Crock Pot Garlic Butter Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots

Crock Pot Garlic Butter Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots is tender chicken, buttery baby potatoes, and sweet carrots all cook together in the most gloriously rich garlic herb butter sauce. 10 minutes of prep in the morning, and dinner takes care of itself all day long.

Why You’ll Love This

• 10 minutes of prep, a full day of hands-off cooking — toss it in and forget it.
• Rich, garlicky, buttery, and deeply comforting — this is weeknight dinner at its very best.
• A complete one-pot meal — protein, starch, and vegetables all in a single pot.
• Zero dishes, minimal cleanup — life-changing on a busy Tuesday.
• Leftovers taste even better the next day — the garlic butter sauce gets richer overnight.

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Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 1.5 lbs baby red potatoes, quartered
• 1 lb whole carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Why These Ingredients Work

Butter is the heart of this recipe — it coats every piece of chicken, potato, and carrot in a rich, golden, flavor-carrying fat that penetrates deeply over the long, slow cook. Do not substitute oil here; the flavor is distinctly different and you will notice the difference immediately.

Six cloves of garlic sounds like a lot, but slow cooking transforms raw garlic into something mellow, sweet, and deeply savory rather than sharp or pungent. By the time the lid comes off, it has melted into the sauce and flavored every ingredient throughout without any harsh bite.

Baby red potatoes hold their shape through 6 hours of slow cooking in a way that russet potatoes cannot — russets absorb too much liquid and disintegrate into a starchy, mushy mess. The waxy red potatoes come out tender but intact, with crisp edges and buttery centers that are perfect for absorbing the garlic sauce.

Italian seasoning does a lot of work in this recipe, adding herbs like basil, thyme, oregano, and rosemary all at once without requiring you to measure out five separate spices. It is the blend that makes the sauce taste herby, complex, and clearly intentional rather than simple.

Tools Needed

• 6-quart slow cooker
• Small mixing bowl and whisk (for the garlic butter sauce)
• Vegetable peeler
• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Large serving spoon or ladle

How To Make Crock Pot Garlic Butter Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots

Step 1: Prep and Add the Vegetables

Quarter the baby red potatoes and cut the peeled carrots into 1-inch chunks. Add them to the bottom of the slow cooker in an even layer. This simple layering detail makes a real difference in getting everything perfectly cooked at the same time.

Step 2: Mix the Garlic Butter Sauce

In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and chicken broth until everything is well combined. The sauce will smell absolutely incredible at this stage

Step 3: Add the Chicken and Coat Everything

Place the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker. Pour the garlic butter sauce evenly over everything, making sure to coat the chicken pieces on top and let the sauce drizzle down into the vegetables below. Use a large spoon to gently toss and coat everything so the sauce reaches into every nook and cranny.

Step 4: Cook Low and Slow

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Do not lift the lid during cooking. The chicken is ready when it reaches 165°F internally and the potatoes are completely fork-tender all the way through.

Step 5: Rest, Plate, and Garnish

Turn the slow cooker off and let everything rest for 5 to 10 minutes with the lid slightly ajar before serving. This brief rest allows the juices to redistribute back into the chicken. Plate the chicken alongside the potatoes and carrots, spoon that gorgeous garlic butter sauce generously over the top, and scatter fresh parsley across everything before serving.

You Must Know

Always put the vegetables on the bottom and the chicken on top. The bottom of the slow cooker is the hottest zone, and dense root vegetables need more heat to cook through properly. Chicken on the bottom often ends up overcooked and rubbery by the time the potatoes are done, while chicken on top comes out perfectly juicy and tender.

Do not add extra liquid beyond the chicken broth in this recipe. The chicken releases a significant amount of its own moisture during the slow cook, and the butter also liquefies and adds to the cooking liquid. Too much liquid makes the potatoes mushy and the sauce thin and watery rather than rich and coating.

Amelia’s Secret: Reserve 2 tablespoons of raw garlic butter sauce before pouring it over the chicken, and stir it into the finished dish right before serving. Fresh garlic added at the very end gives a bright, slightly more assertive garlic note on top of the mellowed, slow-cooked garlic flavor already in the sauce.

Pro Tips & Mistakes to Avoid

• Cut all the potato and carrot pieces to a similar size so they cook evenly — inconsistent sizes mean some pieces are done while others are still hard.
• Do not use russet potatoes — they absorb too much liquid and fall apart completely during 6 hours of slow cooking.
• Taste the garlic butter sauce before it goes in and season it aggressively — slow cooking mutes flavors slightly, so season a touch more than you think you need.
• Chicken thighs are far more forgiving than breasts in a slow cooker — choose thighs if you tend to run dishes a bit over time.
• For extra golden, slightly crisped chicken, transfer to a baking dish and broil on HIGH for 3 to 5 minutes right before serving.

Flavor Variations

Lemon Herb Upgrade: Add the juice and zest of one lemon to the garlic butter sauce and use fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs instead of dried Italian seasoning. The result is brighter and more herb-forward — beautiful for spring and summer entertaining.

Creamy Garlic Version: Stir in 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan in the last 30 minutes of cooking for a luxuriously rich, almost sauce-like consistency that is perfect spooned over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Add Mushrooms: Toss in 8 oz of sliced cremini mushrooms with the vegetables at the start. They cook down beautifully, absorb the garlic butter deeply, and add an earthy, savory note that takes the dish in a more rustic, French bistro direction.

Spicy Garlic Butter: Add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the sauce for a gently spicy version that wakes up all the other flavors without overwhelming the garlic and herb notes.

Make-Ahead

Prep the vegetables and mix the garlic butter sauce the night before, storing each separately in covered containers in the refrigerator. In the morning, assemble everything in the slow cooker and turn it on before you leave for the day. The fully cooked dish stores in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days — the garlic butter sauce deepens beautifully overnight. Freeze portions of the chicken and sauce (without potatoes and carrots, which do not freeze well) for up to 3 months.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the chicken, potatoes, and carrots directly from the slow cooker as a complete dinner on its own. Add a simple green salad dressed with lemon vinaigrette on the side to bring some fresh, bright contrast to the rich, buttery main dish.

Spoon the extra garlic butter sauce from the bottom of the slow cooker into a small dish and serve it alongside crusty dinner rolls or warm baguette for dipping. That sauce is liquid gold and deserves to be mopped up thoroughly.

Pour a glass of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or a light Pinot Noir alongside. A cold sparkling water with lemon also works beautifully — the brightness of the citrus cuts through the butter richness and keeps each bite feeling fresh.

How to Store

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with a small splash of chicken broth to refresh the sauce, or microwave covered in 60-second intervals. Freeze the chicken and sauce only (without vegetables) in a sealed freezer bag for up to 3 months — potatoes and carrots become grainy and watery after freezing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Allergy Info

• Contains: Dairy (butter)
• Gluten-free: Naturally gluten-free as written — verify broth and Italian seasoning labels
• Dairy-free: Use high-quality vegan butter (Miyoko’s or Country Crock Plant Butter) — the flavor is very similar and holds up beautifully in a slow cooker
• Lower fat: Reduce butter to 1/4 cup and substitute the remaining 1/4 cup with additional chicken broth — still very flavorful but significantly lighter

FAQs

Can I use frozen chicken in this recipe?

The USDA advises against placing frozen chicken directly into a slow cooker — the extended time in the temperature danger zone raises food safety concerns. Always thaw completely in the refrigerator overnight before cooking.

My potatoes are still firm after the cook time. What do I do?

Recover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Make sure the potato pieces were cut to a similar 1-inch size — larger uneven pieces take significantly longer to cook through than smaller, uniform ones.

Can I add other vegetables?

Yes — green beans, pearl onions, parsnips, or halved small turnips all work beautifully. Soft vegetables like zucchini or broccoli should be added in the last 1 hour of cooking only, or they will turn to mush over the full 6 hours.

The sauce seems thin when the cooking is done. How do I thicken it?

Stir a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch whisked with 2 tablespoons cold water into the hot liquid in the slow cooker, switch to HIGH, and cook uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes until the sauce thickens to a glossy, coating consistency.

Can I use bone-in chicken pieces instead?

Yes — bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks work wonderfully and add even more flavor to the sauce during the slow cook. Increase the cook time by about 1 hour on LOW to ensure the meat cooks through completely to the bone.

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