Dinner just got a whole lot easier. Meet a new weeknight favorite: Light Slow Cooker Florentine Chicken. Tender chicken breasts slow-cooked with shallots and roasted red pepper strips develop deep flavor. A silky sauce of half-and-half and Parmesan finishes the dish, and fresh spinach adds brightness. Serve over pasta or mashed potatoes for a comforting, restaurant-quality meal your family will love.
About this Light Slow Cooker Florentine Chicken
Slow cooker recipes are popular for good reason: they’re simple to assemble, minimize cleanup, and let you cook while you handle other tasks. This Florentine-style slow cooker chicken strikes a balance between convenience and great texture. The recipe yields whole chicken breasts (not shredded), so you get tender, intact pieces coated in a creamy, flavorful sauce with spinach and roasted red peppers. The result is a satisfying weeknight meal that feels special without extra effort.
Ingredients
Gather the following:
- 2 lbs chicken breast (about 4 breasts)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 1 cup roasted red pepper strips (packed in water), chopped if desired
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 6 oz fresh spinach leaves
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water (for slurry)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Equipment
- Slow cooker or crock pot
Instructions
- Combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, dried oregano, dried basil and a few grinds of fresh cracked pepper to make the spice blend. Season the chicken breasts on all sides with the blend.
- Place the seasoned chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker in a single layer.
- Scatter the sliced shallot and roasted red pepper strips over the chicken, then pour the chicken broth over everything.
- Cook on HIGH for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours remove the chicken and set it aside briefly. Stir the half-and-half and grated Parmesan into the sauce left in the slow cooker.
- Whisk the cornstarch with the water to make a slurry, then stir it into the sauce to thicken slightly.
- Return the chicken to the slow cooker and add the fresh spinach on top. Stir gently to combine so the spinach wilts into the sauce.
- Cook on HIGH for an additional 30 minutes to meld flavors and warm through.
- Finish with the chopped fresh parsley and basil, taste for seasoning, and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Optional: serve each chicken breast with about 1/3 cup of the sauce over pasta, mashed potatoes, or alongside a vegetable.
Recipe Notes
- Serving size: 1 chicken breast with about 1/3 cup sauce.
- If you use reduced-sodium chicken broth, taste and add salt as needed at the end.
- Roasted red peppers packed in water are convenient; you can also roast and slice your own.
Nutrition & Servings
Serves: 4. Estimated nutrition per serving (1 chicken breast + 1/3 cup sauce): 415 kcal, 55 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 15 g fat. These values are approximate and will vary based on brands and ingredient amounts.
If you enjoy slow cooker dinners, try other simple recipes that streamline weeknights while delivering great flavor.