Slow Cooker Autumn Chicken Dinner
53 Comments Oct 18, 2023
Updated May 07, 2024
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This Slow cooker Chicken and Sweet Potato Dinner is healthy and an easy one pot meal. Chicken thighs, onions and sweet potatoes are cooked together to perfection.
Who doesn’t love coming home to a complete meal in the slow cooker such as this one or even my Ranch Chicken and Potatoes, or my Thanksgiving Casserole Recipe.
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
This Slow Cooker Chicken and Sweet Potato Dinner was so flavorful! This is my first time making sweet potatoes without adding brown sugar and cinnamon, I didn’t miss it. You will love this One Pan Meal!
This recipe has simple ingredients, but somehow it produces the juiciest chicken and sweet potatoes. I think the chicken thighs are the key to this dish, while they cook all their juices flavor up those sweet potatoes perfectly.
Try this meal, even if you aren’t cutting back on sugar and grains. I’m sure all those juices would be delicious soaked up with some crusty bread. We love to serve this meal along with slow cooker apple crisp for a rounded out perfect fall meal!
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs – Use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. The thighs are juicy and add moisture to the entire dish. Brown the chicken in cooking oil such as vegetable or canola.
- Sweet Potatoes – My favorite variety of sweet potatoes are red garent, they are brightly colored and resemble fall in this meal. Butternut squash is a great alternate if you prefer. If you love sweet potatoes, also try my baked sweet potato recipe.
- Onion – The onion, cooked along with the sweet potatoes and chicken thighs are match made in heaven!
- Seasonings – Simple seasonings in this recipe; just salt, freshly ground black pepper and dried thyme!
- Maple Syrup – A touch of maple syrup adds a touch a sweetness to the chicken and sweet potatoes. The maple syrup gets drizzled over the final dish.
Step One – Peel and cube the sweet potatoes and dice the onion into large pieces.
Step Two – Add the diced onion and sweet potato cubes to the crockpot.
Step Three – Brown the chicken thighs in a hot skillet that has cooking oil added. You do not need to cook the chicken through.
Step Four – Add the browned chicken thighs on top of the sweet potatoes and onion. Sprinkle over the salt, pepper and dried thyme.
Step Five – Cook on High for 4 hours or until the chicken is cooked through and very tender.
Step Six – Drizzle over a touch of maple syrup (about 2 tablespoons) over the autumn chicken and serve!
How to serve
- This recipe is a full meal, you can go without any sides if needed. The chicken with sweet potatoes is a meal in itself.
- If you want to add healthy side, add a green salad or slow cooker brussels sprouts. You can add dried cranberries (a 1/4 cup) to the recipe for a pop of color. Another idea is to serve the autumn chicken with a scoop of whole cranberry sauce.
- You can also serve this with homemade biscuits, dinner rolls or even slow cooker focassia bread.
- If you like spicy flavors, serve with a touch of hot sauce. If you like sweet flavors try adding a dollop of slow cooker cranberry sauce to the top of the chicken.
Recipe FAQs
You can use bone in chicken breasts in this recipe. If you use boneless chicken breasts, but you will need to add a cup of chicken broth.
Green beans hold up very well in long cooking recipes such as this. You can also do half gold potatoes and half sweet potatoes.
Store the chicken in an airtight container. Place in the fridge for up to three days or freeze for up to three months.
Place the chicken and sweet potatoes in the microwave and heat for 30 second increments. Do not overheat or the chicken may become dry.
More Chicken Thigh Slow Cooker Recipes:
- Slow Cooker Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
- Slow Cooker Chicken Paprika
- Slow Cooker Coq Au Vin
- Slow Cooker Leek Chicken
- Slow Cooker Black Pepper Chicken
- Slow Cooker Green Chile Cheesy Chicken
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Slow Cooker Autumn Chicken Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. red garnet sweet potatoes, (can use butternut squash)
- 1 white onion
- 2 ½ lbs. bone-in skin-on chicken thighs , (about 5 thighs)
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- cooking oil for browning chicken
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup, (optional) WAIT TO ADD
Instructions
- Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into large pieces, I cut mine into 1 inch pieces. Cut the onion the same way and separate the pieces so they aren’t stuck together. Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with non-stick spray, add the sweet potato and onion pieces to the slow cooker in an even layer.
- Place a large skillet on the stove-top over medium high heat. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken skin down first, and cook until it browns, flip the chicken and brown the other side too.
- Remove the chicken with tongs and add on top of the sweet potatoes and onions in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and thyme over the chicken and veggies.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
- When the cooking time is up, drizzle over the maple syrup over the chicken and sweet potatoes.
How to Video
Sarah’s Notes
- You can use bone in chicken breasts in this recipe. If you use boneless chicken breasts, but you will need to add a cup of chicken broth.
- Want to add more vegetables? Green beans hold up very well in long cooking recipes such as this. You can also do half gold potatoes and half sweet potatoes.
- To store: Store the chicken in an airtight container. Place in the fridge for up to three days or freeze for up to three months.
- To reheat: Place the chicken and sweet potatoes in the microwave and heat for 30 second increments. Do not overheat or the chicken may become dry.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Would this work with frozen chicken breast?
Yes, I think it would work fine.
I made this today using a Moroccan spice blend. Delicious!
Thank you for all the great recipes. Do you think it would require very much change to substitute cubed butternut squash for the sweet potatoes? I also need to change the chicken to boneless, skinless chunks to make this a casserole for a funeral potluck so your comments about adding extra broth would help. I have to deliver this in the morning for a lunchtime meal so it has to be a dump-and-go recipe and so far this one looks most promising. Thanks again.
I think it will work fine. I’d add some butter.
No liquid? I find that odd. I just put a little chicken broth in it
Hi Brandon. It would be wrong if it was boneless, skinless white meat chicken. The skin-on thighs will produce plenty of liquid. 🙂
Can I double the recipe and cook it for the same amount of time?
I would add a little more time. That will be quite a full pot. 🙂
Will this work using thighs & breasts?
Yes! If they are bone in, skin on they will work fine. If you use skinless, I’d add a touch of water or broth.
Do you have to brown the chicken first? I’m guessing if not, extra cooking time would be needed
I didn’t and the time was the same, but I always check the internal temperature of chicken. It won’t look the same, but it tasted great.
Do you add a chicken stock to this also ? As it’s not mentioned in the recipe that’s all. Second time using a slow cooker. Thanks.
Hi Alex, chicken thighs with the skin-on let off a lot of juices. I did not use any stock. 🙂
Could you do this on low for double the time? I would want to make this before work.
I don’t think it would burn, the chicken may be fall off the bone, and the sweet potatoes extra tender.
How much liquid do I add to the slow cooker?
There is no liquid needed for this! The skin on the thighs will let out a ton of liquid. If you decide not to use skin-on chicken, I would add a 1/2-1 cup of chicken broth.