Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken

My slow cooker pesto chicken is simple to prepare, tastes great and provides plenty of your five-a-day veggies too. It also fits in well with WeightWatchers Smartpoints or Slimming World.

Easy to prep

A busy day calls for a dinner thrown in the slow cooker earlier in the day, so I can get on with that never-ending to-do list. Cooked on low in the slow cooker all day, the chicken is placed on a bed of onions which holds it out of the cooking liquid (chicken stock).

This means your pesto stays put and adds flavour to your chicken all day as it bubbles away slowly.

Did you know you can make slow cooker dishes that looks this fresh and bright? It isn’t just stews and casseroles with a sauce you can make in there you know! There’s really no need to put away your slow cooker when Spring arrives, when you can make fresh and healthy dishes like this.

The convenience of a slow cooker means I use mine all year round.

Ingredients

Scroll down to the recipe card for the quantities and full printable recipe card.

• 2 onions
• sweet potato
• butternut squash
• chicken breasts
• pesto – I use reduced fat, you can use your preferred homemade or shop-bought pesto
• chicken stock cube or stock melt
• cherry tomatoes
• oregano
• salt and pepper

Step by step

1. Chop the onions and place them in the base of the slow cooker pot. 
2. Chop the sweet potato and butternut squash and put half in with the onion.
3. Place the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables.
4. Spread 1 teaspoon of pesto over each chicken breast, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the oregano.
5. Put the rest of the sweet potato and butternut squash, and the cherry tomatoes, around the chicken breasts.
6. Measure 150 ml of boiling water in a jug and add the chicken stock melt. Stir to melt it and then carefully pour the stock under the chicken in the vegetables.
7. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
8. Check the chicken is cooked through (either use a food thermometer or check the juices are clear and the chicken breast is white throughout, with no pink remaining).
9. Using a large slotted spoon, lift the chicken breasts out of the slow cooker and place them in a serving dish. Put the cooked vegetables around the chicken and serve.

More healthy slow cooker recipes

I’ve got loads of recipes like this in my recipe archives – you can see them all in my slow cooker archives.

You might like my slow cooker lemon and herb chicken with asparagus and my slow cooker chicken with Mediterranean roasted vegetables.

The bright colours of this dish just make me happy for the arrival of Spring and the warmer weather that will hopefully be on the way soon. If you can enjoy fresh flavours from the slow cooker there is no need to abandon it until next winter I reckon.

More pesto recipes

More pesto recipes if you need to use up the rest of your jar of pesto:

• Quick leftover pork pesto pasta from Fab Food 4 All
• Pesto and feta pastries from Fuss Free Flavours
• Caprese pizza wraps from Tinned Tomatoes

Pin this recipe for slow cooker pesto chicken for later!!

Recipe

Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken

A healthy slow cooker dish with chicken breast cooked with sweet potato and butternut squash chunks and cherry tomatoes, perfect for spring and summer

4.78 from 9 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Slow Cooker

Keyword: healthy

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours hours

Total Time: 6 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 3 people

Calories: 404kcal

Author: Lucy Allen | BakingQueen74

Ingredients

• 2 small onions sliced
• 180 g sweet potato chopped
• 180 g butternut squash chopped
• 3 chicken breasts large
• 3 tsp reduced-fat pesto
• 1 chicken stock melt/stockpot
• 150 ml boiling water
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

UK Measurements - US Measurements

Equipment

large oval slow cooker

chopping board

Instructions 

• Place the chopped onions in the base of the slow cooker. 
  2 small onions
• Put half of the sweet potato and butternut squash in with the onion.
  180 g sweet potato, 180 g butternut squash
• Place the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables.
  3 chicken breasts
• Spread 1 teaspoon of pesto over each chicken breast, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the oregano.
  3 tsp reduced-fat pesto, 1 tsp oregano, salt and pepper
• Put the rest of the sweet potato and butternut squash, and the cherry tomatoes, around the chicken breasts.
  10 cherry tomatoes
• Measure the boiling water (150 ml or ½ cup) in a jug and add the chicken stock melt. Stir to melt it and then carefully pour the stock under the chicken in the vegetables.
  1 chicken stock melt/stockpot, 150 ml boiling water
• Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
• Check the chicken is cooked through.
• Using a large slotted spoon, lift the chicken breasts out of the slow cooker and place them in a serving dish. Put the cooked vegetables around the chicken and serve. 

Notes

Serving suggestion: Delicious with crusty bread, pasta, rice or couscous.

Did you try and love this recipe?Then please leave a review and rating in the comments at the bottom of the post. If you post your creation on Instagram, tag me @bakingqueen74 or use hashtag #bakingqueen74!