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    Home » Recipes » Slow Cooker

    Published on Mar 18, 2017. Modified on Nov 13, 2024 by bakingqueen74. This post may contain affiliate links. 12 Comments

    Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken

    8944 shares
    • 102
    Jump to Recipe

    My slow cooker pesto chicken is simple to prepare, tastes great and provides plenty of your five-a-day veggies too.

    Serving dish of chicken with pesto and vegetables.

    It is healthy, high protein and vibrant and also fits in well with WeightWatchers or Slimming World.

    Jump to:
    • Easy to prep
    • Ingredients
    • Step by step
    • More healthy slow cooker recipes
    • More pesto recipes
    • Recipe
    • Reviews

    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.

    Slow cooker full of chicken with pesto on top, tomatoes and sweet potato chunks.

    Ingredients

    Here are the ingredients you will need. Scroll down to the recipe below for the quantities and full printable recipe card.

    • 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/half a cup 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.
    View from above of serving dish of chicken with pesto and vegetables.

    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.

    Serving dish of chicken with pesto and vegetables.

    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!!

    Slow Cooker Pesto and Sweet Potato Chicken

    Recipe

    Slow cooker pot with chicken with pesto on top, tomatoes and sweet potato chunks.

    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
    4.85 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Slow Cooker
    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
    large oval slow cooker
    chopping board
    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 star rating and comment below to let me know how you got on!

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Astrid says

      January 25, 2019 at 8:40 am

      How long would you cook for on high?

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        January 25, 2019 at 9:01 am

        Hi Astrid. I’d cook this for 3-4 hours on high, hope that helps.

        Reply
    2. Jennifer says

      January 10, 2019 at 3:14 pm

      What does “one chicken stock” mean please? How much?

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        January 10, 2019 at 5:15 pm

        Hi there it says one chicken stock melt or stockpot. So one cube or stockpot whichever you prefer to use.

        Reply
    3. Jackie says

      April 09, 2017 at 9:33 pm

      Hi I have just joined could anyone tell me what the calories are for this please

      Reply
    4. Jackie says

      April 09, 2017 at 9:30 pm

      Hi I have just joined. Doe’s anyone know how many calories this is please x

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        April 09, 2017 at 9:35 pm

        Hi Jackie, sorry I don’t count calories but you can use an app or site like MyFitnessPal to calculate it, taking into account the specific brand of pesto you use and how many servings you have. On weight watchers this is around 6 Smartpoints per serving I believe, it is a healthy low fat option.

        Reply
    5. Sarah James says

      March 26, 2017 at 6:19 pm

      This looks delicious Lucy, I like the idea of pesto with the chicken. A great meal to try for spring and it’s healthy too.

      Reply
    6. Claire @foodiequine says

      March 21, 2017 at 9:06 am

      That looks so bright and fresh! I must admit I am guity of using my slow cooker pretty much only for autumn/winter stews.

      Reply
    7. Jemma @ Celery & Cupcakes says

      March 21, 2017 at 7:20 am

      This looks like such a lovely spring/summer dish. I love roasted squash.

      Reply
    8. Katie Bryson says

      March 21, 2017 at 7:01 am

      This looks just the kind of thing I should be cooking as I’m about to embark on Slimming World *takes deep breath* so I’ll def be bookmarking this for my healthy but tasty list!

      Reply
    9. Camilla says

      March 20, 2017 at 9:48 pm

      Looks like the perfect light spring meal to come home to:-)

      Reply
    4.85 from 13 votes (11 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Lucy! I'm a slow cooker addict, food blogger and also a busy working mum of two. I hope you'll enjoy the recipes I create and post which are perfect for busy families.

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