Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Recipe (5-Minute Prep)

Back in the early aughts, I spent a lot of time on a women’s message board, an outgrowth from an indie wedding planning group. As members transitioned from rebellious brides to newlyweds to overwhelmed parents, one by one we became slow cooker converts.

A single recipe won over more women than any other: Lazy Italian Chicken. And it’s no wonder, since it called for just six ingredients: boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, potatoes, bottled Italian salad dressing, Italian seasoning, garlic, and parmesan cheese.

There’s no stovetop work; you just layer everything in the slow cooker, turn it on, and walk away. The end result, though, tastes like it’s straight out of a nonna’s kitchen.

In search of a way to make the recipe even lazier, I added an extra ingredient—baby spinach—for the final few minutes. A little bit of green turns this into a one-pot meal. That might be why, almost twenty years after I first made it, this recipe remains a family favorite.

Tips for Making Lazy Italian Chicken 

• The Italian seasoning: The recipe calls for Italian seasoning, but it’s flexible. If you don’t keep a jar on hand, swap in dried basil and oregano, in roughly equal amounts. 
• The cheese: If your family leans more towards pecorino than parmesan cheese (as my husband’s Sicilian one does), go right ahead and use that instead.
• Slow cooker timing: Slow cooker recipes have a wide range of cooking times because there’s no uniformity from one brand to the next—my machine might cook faster or slower than yours. Start checking for doneness at the low end of the recipe’s cooking times.
• Chicken doneness: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts overcook easily, so a kitchen thermometer is your friend. Test the thickest part of a chicken breast. At 155°F, switch the machine to “keep warm” and let it rest for 20 minutes. The meat will continue to cook, reaching the ideal 165°F.
• Use chicken thighs: You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the breasts. Because they’re naturally fattier, they’re less likely to dry out. The cooking time range doesn’t change, but they will take longer than breasts. Use a thermometer to test—they’re not as prone to overcooking as breasts, so aim for 165°F.

More Lazy Slow Cooker Meals