Slow Cooker Lemonade Chicken
10 CommentsJun 11, 2025
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Lemonade Chicken is a fun and flavorful way to switch up your slow cooker routine. With its sweet-tangy sauce and no-fuss prep, it’s a refreshing change from the usual.
Key Ingredients
Nothing fancy here—just a few everyday ingredients that pack in big flavor.
- Lemonade Concentrate – a unique ingredient that adds tang and sweetness.
- Chicken Breasts – A lean, tender base that soaks up all the flavor as it cooks.
- Ketchup & Brown Sugar – Add richness.
- Soy Sauce – Brings balance and Asian flavor.
- Cornstarch – Helps thicken the sauce.
How to Make Lemonade Chicken
- Place the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Mix together the sauce ingredients, including the cornstarch, and pour over the chicken.
- Let it cook low and slow until tender and flavorful.
- Give it a stir before serving and add a sprinkle of fresh herbs, if you’d like.
Sarah’s Tips & Variations
Instead of serving the chicken breasts whole, you can shred them into the sauce.
Make spicy lemon chicken by adding a diced jalapeno.
Vegetables that pair well with the sauce and chicken are bell peppers, onions, and carrots. You can also add a can of diced pineapple.
You can substitute the lemonade concentrate by mixing 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, and 3 tablespoons of sugar.
How to Serve:
You will want to serve this chicken with a hearty starch like steamed rice, fried rice or mashed potatoes. The flavor of the chicken is similar to sweet and sour chicken, so think of sides that go well with that!
Drizzle the lemonade sauce over the chicken. Garnishes that add great flavor are toasted sesame seeds and green onions.
Add other sides such as honey garlic carrots or green bean casserole.
Slow Cooker Lemonade Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2-3 breasts
- ½ cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. red chili flakes
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- parsley, optional garnish
Instructions
- In the slow cooker, stir together the lemonade concentrate, seasonings, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch.
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker and spoon some of the sauce over the top.
- Cook on low for 5–6 hours, then stir the sauce and garnish with parsley before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Other Chicken Recipes We Love
Crockpot Chicken Piccata and Crockpot Tuscan Chicken are flavorful options perfect for a cozy dinner. Try my Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs for an economical, delicious dinner.
Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken and Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy offer bright or savory sauces that pair well with simple sides. My Mexican Street Corn Chicken is wonderful over rice!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Potatoes and Slow Cooker Chicken Tenders are easy, no-fuss meals the whole family will love.
I couldn’t really taste the lemon but the flavor was delicious!
I forgot to give my rating for this recipe. For my husband and I, we give this a HIGH FIVE! Thanks again.
I see someone asked if this works for thighs too. Because I found chicken thighs on sale this week, I used 8 thighs. I left the skin on so, yes, I did brown them first. I also incorporated pineapple into the dish per your suggestion, and we loved it. Because it’s just my husband and me, I froze half the chicken, sauce and all, in a tightly sealed bag. I do that for most of your recipes and, so far, they’ve always come out great.
What in world would I do without you!? Since I found your recipes, I have lived a life of luxury! Okay, maybe I’m embellishing a bit. But the fact is, thanks to you, meal planning is so much easier and meals, especially dinner, are a breeze. Thank you so much for sharing these recipes, including (and maybe especially) your tips and notes. I’ve been cooking all my adult life and I’m still learning new tricks from you. PEACE
Thank you for the kind words! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes.
Would this work with bone in chicken thighs too?
Yes, I would brown them first though.
Hi. Is there an alternative to lemonade concentrate? This sounds lovely but I dont think we can get that ingredient here
Try replacing the lemonade concentrate with a mix of 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, and 3 tablespoons of sugar for a similar sweet-tart flavor.I added this to the post. Thank you!
Cool. I can use splenda instead of sugar in this substitute 🙂
Yes, though it may have an off taste.