8 Crock Pot Chicken Recipes Perfect for Busy Weeknights

There’s nothing like a home-cooked meal, but not everyone has the time to put together something delicious every night, especially during a busy weeknight. If that’s the case, you might think that you have to resort to fast food or takeout, but there’s still a way to put together a tasty meal at home with barely any time at night to do it: a Crock Pot. There are so many meals you can make with a Crock Pot, and luckily, chicken is an extremely versatile protein to work with. So if you’re in the market for a few easy dinners, here are some of the best Crock Pot chicken recipes when you want to take advantage of that slow cooker on a busy weeknight.

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1. Honey Glazed Crock Pot Chicken Adobo

Combining the classic Filipino dish chicken adobo with an American-inspired honey glaze is going to result in a chicken recipe that’s bursting with delicious flavor. But for something that has that many flavor components, you’d think it would take a lot of effort to make. Not this recipe, which takes just a few minutes of prep work before it goes into the Crock Pot for several hours.

Another plus of this recipe? In just one serving there are only 189 calories, but more than 23 grams of protein. Serve it with some rice, which also takes minimal prep work, and you’ve got yourself a delicious, flavor-packed dinner for a very small amount of effort.

Try the recipe from Pinch of Yum.

2. Easy Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

There are few things that bring a hush to a table in a restaurant like when a dish of sizzling fajitas is brought out. That experience is not only possible, but also made easy to recreate at home thanks to this recipe. This dish, which has a prep time of 10 minutes, has only six ingredients and takes four hours to cook in a Crock Pot.

Try the recipe from Isabel Eats.

3. Crock Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This delicious soup recipe may not be what you’re expecting when you’re looking for Crock Pot chicken recipes on a busy weeknight, but don’t be fooled, the chicken is still one of the main stars of this dish — along with perfectly-cooked gnocchi and a creamy broth. Some soups can be pretty complicated to put together, but this one only takes 10 minutes of prep work before it cooks in the Crock Pot for eight hours, so it’s a perfect meal to throw together quickly in the morning and ready to devour at night.

Try the recipe from Pinch of Yum.

4. BBQ Crock Pot Chicken Chili

Ground beef isn’t the only protein that works well in chili, as this recipe proves. It also experiments with traditional chili flavors by incorporating barbecue sauce, bourbon, and honey. Not only is this untraditional recipe a fun way to mix up a beloved dish, but it’s also high in protein and very low in fat, making it a great choice for a healthy weeknight dinner.

Try the recipe from The Endless Meal.

5. Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

Just like peanut butter and jelly and macaroni and cheese, chicken and rice are one of those classic food pairings that always seem to go perfectly together. It doesn’t hurt that both chicken and rice are basically blank canvases when it comes to food — they are adaptable to almost any sort of spices or flavors you want to pair the combination with. This recipe gets a lot of flavor from the addition of Dijon mustard, garlic powder, and thyme, as well as a creamy texture from cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt.

Try the recipe from Well Plated.

6. Crock Pot Whole Chicken

Whether it’s a whole turkey, a duck, or cooking a whole chicken — when you cook a whole animal for a meal it’s typically an intensive, all-day affair, and not something you can make for a busy weeknight. This whole chicken recipe is an all-day affair, it takes between four and five hours on high or seven hours on low, but because it’s made in a Crock Pot, you don’t have to fret about the cooking and can leave it on the countertop all day, saving oven space for side dishes, and time for yourself.

Try the recipe from 100 Days of Real Food.

7. Crock Pot Quinoa Chicken Primavera

It’s not often that a meal cooked in a Crock Pot exudes freshness, but this recipe begs to differ. Using ingredients like asparagus and peas, this Crock Pot quinoa chicken casserole is an optimal recipe for springtime, when those veggies are at their peak. Another bonus of this recipe is that it requires very minimal prep work — just toss the ingredients into the crockpot, wait a few hours and enjoy a fresh and delicious meal on a busy weeknight.

Try the recipe from Pinch of Yum.

8. Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

Waiting for teriyaki takeaway doesn’t take a long time, but on a busy weeknight, who has that limited amount of time to go and pick it up? Instead, make it at home in the Crock Pot, where it will cook all day, and be ready to eat by dinnertime. The chicken recipe only contains six ingredients, so it’s a cinch to do the prep work as well.

Try the recipe from Well Plated.

Read next: 6 Cozy Crock-Pot Soups That Are Super Healthy