is regular butter. Challenge is just the brand that I was using and a high quality butter.
Is this a recipe that would be good to freeze after making?
Hmm, I mean I think it would be fine to freeze it.
This is a EXCELLENT recipe. I used heavy whipping cream and 12 cloves of garlic. I also seasoned the chicken with Himalayan pink salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder. The chicken was extremely moist and flavorful. This recipe is a permanent addition to my family recipes.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hello – I just have to tell you, I am NOT a cook (I can reheat and Dr up so leftovers like a beast though)! My mom passed in November, and since then I have been having my dad over every other week to visit and have dinner. I wanted to let you know, of all the things I CAN make from scratch (usually it’s a frozen lasagna or the like), THIS is the most requested dish. I am making it for him today, and the rest of my family loves it as well. Thank you for posting this, and letting me make my dad happy (he is a foodie, and my mom always cooked for him). ❤❤❤
I am so excited to be making this for dinner tonight. Getting it in the crockpot soon. I am using bone in chicken thighs i had in the freezer . Also adding onions and carrots that needed to be used up. Will be back later to let u know how it came out!
I made this yummy lemon chicken Sunday before going to church. Came home to a great dinner. I had to double it for more family. It was a big hit.
Thank you.
So glad it was a hit!
Loved it!
This looks amazing! Going to try this today. Can I throw in some halved baby potatoes and asparagus while the chicken is cooking?
I’m not sure. My only question is how long each of those needs to cook. The potatoes would probably be fine, but the asparagus would probably cook fairly quickly and could end up mushy. You might just wanna try adding the asparagus for the last 15-20 minutes.
I made this recipe last night and it was a hit! the sauce is SO good!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this for my family! A Winner!!!! So easy and delicious!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
How thick were your chicken breasts? I have 2 skinless breasts about 1lb each just trying to see if I should adjust cook time or cut thinner into 4 pieces?
They were probably an inch or so thick. Those sound like quite large chicken breasts.
Can I use 35% whipping cream instead of half and half and just put in less?
That should be fine.
Can you just use regular butter? Will that make a difference?
Any would butter fine, yes.
Hi there…this looks amazing! I have a couple cooked rotisserie chickens that I would like to debone and use. What modifications do you think I should make if I do this?
Well if you’re using cooked chicken, you wouldn’t really need to use the crockpot. You could just cook the sauce on the stove and then add the chicken, I’d think.
I made this recipe yesterday and my husband and my son loved it! I didn’t have corn starch so I used some flour to thicken the sauce. I will definitely be making it again. Please post more crock pot recipes. This saved me so much time and tasted delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I didn’t have half/half only 1%. So I added cream cheese! We will see! Almost had all ingredients.
If I opt out the half and half do you think it would still work…. cause I don’t have any and can’t make it to the store 😭
I’m thoroughly enjoying this website and all the recipes! I’m starting a cooking book club with your book where we will all bring one item of yours to share! I made this for dinner and it went over well with the family. I thought it was a little too lemony ( I used bottled lemon juice). Overall it tasted really good and was easy to make. I used frozen chicken breasts and cooked on low for 8 hours. I probably could have used less cornstarch as well as it did thicken up quite a bit. Keep the crock pot recipes coming!
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed everything. I really don’t recommend bottled lemon juice. It usually gives things a weird taste.
Hmmm, this didn’t work out for me. The half and half curdled slightly when I added it to the lemon juice, then curdled further during the cooking process. After adding the corn starch and completing the cooking time, the whole thing ended up as this gelatinous, curdled, clumpy unappetizing glop! I managed to rescue the chicken from the sauce and we ate that over rice. The flavor was good, I’ll give it that, but maybe it would work better to just add the half & half at the end?
This was delicious but I have made this twice already and both times when I have the 1 cup of the lemon butter mixture and then I add the cornstarch it turns into a big clump!I don’t know what I’m doing wrong!
Hi there! I’m going to make this tomorrow while I’m away at work so the longer cook time on low is probably the way to go. I have some skin-on bone in breasts that need to be used up. How would I adjust the cooling time accordingly? I also have some heavy cream that needs to be used up. Can I use that instead of half and half? Thanks!
I haven’t tried skin on bone chicken breasts in the crock pot before. But if they are smaller pieces of chicken, then you may want to reduce the cooking time accordingly. And heavy cream should be fine.
Question: I want to make this in bulk for a party. But I also want to cube the chicken to stretch it. What adjustments should I make if any?
I’d suggest cooking the full pieces of chicken and then cutting it after it’s cooked. There will be plenty of sauce to cover the bites of chicken afterwards.
Hi, I’m not sure we can get half and half in the UK (although to be fair I haven’t looked!), can you recommend an alternative please?
Half and half is half cream and half milk, so that would work.
All I can say is this was AWESOME! Thank you for sharing. I think you should share more dinner recipes please!
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
My kids adore capers. Thoughts on adding them to the dish?
I haven’t tried it but it sounds like it could be good!
hi lindsay
what if you dont have a slow cooker, what would the time then be, should it be covered or cooked uncovered?
I haven’t bake this particular chicken in the oven, but I would probably bake it uncovered at 350 degrees for roughly 25 minutes.
Oh my gosh this has amazing flavour!! This is the first non baking recipe I’ve tried on this site and I can’t wait to share this with my cooking friends, and even my non cooking friends because it’s so easy and so delicious! I added mini potatoes to the sauce and they picked up the delicious buttery, lemon herby flavour..
Great idea! I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Can I use something else instead of half and half?
You could try regular milk, or even half milk and half cream.
I a cooking this right now- for the very first time. I am confused about the end step. Once I have mixed the cornstarch in and then added the liquid back into the crock pot it says to cook for one more hour- is that regardless of if it is on high or low?
Yes, it is. Total cooking time is 4 hours for high, 8 for low. I hope you enjoy it!
That was delicious! I just made it. My Kids and I both loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Think the recipe should have read 4 1/2 tsp, not tbsp cornstarch ?!?!?
No, tbsp is correct. But feel free to reduce it if you prefer a thinner sauce.
Can I make this recipe in an Instant pot?
I actually have never used an instant pot, so I can’t advise on how to use it.
Making this tonight looks great
I hope you enjoy!
Reading the recipe, won’t the lemon juice cause the half and half to curdle and separate? Would love to make it, just worried.
I actually wondered about that too when working on the recipe, but it doesn’t. Just be sure to add the ingredients in the order that I listed them. Also, be sure the butter has a chance to cool because that would have a curdle issue because of the temperature difference. I hope you enjoy!
I’ve seen a lot of recipes where the meat gets seared first and it adds extra flavor. Have you tried it? Did it work well?
I have not tried it with this recipe, but it’s a fairly common thing too. You could definitely give it a try. I’m not sure, but it’s possible that searing it before hand might make it so you want to reduce the cooking time a little bit.
I am guessing this would be great with fish, as long as it the cooking time is adjusted. I can’t wait to give it a try.
What is half and half please? I don’t believe we have this in the UK?
It’s half milk, half cream.
Thank you. I was looking for the answer too as we don’t have half and half in Australia.
Hi Mahala, you no doubt don’t need this info now – but I researched half and half (as I’m also from Oz), and it seems we can substitute equal measures of evaporated milk. So for example, for each cup of half and half, we substitute a cup of evaporated milk 🙂
How would this work in an Instant Pot??
I actually have never used one so I can’t advise on how to use it that way.
Can you use Flower if you don’t have cornstarch
Yes, that should be fine.
In reading the article it sounds like you add the cooled melted butter to the measuring cup with the broth, half and half, etc. but you don’t mention it in the recipe. Just a goof, right. Sounds delicious though.
Yes, that’s right. It’s been updated – thanks!
Hi Lindsey, when do you add the melted butter? This recipe sounds delicious & I will probably be making tonight for dinner. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes I love your blog!
I’ve updated the recipe to make that clear. Thanks Heidi! I’d love to hear what you think! 🙂