Slow Cooker Cream of Mushroom Chicken is seasoned chicken breasts cooked low and slow under a creamy sauce of condensed cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, a little broth, garlic and 16 ounces of sliced mushrooms. It cooks 4 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW, and the sauce is made for spooning over rice, noodles or potatoes. It serves 4.
How to make it: Season the chicken and lay it in the slow cooker. Whisk the sour cream, soup, broth, garlic and flour, stir in the mushrooms and pour it over the chicken. Cover and cook until the chicken reaches 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- 10 minutes of prep: season, whisk, pour and walk away.
- A built-in sauce: soup, sour cream and mushrooms cook into a creamy gravy.
- Plenty of mushrooms: a full 16 ounces, not just the ones in the can.
- Flexible timing: 4 hours on HIGH or 6 on LOW.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken breasts: 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless breasts, about 3 medium-large ones, trimmed and fully thawed. Pick breasts of a similar size so they cook through at the same time.
Seasoning: 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon each black pepper, paprika and onion powder.
Cream of mushroom soup: one 10.5-ounce can of condensed soup, used straight from the can.
Sour cream: 1 cup, whisked into the soup.
Broth, garlic and flour: 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (or 1 fresh clove) and 1 1/2 tablespoons flour.
Mushrooms: 16 ounces sliced, about 2 to 3 cups. Any mushroom works; drain canned ones well.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 medium-large breasts, trimmed, fully thawed)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup sour cream
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup (1 can)
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (or 1 clove fresh garlic, minced)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 16 ounces sliced mushrooms (2 to 3 cups)
- Fresh parsley, minced; optional garnish
How to Make Slow Cooker Cream of Mushroom Chicken
1. Season the chicken. Trim the chicken and season it with the salt, pepper, paprika and onion powder. Arrange it in a 6 quart slow cooker.
2. Make the sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, condensed cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, garlic and flour until fully combined. Stir in the sliced mushrooms.
3. Pour over the chicken. Pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken.
4. Cook. Cover and cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW, until the chicken reaches 165°F on a food thermometer. Keep the lid on except to check for doneness.
5. Garnish and serve. Garnish with minced parsley if you like and serve over rice, noodles or potatoes.
How Long Does It Take, and How Do You Know It’s Done?
Slow cookers don’t all run at the same heat, which is why times for this dish range from 2 to 3 hours on HIGH up to 7 to 8 hours on LOW, depending on the cooker and how much chicken goes in. This recipe uses 4 hours on HIGH or 6 on LOW for 1 1/2 pounds of breasts in a 6-quart cooker.
- Use a thermometer. The chicken is done at 165°F. Time is a guide; the temperature is the test.
- Start checking early. If your cooker runs hot, check at the low end of the time.
- LOW is safe all day. Cooking on LOW the whole time is fine when you’re out at work.
- Keep the lid on. Lift it only to check for doneness.
- Thaw the chicken first. Frozen chicken shouldn’t go into a slow cooker. Keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to start.
Variations
- Onion soup mix: skip the sour cream and seasonings and pour 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup, 1 packet of dry onion soup mix and 1/2 cup water over the chicken.
- Shredded: lift the chicken out, shred it with two forks and stir it back into the sauce so it soaks it up.
- Thicker sauce: stir in 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water near the end.
- Less salt: use low-sodium soup and low-sodium broth, and salt to taste at the end.
- Fewer mushrooms: 8 ounces laid over the chicken still gives plenty of texture.
Prefer a stuffing topping? Our 4-ingredient slow cooker chicken with stuffing uses cream of mushroom soup with a box of stuffing mix on top.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Leftovers are safe frozen for 3 to 4 months, but cream sauces don’t freeze well and can separate and look curdled after thawing.
Reheating: Reheat covered on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven until it reaches 165°F, bringing the sauce to a boil. Don’t reheat leftovers in the slow cooker; once hot, you can keep them warm in a preheated cooker at 140°F or above.
What to Serve With It
Spoon the chicken and sauce over rice, mashed potatoes, egg noodles or cauliflower rice. Try it with slow cooker Amish buttered noodles or 3-ingredient slow cooker potatoes, and add smothered green beans with potatoes on the side.
More creamy slow cooker chicken: crockpot chicken and gravy and 5-ingredient slow cooker retro cream chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use canned cream of mushroom soup?
Yes. This recipe uses one 10.5-ounce can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, straight from the can.
How long does cream of mushroom chicken take in the slow cooker?
4 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW for 1 1/2 pounds of breasts. It’s done when the chicken reaches 165°F.
What are the three main ingredients?
Chicken breasts, cream of mushroom soup and sour cream, with sliced mushrooms. The simplest take uses chicken, soup and a packet of onion soup mix.
Can I put frozen chicken in the slow cooker?
No. Thaw the chicken in the refrigerator first.
Can I shred the chicken?
Yes. Shred it with two forks and stir it back into the sauce.
What do you serve it over?
Rice, noodles, mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice.
How long do leftovers keep?
3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat to 165°F.
Final Notes
Thaw the chicken, keep the lid on and check for 165°F before you serve. If you try the onion soup mix take or shred it for sandwiches, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Slow Cooker Cream of Mushroom Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts about 3 medium-large breasts, trimmed, fully thawed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup sour cream
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 can
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 16 ounces sliced mushrooms 2 to 3 cups
- fresh parsley minced; optional garnish
Instructions
- Trim the chicken and season it with the salt, pepper, paprika and onion powder. Arrange it in a 6 quart slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, condensed cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, garlic and flour until fully combined. Stir in the sliced mushrooms.
- Pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken.
- Cover and cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW, until the chicken reaches 165°F on a food thermometer. Keep the lid on except to check for doneness.
- Garnish with minced parsley if you like and serve over rice, noodles or potatoes.
Notes
Nutrition
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