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It doesn’t get much easier than this 3-ingredient Crock Pot chicken with gravy! Serve the tender pulled meat with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice for a simple and delicious comfort food meal with just 5 minutes of prep time.
Table of Contents
If you love easy slow cooker chicken recipes, be sure to try this fiesta crockpot chicken, this Crock Pot garlic Parmesan chicken pasta, and a Crock Pot chipotle chicken bowl, too!
How to Make Crockpot Chicken and Gravy | 1-Minute Video
I make this on a regular basis. Easy and delicious comfort food. I add a little diced onion, celery garlic and some thyme or poultry seasoning. My husband loves this meal. Thank you for such an easy and fantastic recipe
– Lisa W.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy. No matter the season, no matter the day of the week, we all need easy comfort food classics that we can turn to when we want a home-cooked dinner with minimal effort. This recipe fits the bill, as it only requires about 5-10 minutes of hands-on prep!
- Affordable. With just three basic ingredients, the slow cooker chicken and gravy is a budget-friendly way to feed a family. Use less expensive chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for an even more affordable dinner.
- Cozy. When it comes to classic comfort food, chicken and gravy has got to be at the top of the list. You’ll appreciate that you can still enjoy these cozy flavors with a simplified Crock Pot recipe that will warm you and your family from the inside out!
Directions
This delicious slow cooker chicken with cream of chicken soup comes from a blog reader named Joanne, who sent it to me about 4 years ago. She knew that I would appreciate the ease and simplicity of the dish, as well as the delicious flavor. Thanks to Joanne for such a great weeknight dinner option — it’s one of the best chicken slow cooker recipes ever!
You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Place chicken breasts or chicken thighs in a slow cooker that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Both the white meat and the dark meat work well, so pick your favorite.
- Whisk together the gravy packets, condensed soups, water (or unsalted chicken broth), and black pepper. I use the McCormick brand of gravy, and recommend picking the lower-sodium variety if you’d like to control the salt in your dish. For the condensed soup, we prefer Campbell’s brand. Use the lower-sodium (“Healthy Request”) line for a less-salty meal. Pour the gravy over the chicken.
- Cover the pot and cook the chicken and gravy. Do not overcook the meat. I find that the chicken breasts have the best texture when cooked in my slow cooker on HIGH for about 2-3 hours. That keeps them moist and juicy, and prevents them from drying out. If you would like a dish with a longer cooking time, try using 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of the breasts. The thighs tend to stay juicy when left in a Crock Pot for extended periods.
- Remove the meat to a cutting board or rimmed baking sheet and gently shred with two forks. You can probably even do this directly in the slow cooker if you don’t want to dirty an extra dish. Stir the pulled chicken back into the gravy.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the Crock Pot chicken with gravy on top of red skin mashed potatoes, noodles, a package of Stove Top stuffing, or cooked white rice or brown rice. It’s also great with a skillet of Southern cornbread or a batch of 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits to soak up that gravy! On the side, keep it simple with a green salad dressed in pepper jelly vinaigrette, garlic roasted broccoli, Southern-style green beans, Southern collard greens, cranberry orange sauce, or buttered corn.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make it a Freezer Meal: Place the raw chicken and the gravy mixture in a Ziploc freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to cook, thaw in the fridge overnight. Dump the ingredients into the Crock Pot and cook according to package instructions. This is a great way to plan ahead for a new baby’s arrival or to stock the freezer of a sick loved one.
- How to Store Leftovers: The cooked chicken and gravy will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- How to Reheat: Place the chicken and gravy in a saucepan. Warm over low heat just until the meat reaches the desired temperature. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, or until warm.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Breast Recipes
Crock Pot Chicken Stew
8 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Creamy Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken
4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Crock Pot Chicken with Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 – 2.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 packets (0.87 oz each) McCormick chicken gravy mix
- 2 cans (10.5 oz each) condensed cream of chicken soup (use a lower sodium variety to control the salt in the dish)
- ¾ cup water
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- For serving: rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley or other fresh herbs
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a slow cooker that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the gravy packets, condensed soups, water, and black pepper. Pour over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. Shred the meat with two forks and stir it back into the gravy.
- Serve the chicken and gravy over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs and extra black pepper if you like.
Video
Notes
- Make it a Freezer Meal: Place the raw chicken and the gravy mixture in a Ziploc freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to cook, thaw in the fridge overnight. Dump the ingredients into the Crock Pot and cook according to package instructions. This is a great way to plan ahead for a new baby’s arrival or to stock the freezer of a sick loved one.
- Adjust the consistency of the gravy to suit your preference. For instance, if it’s too thick for your liking, stir in milk or heavy cream at the very end. If it’s too thin and watery, thicken it up with a cornstarch slurry. In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of cold water with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Add the cornstarch mixture to the gravy and shredded chicken; cover with the lid, and cook for 10 more minutes (or until thickened).
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- Adjust the consistency of the gravy to suit your preference. For instance, if it’s too thick for your liking, stir in milk or heavy cream at the very end. If it’s too thin and watery, thicken it up with a cornstarch slurry. In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of cold water with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Add the cornstarch mixture to the gravy and shredded chicken; cover with the lid, and cook for 10 more minutes (or until thickened).
- Add herbs (fresh or dried) to the gravy at the beginning of cooking for extra flavor. Try parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, or oregano. Garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, or other spices are fine, too!
- Add vegetables to the pot (such as sliced mushrooms, onions, or carrots). Vegetables will release extra liquid in the pot, so you may want to cut the water back to ½ cup for a thick gravy at the end. You can also stir in frozen peas at the very end of cooking.
This recipe was originally published in May, 2020. It was updated in July, 2024.
This was quite tasty and I added some veggies like carrots, an onion and celery but so salty– Campbell soups are salty and the gravy mix is salty. I don’t know if Campbell makes a low sodium soup or make a “gravy” with broth and flour or cornstarch to cut down on the saltiness. This would not be fo someone on a low sodium diet
Thanks, Jeanne! I agree — not a good option for someone who is watching his sodium consumption. 🙂
I make this on a regular basis. Easy and delicious comfort food. I add a little diced onion, celery garlic and some thyme or poultry seasoning. My husband loves this meal. Thank you for such an easy and fantastic recipe
Thank you, Lisa! We’re so glad you enjoy it.
Are you supposed to use the gravy mix dry or prepared with water as on the package directions?
Hi, Kaye! Just use the dry mix. It will mix with the water, soups and condensation in the slow cooker to form the gravy. Enjoy!
Going to make this tomorrow- but glad I read the comments before I went shopping So helpful. Just to let you know, I found McCorMick makes 30% less sodium gravy packets.
Great! Hope you enjoy, Patty!
Great idea for Sunday. I’m just making half the directions for two people. Added vegetables always help out in a meal like this. A little more taste and nutrition. It smells so good as it is cooking. Enjoy!!!
Perfect, Barbara! I hope you enjoy the meal!
I added a little paprika and served over noodles. Delicious! There was enough left over to make a really good filling for cornish pasties the next day; I just drained it really well and added carrots and rutebega.
I love that idea, Barbara! Such a great way to use up leftovers in a new dish. Thank you!
Can you use spaghetti if you don’t have noodles
Hi, Mylene! Absolutely! You can serve the chicken and gravy with any pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes that you prefer. Hope you enjoy!
Can i use brown gravy instead?
Hi Kayla,
Yes! The flavor will change, but it will still taste great!
I gave it a 5 star without trying it yet but I’m making it tonight!! I’m adding carrots and peas to mine!! I just don’t think it’s gonna have enough juice like water!!?? Thank You, Bev
It should be great, Beverly! Hope you enjoy the meal. 🙂
Can I put frozen chicken breast in the crockpot for the chicken and gravy recipe with the soup and gravy mix?
Hi, Donna! Food safety experts advise against putting frozen meat into a slow cooker, since the the slow cooker doesn’t bring the meat up to a safe cooking temperature quickly enough to prevent the potential growth of harmful bacteria.
That said, I know that plenty of folks put frozen meat in the slow cooker all of the time, and probably don’t have issues. It’s not something that I’ve done with this recipe, so I can’t offer adjusted cooking times. In short, you can try it at your own risk. 🙂
Hello. I love this recipe and have used it probably five times. With that said, I wanted to share my experience using frozen chicken breasts. I was successful! I preheated my Ninja crockpot on high— probably 30 minutes. Then followed the recipe as written—continuing on the high setting. It probably took 4 1/2 hours before the chicken was fork tender. I know we shouldn’t do this, but I did without adverse results. Delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for your feedback and sharing your results! We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe.