Crockpot Chicken Parmesan is a super easy take on a family favorite. Slow cook chicken in your favorite sauce, top with breadcrumbs and cheese, and serve over cheese tortellini. Your entire meal is made right in the slow cooker!
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A classic favorite that we love and enjoy is chicken parmesan. It’s so good and really filling for dinner. But I don’t exactly love how much work is involved.
Which brings me to utilizing a slow cooker (or you can try my instant pot version). After a long day, the last thing I want to worry about is a complicated cooking process. Chicken parmesan AND I don’t have to spend half an hour on prep in the evening? Yes please.
This dish also includes using my favorite pasta – tortellini. Spaghetti noodles are traditionally used, but trust me when I say you won’t be going back to that method anytime soon.
Don’t forget to pair it with some of my other classics such as garlic knots, dinner rolls, or oven roasted carrots.
INGREDIENTS
- Spaghetti Sauce – pick your favorite jarred sauce.
- Chicken breast – boneless, skinless chicken cutlets.
- Frozen cheese tortellini – a delicious pasta that pairs great with the chicken.
- Breadcrumbs or Croutons – Use a larger breadcrumb, like panko, or crush up croutons to use as the breading.
- Parmesan cheese – added to the croutons/breadcrumbs for a nice texture.
- Mozzarella cheese – a delicious cheese that is a must for chicken parm.
- Garlic salt & pepper – just enough to season the chicken!
TOOLS FOUND ON AMAZON TO HELP YOU
- Crockpot – I can’t say enough about my favorite crockpot. We’ve had it for years and it works so well. With the automatic function of switching to warm when done cooking, I can’t recommend it enough.
- Tongs – Working with chicken breasts is much easier with a good set of tongs. The tips are silicone, making them perfect for dealing with hot temperatures.
- Knife – A good quality knife is ESSENTIAL when working in the kitchen. This knife is my favorite as it not only stays sharp and works very well, but it’s also ergonomic so it fits comfortably in your hand.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PARMESAN IN THE CROCKPOT
STEP ONE: Add the sauce to the bottom of the crockpot and then fill the jar with 1/2 cup of water and add that into the crockpot. This pulls the rest of the sauce still stuck to the jar while also adding water to the recipe.
STEP TWO: Add your chicken to the top of the sauce and season it with garlic salt and pepper. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours.
STEP THREE: Remove the chicken from the crockpot and stir in your frozen tortellini. Add the chicken back to the slow cooker on top of the pasta.
STEP FOUR: Mix crushed croutons/breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese and then evenly spread over the chicken breasts. Evenly top each of the 4 chicken breasts with the mozzarella cheese.
STEP FIVE: Place the lid back on and continue to cook for 15-30 minutes, until the pasta is fully cooked and tender. Serve and enjoy!
CAN YOU COOK FROZEN CHICKEN IN A SLOW COOKER?
When possible, I highly suggest using thawed chicken meat in the slow cooker. Due to the nature of a slow cooker, the meat does not reach a high enough temperature quickly enough, which has the potential for bacteria.
You will find mixed answers on this as there are people out there who do this all the time (and are passionate about it – they like to argue lol). I, however, no longer do it. Know better, do better.
CAN I PUT RAW CHICKEN IN THE SLOW COOKER?
While using frozen meat isn’t the safest option, a slow cooker is made for raw chicken. You are starting with a much higher temperature than frozen meat and slow cookers are designed to handle it safely.
If it helps, it’s USDA approved while frozen meat is not.
HOW SHOULD I STORE LEFTOVERS?
The best way to store leftovers is right in the fridge! Move your chicken parmesan into an airtight container and then store for 3-5 days.
ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS
Don’t have breadcrumbs? You can also crush up croutons to use instead.
Try shredding or dicing your chicken breast upon removing it from the crock pot.
Use your favorite tortellini! Cheese works great and so does spinach. Mix it up and see how you like different options.
NEED MORE CROCKPOT CHICKEN RECIPES FOR DINNER? TRY THESE:
Creamy Ranch Crock Pot Chicken
Slow Cooker Chicken Zucchini Spinach Pasta
Crockpot Chicken and Rice
Click here to view my entire collection of slow cooker recipes!
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Crockpot Chicken Parmesan with Tortellini
Ingredients
- 24 ounces spaghetti sauce
- ½ cup of water
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 19 ounce bag frozen cheese tortellini
- 1 ½ cups croutons crushed
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- Garlic salt and pepper for seasoning
Instructions
- Place the sauce in the bottom of your slow cooker and fill the jar with ½ cup of water to rinse the jar and pour that into the slow cooker.
- Place your chicken on top of the sauce and season with a sprinkle of garlic salt and pepper.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
- Remove chicken from the slow cooker and stir in your frozen tortellini.
- Place your chicken back in the slow cooker on top of the pasta.
- Mix crushed croutons/breadcrumbs with the parmesan cheese and evenly spread over each chicken breast.
- Top each one with ¼ of the mozzarella.
- Place the lid on and continue to cook for 15-30 more minutes until pasta is tender. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you’re using croutons, use 1.5 cups, crushed. If you’re using breadcrumbs, use a larger breadcrumb (like panko) and use 1 cup.
- After cooking the chicken, you can shred or dice it if you prefer.
- Use your favorite tortellini – spinach tortellini pairs well.
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