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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.
Table of Contents
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
- 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:
- 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.
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
- Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
- Slow Cooker Marry Me Chicken
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken Piccata
- Slow Cooker Bruschetta Chicken
- Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken
- Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken and Rice
Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken
Tangy tender lemon chicken cooked in the slow cooker.
Equipment
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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 662mg | Potassium: 385mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 142IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Made this recipe? Leave a comment below!
This lemon chicken was excellent.I have made many of your recipes and have never been disappointed
That’s great to hear Tony! Thank you.
This recipe is ridiculously easy and delicious. I’m tired of making lemon chicken that has no lemon flavor. I made a little extra sauce and thought this recipe was full of lemon flavor. Highly recommend!
I’m shocked to see this recipe ha 30 grams of carbs for 1/4. Is that a typo? I think the 30 grams may be for the whole recipe. How did you figure this? Thanks
You’re right, I had the computer redo the calculations, and now it’s only 4. I don’t know what was causing that. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.
This is so good. So happy the carbs are lower! After cooking I took the chicken out and added cream cheese to broth. Immersion blender. So yum!
Can this dish be prepped, frozen, and cooked later?
Great recipe! This is an excellent addition to your weekly routine. So easy to make and incredibly delicious. This reminds me of the savoury chicken recipes my grandmother used to make. Thank you Sarah!
I made this recipe exactly the way you wrote it up and added a splash of white wine and it was one of the best crockpot lemon chicken I have ever had! Thank you for posting!! It will definitely be in my weekly rotation.
Hello I want to try this recipe but can I cook it for 6 or 8 hours instead?
Yes, should do fine. Will be more like shredded chicken though.
I have TheZgood Seasons Italian salad dressing but not the Good Seasons ZESTYItalian dressing. Think that’s okay to use???? Please someone let me know.
Yes! Will work fine.
I’m trying this for years first time and really looking forward to eating it! I had to batter twice because I am doubling up the amount of chicken, tip: definitely pat the chicken as dry as possible, I got a better coating the second time around!
I used chicken tenderloins but cooked for less than 3 hrs. Probably 2-1/4 hrs would be enough on high. I also put the broccoli in foil on top & it got too soggy & an unappetizing shade of green. Next time, I’ll cook the broccoli separately.
I added about 1/3 cup of white wine! Made it so fancy!!
Along with the broth and lemon?