Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar Chicken

Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar Chicken is the creamy, cheesy, completely comforting slow cooker dinner. Tender chicken slow-cooks all day in a rich, velvety cream of chicken base, then gets stirred together with fresh broccoli florets and a generous pile of shredded sharp cheddar until everything melts into the most incredible cheesy sauce you have ever poured over rice.

Love More Recipes? Try My Garlic Parmesan Chicken Crockpot or this Crockpot Chicken Fajitas next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• That melty, stretchy cheddar sauce coats every piece of chicken and every bite of broccoli perfectly.
• 5 minutes of morning prep and your slow cooker does absolutely everything else.
• Family-approved comfort food — even picky eaters clean their plates when this is on the table.
• Serve over rice, pasta, or potatoes for a complete meal with zero extra effort.
• Great for leftovers — tastes just as wonderful reheated the next day for lunch.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (thighs stay juicier — breasts shred beautifully)
• 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed (pull from the fridge 30 minutes ahead so it blends smoothly)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 3 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces (frozen works — add straight from frozen in the last 30 minutes)
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded from the block (pre-shredded bags contain anti-caking agents that make the sauce grainy — always shred your own)
• Optional: 1/2 cup sour cream stirred in at the end for extra creaminess

Why These Ingredients Work

Cream of chicken soup is the shortcut that builds a rich, savory base without any roux or stovetop work. It provides the body and flavor foundation that lets the cheese and broccoli shine — it’s the creamy backbone of the whole dish.

Softened cream cheese stirred in at the end creates that velvety, luscious texture that makes this sauce feel luxurious rather than just cheesy. It melts into the hot broth seamlessly and gives the sauce a richness that heavy cream alone cannot replicate.

Freshly shredded sharp cheddar is genuinely the most important ingredient in this recipe. Block cheddar has a sharper, more complex flavor and melts into a smooth, creamy sauce. Bags of pre-shredded cheese are coated in starches that prevent them from melting cleanly — always grate your own for the best results.

Broccoli added in the final 30 minutes stays crisp-tender and bright green rather than going soft and mushy. It absorbs just enough of the cheesy sauce to taste incredible without turning into mush — timing matters more than you might think.

Tools Needed

• 5 or 6-quart slow cooker
• Box grater or food processor for shredding cheese
• Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
• Two forks for shredding chicken
• Measuring cups and spoons

How To Make Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar Chicken

Step 1: Build the Creamy Base

Whisk together the cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper directly in the slow cooker until smooth and combined.

Step 2: Nestle in the Chicken

Place the chicken breasts or thighs into the creamy soup base, pressing them down slightly so they are mostly submerged. Dot the softened cream cheese cubes over the top of the chicken.

Step 3: Slow Cook

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Your kitchen is going to smell absolutely wonderful. The chicken is ready when it shreds easily with two forks and reaches 165°F internally. Shred it right in the slow cooker and stir everything together.

Step 4: Add the Broccoli

Stir the fresh broccoli florets into the shredded chicken and sauce. Cover and cook on HIGH for 25 to 30 minutes until the broccoli is just fork-tender — bright green and slightly crisp is what you’re going for here, not soft and gray. Frozen broccoli can go straight in from frozen.

Step 5: Melt in the Cheddar

Reduce the slow cooker to LOW. Add the freshly shredded cheddar cheese in two or three handfuls, stirring after each addition until completely melted and the sauce is smooth and gloriously cheesy. Taste and adjust salt and pepper before serving.

Step 6: Serve It Up

Ladle generously over steamed white rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes. An extra pinch of smoked paprika and a handful of shredded cheddar scattered over the top turns this weeknight staple into something that looks genuinely impressive on the table.

You Must Know

Always shred your own cheddar cheese from a block for this recipe. The starchy coating on pre-shredded bags prevents the cheese from melting smoothly and creates a grainy, lumpy sauce instead of the silky, creamy texture this dish is known for. It takes two extra minutes and makes a massive difference.

Add the broccoli in the last 30 minutes only. Broccoli that slow-cooks for hours turns gray, mushy, and unappetizing. The late addition keeps it bright green, slightly tender, and full of flavor.

Make sure your cream cheese is fully softened before it goes in. Cold cream cheese clumps and takes forever to melt into the sauce evenly. Letting it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes — or cutting it into small cubes — makes it melt smoothly and quickly.

Amelia’s Secret: Stir in a tablespoon of Dijon mustard when you add the cheddar. It sounds like an unusual addition to a cheesy chicken dish, but Dijon does something magical, it sharpens the cheddar flavor, adds a subtle tang that makes the sauce taste brighter and more complex.

Pro Tips & Mistakes to Avoid

• Never add broccoli at the start — it will be gray and mushy by serving time. Last 30 minutes only.
• Grate your own cheese every single time — pre-shredded bags ruin the texture of this sauce completely.
• Cut cream cheese into small cubes so it melts evenly rather than sitting in a big clump in the center of the dish.
• Don’t skip the smoked paprika — it adds a subtle warmth and depth that makes the sauce taste like it has a secret ingredient.
• Taste before serving and adjust salt — cream of chicken soup varies in saltiness by brand, so always season at the end.

Flavor Variations

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken with Bacon: Crumble 4 to 6 strips of crispy cooked bacon over the top right before serving. Bacon and sharp cheddar together is pure weeknight perfection.

Spicy Southwest Version: Add a can of drained Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles to the base along with 1 teaspoon of cumin. Serve over rice with sliced avocado and a squeeze of lime for a Tex-Mex twist on the classic.

White Cheddar & Cauliflower: Swap the sharp cheddar for white cheddar and use cauliflower florets instead of broccoli. The milder, nuttier flavor combination feels a little more sophisticated and works beautifully over creamy polenta.

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Casserole Style: Stir in a cup of cooked white rice along with the broccoli at the end for a complete one-pot meal where the rice soaks up all that gorgeous cheesy sauce and becomes the best part of the dish.

Make-Ahead & Freeze Instructions

This dish is fantastic for meal prep. Cook the full recipe and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently over medium-low on the stovetop with a splash of chicken broth to loosen the sauce, which thickens significantly in the refrigerator.

For freezing, leave the broccoli out before freezing — broccoli does not freeze well in a creamy sauce. Freeze the chicken and cheesy base for up to 2 months, then add fresh broccoli when you reheat. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop over medium-low.

Serving Suggestions

Spoon over a generous bed of fluffy white rice for the most classic, comforting combination. The rice soaks up every bit of that creamy cheddar sauce and turns a simple weeknight dinner into something that feels genuinely satisfying and complete.

Serve over wide egg noodles for a creamy chicken noodle situation that kids absolutely go wild for. Toss the noodles right into the slow cooker and stir everything together for a true one-pot meal.

For a low-carb option, spoon over steamed cauliflower rice or serve in a hollowed-out baked potato loaded with extra cheese and sour cream. Both options are hearty and delicious without the rice.

How to Store

• Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Sauce thickens as it cools — add a splash of broth when reheating.
• Freezer: Freeze without broccoli for up to 2 months. Add fresh broccoli when reheating for best texture.
• Reheat: Stovetop over medium-low with a splash of chicken broth, stirring gently, or microwave in 60-second intervals.

Allergy Info

• Contains: Dairy (cream cheese, cheddar, cream of chicken soup), Gluten (cream of chicken soup)
• Gluten-free: Use a gluten-free cream of chicken soup — several brands offer certified GF versions
• Dairy-free: Use dairy-free cream cheese, dairy-free cheddar shreds, and a dairy-free condensed soup alternative
• Lower fat: Use reduced-fat cream cheese and 2% cheddar — the sauce will be slightly less rich but still delicious

FAQs

Why is my cheese sauce grainy or lumpy?

Pre-shredded cheese is almost always the culprit. The starch coating on bagged shredded cheese prevents it from melting smoothly. Always grate fresh cheese from a block and add it gradually to the hot sauce, stirring after each addition.

Can I use frozen broccoli?

Yes! Add frozen broccoli directly from the bag in the last 30 minutes — no need to thaw first. The texture will be slightly softer than fresh but still works well and saves prep time.

Can I make this without cream of chicken soup?

You can substitute 1 cup of chicken broth whisked with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch for a from-scratch version. Add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder and onion powder to compensate for the seasoning in the soup.

How do I keep the sauce from being too thick?

If the sauce thickens more than you like during cooking, simply stir in a splash of warm chicken broth — a few tablespoons at a time — until it reaches the consistency you want. The sauce always thickens more as it cools.

Can I add pasta directly to the slow cooker?

Add fully cooked pasta in the last 15 minutes on WARM and stir gently. Uncooked pasta in a slow cooker becomes mushy and absorbs too much of the sauce — always cook it separately and combine at the end.

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