Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes for Easy Weeknight Dinners

What Makes This Work

I have made this garlic butter chicken more times than I can count this month, and I still managed to burn my thumb on the hot slow cooker lid the last time I pulled it out.

The garlic butter smell hung around the kitchen for hours afterward, which nobody in this house complained about. My son looked at his plate and asked if the carrots were supposed to be the mushy kind. They are.

That is the whole point of this dish. The carrots are meant to go soft as they cook. One night I set the cooker to LOW when I meant HIGH, and dinner was nowhere near ready at dinnertime, so I threw together a quick side dish and we ate late.

Lesson learned, and now I double check the setting before I walk away.

What makes the method work is simple. The melted butter, garlic, and dried herbs get poured over the raw chicken, and that mixture keeps basting the meat for the entire cooking time.

A marinade only really does its work at the start, but this buttery pour keeps flavoring everything from beginning to end. The layout matters too. The chicken goes in the middle of the slow cooker, potato wedges on one side, baby carrots on the other.

It is not about looking pretty. The thicker vegetables need that direct heat so they finish in the same window as the chicken. And do not lift the lid to peek.

I did once, early on, and it pushed my cooking time right past the stated duration. Every peek can add 15 to 20 minutes, which is a painful way to learn patience.

This is built for busy nights. The prep is one cutting board, one small bowl, and about 15 minutes of actual work. Then the slow cooker takes over for hours while you do literally anything else.

It is the kind of dinner that forgives you. Splash the butter a little wide, crowd the vegetables a little close, it all works out in the sauce.

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Ingredient Notes

Nothing here is fancy, and that is the point. Plain ingredients, plain US measurements, and the slow cooker does the heavy lifting. If your kitchen is as chaotic as mine on a weeknight, you will appreciate that there is no searing, no browning, and no extra pans. Here is what each ingredient is doing and where you can swap.

• Chicken tenders: You need 1 1/2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken tenders. They cook faster and more evenly than whole breasts, so the meat and the vegetables finish together. If all you have is boneless skinless breasts, cut them into strips about the size of tenders. That way no thin piece dries out while a thick one catches up.
• Baby carrots: One 1 lb bag. They are supposed to go soft, so do not expect crunch. They soak up the garlic butter and turn sweet and tender, which is exactly what you want here.
• Yukon Gold potatoes: 1 1/2 lbs, cut into wedges. Yukon Golds hold their shape in the slow cooker instead of collapsing into mush. Red potatoes work about the same if that is what is already in the pantry.
• Salted butter: 1/2 cup, melted. This is the base of the whole sauce. If you only have unsalted butter, use it and add a pinch more salt to make up the difference.
• Garlic: 1 Tbsp minced garlic. Fresh minced garlic gives the strongest flavor, but 1 tsp garlic powder is a fine swap when you are out or in a hurry.
• Seasonings: 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp dried thyme leaves, and 1 tsp dried parsley. Use dried thyme leaves, not ground thyme. Everything gets whisked straight into the melted butter with the garlic, so there is no separate seasoning step.

For tools you need almost nothing. A slow cooker, a chef’s knife and cutting board for the potato wedges, a small mixing bowl and whisk for the garlic butter, and kitchen tongs for lifting the chicken out at the end. Nothing fancy and nothing you will only use once.

Measure the butter after melting so the amount is right, and do not stress about perfect wedges. Roughly even pieces cook evenly, and that is all that matters.

How to Make It

Five steps, none of them hard. The hardest part is leaving the lid alone once it goes on.

1. Place the chicken tenders in the center of the slow cooker. Nestle the potato wedges on one side and the baby carrots on the other in a snug, even layer.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the melted butter with the minced garlic or garlic powder, salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley until fully combined.
3. Pour the butter mixture evenly over the chicken and vegetables. Press down gently with a spatula so everything gets lightly coated. I splashed the garlic butter a little wide and just left it, because the potatoes soak it up anyway and nobody minds.
4. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours for a quicker dinner, or on LOW for 6 to 8 hours if you started earlier in the day. Do not lift the lid. Each peek can add 15 to 20 minutes to the cooking time.
5. Remove the lid carefully. It will be hot and full of steam, so tilt it away from your face. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter with tongs, then stir the carrots and potatoes through the remaining sauce so every piece is well coated.

That is the whole method. Prep takes about 15 minutes and cooking takes 4 hours on HIGH, so the total time is 4 hours 15 minutes. Serve it straight from the platter while the sauce is still glossy, and spoon a little extra sauce over each serving.

Keep the lid closed. Peeking is the number one reason slow cooker dinners run late.

Serve it as is. With chicken, potatoes, and carrots all in one pot, this is already a full meal. Spoon the vegetables around the chicken on the platter and drizzle everything with the warm sauce from the cooker.

Storage

Cool any leftovers first, then pack them into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For single servings, reheat in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, or warm them in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes until heated through.

To keep it longer, divide the chicken and vegetables among freezer safe bags and freeze for up to 2 months. Label the bags with the date so you are not guessing later. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. This dish does not reheat evenly straight from frozen, so do not skip the thaw.

The potatoes hold up well after a night in the fridge, and the sauce soaks in even more by the next day. Honestly, the leftovers might be better than the first serving.

You Might Also Love

If low effort slow cooker dinners are your thing, try my Slow Cooker Honey Lime Chicken next. And for a fun way to use leftovers, this Garlic Butter Chicken Sandwich is a winner.

Ingredients

This recipe makes 4 servings. Everything below is measured in US units.

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken tenders. Boneless skinless breasts work too, cut into strips.
• 1 lb bag baby carrots
• 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic, or 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves, not ground
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Method

The method, written out plainly step by step.

1. Add the chicken to the middle of the slow cooker. Add the potatoes on one side and the carrots on the other side.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley.
3. Pour the butter mixture over the chicken and vegetables.
4. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours, or on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
5. Serve and enjoy.

Keep the lid on the whole time. Opening it lets heat escape and stretches the cooking time, so trust the timer and walk away. Drizzle the sauce from the cooker over the top before serving.

Notes

Chicken breasts can replace the tenders with no change to the method. Use HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 hours, just cut the breasts into tender sized strips first so they cook at the same pace.

Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. This recipe was adapted from a slow cooker chicken with carrots and potatoes recipe I love.

Recipe details

A simple American main course built for busy weeknights, when you want dinner to mostly make itself.

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Slow Cooker Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes

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What Makes This Work I have made this garlic butter chicken more times than I can count this month, and I still managed to burn my thumb on the hot slow cooker lid the last time I pulled it out. The garlic butter smell hung around the kitchen for hours afterward, which nobody in this house complained about.

• Total Time: 255 min
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken tenders
1 lb bag baby carrots
1 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 cup salted butter, melted
1 Tbsp minced garlic, or one teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried thyme leaves, not ground
1 tsp dried parsley

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Instructions

1-Add the chicken down in the middle: Add the chicken down in the middle of the slow cooker. Add the potatoes on one side and the carrots on the other side.
2-In a small bowl mix together the: In a small bowl mix together the butter, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley.
3-Pour the butter mixture over the chicken: Pour the butter mixture over the chicken and veggies.
4-Cover and cook on HIGH for 4: Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
5-Serve and enjoy: Serve and enjoy!

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 240 min
• Method: slow cooker