Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken

Aug 20, 2024

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Make this classy Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken! The tender chicken is flavored with an Italian dressing mix and plenty of lemon!

Other Lemon recipes we love are slow cooker lemon spoon cake, and slow cooker lemon chicken thighs.

lemon chicken in sauce in a slow cooker with rice pilaf on the side.

Recipe Ingredients
Variations
How to Serve
Recipe FAQs
More Crockpot Chicken Recipes
Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Recipe

One dish I love to order out is lemon chicken. This crock pot lemon chicken recipe is restaurant-quality. It may have a few more steps than my other recipes, but your efforts will be rewarded.

Cooking the lemon chicken in the slow cooker helps the chicken absorb more of the lemony flavor of the sauce. You will love how simple it is to make this lemon chicken, which is good enough to serve guests.

Recipe Ingredients

chicken breasts, chicken broth, zesty Italian seasoning packet, cornstarch and lemons on wood table.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – Try to find thinly sliced chicken breasts OR cut these in half.
All-purpose Flour -Flour is used to coat the chicken and helps thicken the sauce.
Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Dry Mix Packet – This is the flavor in the dish! Don’t skip this; it also has enough sodium to flavor the entire recipe.
Cooking Oil – To brown the chicken in.
Lemons – You will need a whopping 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice. DO NOT USE BOTTLED, it is not the same.
Chicken Broth – This will cut back on the acidity of lemons.

Variations

Chicken thighs can be used instead of chicken breasts. Though you will want to cook an hour longer for these are thicker than the thinly sliced chicken breasts.
For a change of flavor, use a ranch dressing packet instead of the Italian dressing mix.
Fresh herbs can be added (in addition to the Italian dressing mix). Chop rosemary, thyme and parsley at the beginning of the cooking time.

Directions:

browned chicken breasts in a slow cooker.

Finished cooking lemon chicken in a slow cooker with broccoli and rice on the side.

Cut the chicken breasts down the center, making 2 pieces of breasts from each. Put the flour and zesty Italian mix in to a large ziplock bag. Add the chicken breasts and seal the bag. Shake the bag until the breasts are coated. In a large skillet set to medium-high heat add the cooking oil. Brown the chicken on both sides, no need to cook through. Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker. Add the chicken broth and squeeze in the lemon juice (be sure to use fresh lemons).
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 hours. Serve the crockpot lemon chicken with the lemon sauce from the crock pot.

How to Serve

When serving this, think of what restaurants would serve with lemon chicken. Such as mashed potatoes (try our slow cooker mashed potatoes) or rice pilaf.
Serve with a green salad or steamed broccoli.
Leftovers are great cubed and served in a salad.

Gray plate with lemon chicken breast, broccoli and rice pilaf.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use frozen chicken?

No, use thawed chicken breasts for this recipe.

How to store:

This lemon chicken can be stored in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months.

More Crockpot Chicken Recipes

5 chicken breasts in a slow cooker with lemons on top.

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken

4.60 from 5 votes

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 3

Total Time: 3 20

Servings:

By: Sarah Olson

Tangy tender lemon chicken cooked in the slow cooker.

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Equipment

Slow Cooker – 3 quart or larger

Ingredients

▢ 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, or chicken tenderloins work great
▢ .60 oz. package dry zesty italian salad dressing mix
▢ 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
▢ 1 tablespoon cooking oil
▢ 1/2 cup FRESH lemon juice, (about 2 large lemons, do not use bottled lemon juice)
▢ 1/2 cup chicken broth

Instructions

Cut the chicken breasts into 2 pieces length wise, so you have 2 thin pieces of chicken breasts.
Put dressing packet and flour in the ziplock bag. Add the chicken to the bag, and shake to coat the chicken.
Set a large skillet on the stove-top over medium high heat. Add the cooking oil. When the oil is hot brown the chicken on both sides. No need to cook through.
Add browned chicken to the slow cooker. Pour over the lemon juice and chicken broth.
Place lid on slow cooker.
Cook on HIGH for 3 hours, without peeking.
Make sure to drizzle lemon sauce from bottom of slow cooker onto the chicken when serving.
Serve over rice or mashed potatoes. Enjoy.

How to Video

Sarah’s Notes

Variations

Chicken thighs can be used instead of chicken breasts. Though you will want to cook an hour longer for these are thicker than the thinly sliced chicken breasts.
For a change of flavor, use a ranch dressing packet instead of the Italian dressing mix.
Fresh herbs can be added (in addition to the Italian dressing mix). Chop rosemary, thyme, and parsley at the beginning of cooking.

How to serve:

When serving this, think of what restaurants would serve with lemon chicken. Such as mashed potatoes (try our slow cooker mashed potatoes) or rice pilaf.
Serve with a green salad or steamed broccoli.
Leftovers are great cubed and served in a salad.