Slow Cooker Chicken Dinner with Vegetables

This hearty and healthy slow cooker chicken dinner with vegetables is the perfect one-dish, one-pot meal. This is your answer for an easy, nutritious and delicious dinner everyone will love.

When you want a filling, meal that is thrown into a crockpot and forgotten until it's time to eat, then this slow cooker chicken and vegetable dinner is perfect for you! 

Of course it won't totally be forgotten because the delicious smell will fill the house so that you can hardly wait for dinner.

But you won't have to think about it. Yes, please.

Did you know that 95% of Americans have chicken in their fridge or freezer at any given time (according to the National Chicken Council - which I didn't even know was a thing...)?

Thankfully chicken has remained affordable even as other foods shoot up in price so you, too, may have chicken on hand that you can use to make this stress-free, nutritious dinner.

And you will want to make this! Not only is it simple to put together, it also has bacon and a flavorful au jus gravy. You can make it with sweet potatoes or regular potatoes and it's a great way to use your frozen green beans.

Did I mention the bacon? Um, yeah, you will want to try this.

Skip right to the recipe or read more on the best ingredients to use, how to prepare the meal, some suggestions for variations, and other ways to cook this if you don't have a slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Chicken Dinner

Ingredients

The things you need to make this recipe are affordable and often what you may have in your pantry and fridge regularly. No specialty ingredients for this meal.

• Bacon - this is added for flavor - once cooked, you then sauté the onions in the bacon grease which imparts this deliciousness to the au jus gravy.
• Onions - of course. Both for the flavor from the long cooking time and the health benefit of eating onions.
• Carrots - they help make this a one-dish meal with the nutrition they offer along with the onions and beans.
• Green beans (fresh or frozen) - I love using our summer frozen green beans in meal like this - they are cut and ready to go, making it so easy.
• Potatoes - I've made with with red potatoes, yellow and russets as well as the sweet potatoes pictured. All work well, though the sweet potatoes need less time to cook (see recipe card for specifics).
• Chicken - you can use bone in thighs and/or drumsticks or bone-in breasts.
• Chicken broth - homemade is great, but when I don't have it, I use this easy bullion that is recommended by America's Test Kitchen (it's cheaper and better than the boxes).
• Sea salt and black pepper - we'll layer these on the chicken as well as season the vegetables with a bit.
• Dried basil and thyme - dried herbs hold up much better than fresh with the long cooking in crockpots. To use fresh, add it the last 15 minutes.
• Cornstarch or potato starch - I find either of these work, though I prefer potato starch for the added resistant starch it provides (a great fiber for gut health).
• Optional chicken spice rub - you can use this all purpose spice rub or make your own with basic pantry staples like paprika, onion and garlic powder. It's optional because you can just sprinkle with salt and pepper, but you'll lose the prettier look of slow cooked chicken and the added flavor.

Easy Ingredient Swaps

Here are some ingredient substitutions I can recommend for this slow cooker chicken dinner with vegetables:

• Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts. Adjustments on the cooking time is included in the recipe card below. (This is what I was using for the photos - the spice rub makes it look like there's browned skin, which is why I like using it.)
• Add or substitute any root vegetable for the carrots - parsnips, turnips and golden beets (red are okay, but change the color of the chicken, so I stick with golden).
• You don't have to use the bacon - it will still be a delicious chicken dinner, it will just taste a bit different. Sauté the onions in olive or avocado oil instead.
• You can use arrowroot instead of cornstarch or potato starch, but you'll need to use 1 and 1/2 to 2 times as much.

How to make Chicken Dinner with Vegetables

This is an almost a throw-everything-in-the-pot at once dish. You will need to cook a few chopped up pieces of bacon first, then cook the onions in the drippings as well as brown the chicken before adding to the pot.

Is it all absolutely necessary? Maybe not, but oh, the flavor it imparts.

• Cook chopped bacon pieces until crisp and then remove to a plate. (Recipes like this where you only need a few pieces of bacon is when I pull out my easy freezer bacon.)
• Cook chopped onions in the bacon drippings - or use olive oil if not using bacon. Lightly cook just for a couple minutes.
• While the onions are sautéing, add the carrots and green beans to the slow cooker, and then scrape the sautéed onions over them.
• Season skinned chicken with spice rub (or salt and pepper) and brown it in the remaining drippings on both sides for a few minutes each side. (If I use bone-in chicken, I always skin it before going in the slow cooker because, well, it comes out rubbery and gross, in my opinion.)
• Transfer the chicken to the crockpot and layer the potatoes over the chicken. 
• Mix together the chicken broth and spices and pour over the layers in the cooker.
• Cover the pot and let it cook away.

Make the Au Jus Gravy

When the chicken and vegetables are done, transfer them to a platter and cover to keep warm.

Turn the cooker to high. Mix cornstarch or potato starch in cold water until smooth and add to the pan juices in the cooker.

Cook on high for about 15 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally.

To be honest, the juices never really thickens up much this way for me. It might work better in a pan on the stove, cooking for about 3 minutes, but I don't want the hassle or another pan to wash (hey- bacon is worth it, but gravy...not so much). 

This is why I call it "au jus" instead of gravy and we're all satisfied, but if you'd like thicker gravy, you can go the extra pan route.

Pour some of the gravy/au jus over the chicken and vegetables, sprinkle with the reserved bacon and pass more au jus with the platter. 

Recommended tools

• Slow Cooker/Crockpot (this is the brand I prefer)
• OR Instant Pot (this is the version I use)
• OR Dutch Oven (bonus - you can also use it to make this delicious bread)
• Sharp chef's knife (the less expensive brand I use all the time)
• Wooden cutting board for veggies; dishwasher-safe cutting board for chicken

Don’t forget to check out all of my kitchen essentials and nice-to-haves.

More easy slow cooker recipes you'll love

• Slow Cooker Chicken, Vegetable & Lentil Curry Recipe
• Easy Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Carrots with Onions
• Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Recipe (with Stovetop Option)

I hope you love this delicious and healthy slow cooker chicken dinner with vegetables! If you make it, please leave a comment and a rating letting me know - I'd be so thankful!