This Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken is one of the easiest slow cooker dishes we have. There is no pre-cooking involved, you just put onions, chicken and a fresh tomato, herb and balsamic mix into the slow cooker and let it cook for 3 hours. Serve with spaghetti, rice or with a fresh green salad for a delicious and light meal.

Chicken in a sauce on some spaghetti on a plate with salad.

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The flavours in this dish are so simple, with just a few ingredients, but super tasty. Chopped fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic are mixed with some good quality balsamic vinegar and then poured over chicken breasts to make an easy meal that can be served so many different ways.

Tomato and balsamic are a classic summer combination and this is a delicious way to enjoy it.

If you are looking for some other summer slow cooker recipes to try, then why not try our delicious Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa, tasty Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken, easy Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas or our amazing Slow Cooker Pulled Pork?

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Why You Will Love It
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken
Serving Suggestions
Storage
Dannii's Top Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
More Chicken Recipes
Recipe
Feedback

Why You Will Love It

No prep - There is no need to brown the chicken first. You just dump it all in and turn it on.
A delicious way to enjoy chicken - We love using chicken breasts because they are protein packed and versatile. However, we can get a little bored with eating them the same way all the time. This is an easy and delicious way to use them.
A great way to use up lots of tomatoes - Growing lots of tomatoes? This uses lots of fresh tomatoes and makes sure that nothing goes to waste.
Perfect for using the slow cooker in the summer - Nobody wants to turn their oven on on a hot summers day. The slow cooker doesn't heat up the kitchen like the oven does.

Ingredients and Substitutions

A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Chicken - Skinless and boneless chicken breasts are what make this a lean and protein packed meal. You could swap them for chicken thighs if you prefer.
Oil - We used olive oil, as we find this has a nicer flavour.
Balsamic vinegar - This is the star of the dish, so try to buy the best quality you can as you will really taste the difference. Cheap balsamic tends to be really runny too, which makes for a watery finished dish.
Garlic - This balsamic chicken is garlic heavy, and that's just how like it. If you aren't a huge garlic fan, then feel free to reduce the amount used.
Onion - We used red onion, however you could swap it for a brown onion, or even shallots.
Tomato - The key to having a really delicious dish is to use fresh and ripe tomatoes.
Basil - Fresh basil is always best in this dish.

More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.

How to Make Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken

A slow cooker bowl with sliced red onions and two chicken breasts in it.

Step 1: Put the sliced onion at the bottom of the slow cooker.

Step 2: Put the chicken breasts on top with the olive oil, salt and pepper.

Chopped tomatoes, crushed garlic and chopped herbs added to the slow cooker.

Step 3: Add the tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil.

Balsamic vinegar poured over everything.

Step 4: Pour the balsamic vinegar on top.

Cooked balsamic chicken in the slow cooker.

Step 5: Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 3 hours.

Serving Suggestions

We served ours on top of spaghetti with a green salad on the side, but you could have so many different things with it.

For a low carb option, serve it with courgette (zucchini) spaghetti or for more of a comforting dish then mashed potato is the way to go. You can serve it with spaghetti squash, udon noodles, couscous and of course just a big pile of vegetables or on a green salad.

We also like to crumble some feta on top just before serving, because the creaminess goes really well with the sweetness of the balsamic.

Leftovers are delicious on rice or a baked potato, or even just on a big green salad.

Cooked tomatoes and basil leaves on top of chopped cooked chicken.

Storage

Store: You can keep leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Freeze: This recipe serves 4, but you can easily double the batch and then freeze the leftovers (with rice) in individual portions. Just make sure it cools fully before freezing. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Defrost: Defrost it in the fridge overnight.

Reheat: To reheat, add it to a pan and heat on low, stirring often, until it is piping hot. You can also reheat it in the microwave.

Dannii's Top Tips

We serve the chicken breasts up whole, but you could shred or slice them before serving and that would soak up a lot of the liquid too.
We used skinless and boneless chicken breasts to make this dish, but you can use thighs or legs instead, but cooking times will vary.
Either serve with with spaghetti, mashed potato, rice or on top of a green salad.
Add a pinch of red chilli flakes if you want to add some spice to this.

Chicken and vegetables on top of spaghetti.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use chicken thighs instead?

Yes, you could make this slow cooker balsamic chicken with boneless and skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. It would change the nutritional information, but the chicken would be much juicier.

Can you cook balsamic chicken in the oven?

If you don't have a slow cooker, then this can be cooked in the oven. You can put everything on a pan with some extra vegetables like par-boil potatoes, peppers, mushrooms and asparagus and put in a preheated oven at 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6 for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Is there any sauce?

By looking at the ingredients, it doesn't look like there is much of a sauce to this. But that is the beauty of this dish - its simplicity. There are no thick and heavy sauces, just the juices from the chicken and tomatoes, mixed with the balsamic, garlic and basil.
There is a fair amount of liquid in the slow cooker bowl once it is cooked, but I find that once it is all mixed into the spaghetti and the chicken on top it is just the right amount. You can always use less of the liquid if you find it too much. I wouldn't recommend using a tin of tomatoes, as they are too juicy, so fresh is best.

What slow cooker should I use?

There really is no rule here, just make sure that the beef joint you are using can fit in your slow cooker. We use a Crock Pot Slow Cooker and we love it. What I love most about it is that you can put the bowl insert on the hob too. You can also sear the meat in it first. I also love that it has a clear lid, as I am so impatient that I want to keep looking and seeing what it is doing. If you don't have a clear lid, then lifting it to see will release lots of the heat and add to the cooking time.

How do I know when the chicken is cooked?

The best way to ensure that it is cooked through is to use a meat thermometer. Chicken is cooked when it has an internal temperature of 75°C/167°F.

More Chicken Recipes

If you've tried this balsamic chicken, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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