Last winter, I had one of those weeks where everything went sideways at once. Oliver got sick, the dishwasher died, and I had three work deadlines stacked on top of each other. Wednesday night hit and I realized I hadn't planned dinner. I had exactly 10 minutes before leaving for a parent-teacher conference. I grabbed frozen chicken breasts from the freezer, dumped them in the slow cooker with a packet of gravy mix and a can of cream of chicken soup - didn't even thaw the chicken. Six hours later I walked back into a house that smelled amazing, and this slow cooker chicken and gravy tasted like I'd actually put in effort.
Why You'll Love This Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
This slow cooker chicken and gravy fixes my biggest weeknight mess - getting dinner on the table when I forgot to plan anything and everyone's cranky and hungry. I've made this maybe twenty times now, and it works every single time no matter what's going sideways that day. The first time I brought it to a potluck, three different people asked for the recipe. When I told them it was three ingredients, one lady said "that's it?" like I was lying to keep the real recipe secret.
You start this in the morning before work and walk back into a house with dinner already done. No emergency grocery store trips, no thawing meat in the sink all afternoon, no standing at the stove when you're already dead tired. Oliver asks for this at least twice a month, usually on days when he can tell I'm drowning in stuff. The gravy comes out thick enough to pour over mashed potatoes or rice without being all watery. It reheats the next day without the Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy turning into jerky or the gravy separating into nasty chunks. I keep these three ingredients stocked now just so this is always an option when life explodes.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
- Ingredients For Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
- How To Make Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy Step By Step
- Smart Swaps for Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy Variations
- Equipment For Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
- Storage Tips
- What to Serve With Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
- Top Tip
- Why This Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy Works
- FAQ
- Time to Set It and Forget It!
- Related
- Pairing
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
Ingredients For Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
The Basic Three:
- Chicken breasts
- Cream of chicken soup
- Brown gravy mix
Optional Upgrades:
- Chicken broth
- Ranch seasoning packet
- Sour cream
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Black pepper
- Fresh herbs
If You Want It Creamier:
- Cream cheese
- Heavy cream
- Butter
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy Step By Step
I've made this Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy on mornings when I was half asleep, and it still turned out fine. Here's how:
Dump Everything In the Slow Cooker
- Put frozen or thawed chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker
- Don't overlap them too much if you can help it
- Open the can of cream of chicken soup and dump it on top
- Sprinkle the entire gravy mix packet over everything
- Add about ½ cup water or chicken broth
- Don't stir it yet - just leave it how it is
Set It and Walk Away
- Put the lid on and turn it to low for 6-8 hours
- Or set it to high for 3-4 hours if you're in a hurry
- Don't open the lid to check on it every hour
- The house will start smelling really good around hour 3
- Ignore the urge to peek at it
Shred the Chicken
- After cooking time is up, open the lid carefully (hot steam)
- Use two forks to shred the chicken right in the slow cooker
- It should fall apart super easily if it's done
- If it's still tough, close the lid and give it another 30 minutes
- Stir everything together so the gravy coats all the chicken
Make It Extra Creamy (Optional)
- If you want it creamier, stir in a few tablespoons of sour cream
- Or add a block of cream cheese and let it melt in
- Mix everything together until the gravy is smooth
- Let it sit on warm for 10 minutes to thicken up
Serve It Up
- Spoon over mashed potatoes, rice, or biscuits
- Pour extra gravy over the top
- Serve with whatever vegetables you have
- Watch it disappear
Smart Swaps for Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
Chicken Options:
- Chicken breasts → Chicken thighs (more flavor, harder to dry out)
- Frozen → Thawed (saves an hour of cooking)
- Boneless → Bone-in (just remove bones before shredding)
- Whole pieces → Pre-cut chunks (cooks a bit faster)
Soup Switches:
- Cream of chicken → Cream of mushroom
- Regular → Cream of celery
- Canned soup → Homemade white sauce
- One can → Two cans for extra gravy
Gravy Mix Alternatives:
- Brown gravy → Chicken gravy mix
- Packet → Homemade roux with flour and butter
- Store brand → Name brand (honestly can't tell the difference)
Liquid Choices:
- Water → Chicken broth (way more flavor)
- Broth → White wine (fancy version)
- Plain → Add a splash of cream at the end
Seasoning Add-Ins:
- Plain → Ranch packet mixed in
- Basic → Onion soup mix
- Simple → Italian seasoning
- Regular → Garlic and herb blend
Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy Variations
Ranch Chicken and Gravy:
- Add one packet of ranch seasoning to the gravy mix
- Throw in some frozen corn and green beans
- Stir in sour cream at the end for extra tang
- Serve over mashed potatoes with the ranch gravy on top
Mushroom Lover's Version:
- Use cream of mushroom soup instead of chicken
- Add a cup of sliced fresh mushrooms at the start
- Throw in some dried thyme for earthy flavor
- Perfect over egg noodles or rice
Garlic Herb Chicken:
- Add 4-5 crushed garlic cloves to the slow cooker
- Throw in fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs
- Use chicken broth instead of water
- Stir in butter at the end for richness
Southern Style Comfort:
- Add a can of cream of celery soup with the chicken soup
- Throw in diced onions and bell peppers
- Season with Cajun spices and hot sauce
- Serve over biscuits for real southern comfort food
Equipment For Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
- Slow cooker (4-6 quart size works best)
- Two forks for shredding chicken
- Measuring cup for liquid
- Can opener for the soup
- Wooden spoon for stirring
Storage Tips
Counter Storage (2 hours max):
- Don't leave it sitting out longer than that
- Keep the slow cooker on warm if people are still eating
- The gravy gets a skin on top if it sits too long
- Cover it if you're not serving it right away
Fridge Storage (4 days):
- Let it cool completely before putting it away
- Store in airtight containers or ziplock bags
- The gravy thickens up a lot in the fridge (totally normal)
- Reheat on the stove with a splash of broth to thin it back out
Freezer Storage (3 months):
- Freeze in portions so you can thaw what you need
- Use freezer bags and squeeze out all the air
- Label them with the date or you'll forget what it is
- Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating
Reheating Tips:
- Stovetop works best - add a little broth or water
- Microwave works but stir it every minute so it heats evenly
- Slow cooker on low for an hour if you have time
- Don't reheat more than once or the Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy gets rubbery
What to Serve With Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
This crockpot chicken and gravy needs something to soak up all that sauce, otherwise you're just eating it with a spoon like soup. Mashed potatoes are the obvious answer and what I make probably 80% of the time. White rice works when I'm being lazy because it's just push a button on the rice cooker and walk away. Egg noodles are what my mom always served this over when I was growing up, so sometimes I make those for nostalgia reasons. Biscuits are perfect if you want to dip and soak instead of using a fork. Stuffing turns this into something that tastes like Thanksgiving dinner happened on a random Wednesday.
For vegetables, I usually just open whatever's in the freezer. Green beans work plain or with butter dumped on them. Roasted broccoli is the only way Oliver will eat broccoli, and he'll actually eat it with this gravy poured over the top. Corn from a can or the frozen bag both work fine - nobody cares which kind. That frozen peas and carrots mix is easy because it's already mixed and you just microwave the bag. If I'm feeling fancy or need something cold and crunchy, I'll throw together a Caesar salad from the bagged kit. Oliver's favorite combination is mashed potatoes with a mountain of gravy on top.
Top Tip
- This slow cooker creamy chicken and gravy freezes great if you do it right. I use sandwich bags and freeze them flat on a cookie sheet. Once they're frozen solid, I stand them up in the freezer like files in a cabinet. Grab one in the morning, stick it in the fridge, and it's ready to heat up by dinner. Beats spending money on those frozen dinners that taste like cardboard.
- The gravy turns into basically sludge overnight in the fridge. First time it happened, I thought I'd wrecked it completely. Don't panic like I did. Just add a few spoonfuls of Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy broth or even plain water when you reheat it. Stir while it warms up and it goes right back to gravy. Sometimes I add too much and have to let it bubble for a while to thicken back up, but that's easier than trying to eat gravy paste.
- If you're hauling this slow cooker chicken and gravy to someone's house or making it ahead for company, undercook it a bit the first time. Stop it maybe 30 minutes before you think it's done. The chicken finishes cooking when you reheat it and won't turn into those nasty dry shreds that stick in your teeth. I learned this after bringing overcooked chicken to my mom's Sunday dinner. She didn't say anything but I saw her face.
Why This Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy Works
This slow cooker chicken and gravy works because the cream of chicken soup keeps everything wet while the gravy packet handles all the seasoning without you doing anything. When chicken sits in a Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy cooker for six hours on low, it falls apart into tender pieces instead of turning into dry shoe leather like it does in the oven. The soup melts into the chicken juices and mixes with the gravy powder to make thick sauce that sticks to everything. You don't brown the chicken first because the long cooking builds its own flavor. No searing, no extra pan to scrub, no oil spray all over your stove.
This tastes like real dinner instead of hospital food because that gravy packet is pulling its weight. Those little seasoning envelopes have salt, herbs, and thickeners already measured right. You're not just dumping plain chicken and plain soup in there - you're getting layers of flavor without lifting a finger. The Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy cooker keeps everything at the same temperature the whole time, so the chicken stays juicy and the gravy doesn't separate into nasty chunks like it does on the stove when the heat jumps around. I've made this with thawed chicken, frozen chicken, breasts, and thighs. Every version worked. Frozen just took an extra hour but tasted exactly the same.
FAQ
How to make chicken and gravy in a slow cooker?
Throw chicken breasts in the slow cooker, dump cream of chicken soup and a gravy packet on top, add half a cup of water or broth, then cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred the chicken with two forks when it's done and stir everything together. That's the whole thing. This slow cooker chicken and gravy is probably the easiest dinner I've ever made.
Can you put gravy mix in a slow cooker easily?
Yeah, just rip open the gravy packet and sprinkle the dry powder right over the chicken and soup. Don't waste time making gravy on the stove first. The powder mixes with all the liquid while it cooks and turns into gravy by itself. I didn't believe it would work the first time but it does.
Should you put raw chicken in a slow cooker?
Yes, raw chicken is completely fine and works better than cooked. The slow cooker gets hot enough to cook it safely all the way through. I throw frozen chicken breasts straight from the freezer into mine constantly. Just tack on an extra hour if you're starting with frozen instead of thawed.
Can you cook gravy in a slow cooker?
You can, but using a gravy packet is way easier than making it from scratch. If you really want homemade, whisk flour into chicken broth until there's no lumps, pour it over the chicken, and let it cook. The slow cooker chicken and gravy with sour cream mixed in at the end makes it thicker and creamier without doing anything complicated.
Time to Set It and Forget It!
You've got everything you need to make this slow cooker chicken and gravy that saves dinner when everything else is falling apart. This recipe proves you don't need cooking skills or three hours of free time to put actual food on the table instead of cereal boxes. Just dump three things in a pot, turn a dial, and walk away. Come back six hours later to a house that smells amazing and dinner that's sitting there waiting for you to eat it.
Want more recipes that handle themselves while you handle everything else in your life? Try our Easy Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes that bake in the oven while you ignore them completely. Our Easy Chicken Alfredo Monkey Bread is another throw-it-together situation that looks way more complicated than it actually is. Or make our Italian Stromboli Recipe that's traditional and tastes amazing but doesn't need you to have gone to cooking school. Each one gives you real dinner without the usual cooking stress that makes you want to just order pizza instead.
Share your Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy wins with us! We love seeing your easy dinner victories and hearing about what you did with all that free time while dinner cooked itself!
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Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
Equipment
- 1 Slow cooker (4-6 quart) (Any standard size slow cooker)
- 2 Forks (For shredding cooked chicken)
- 1 Measuring cup (For liquid ingredients)
- 1 Can opener (For opening soup can)
- 1 Wooden spoon (For stirring after cooking)
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs Chicken breasts - Frozen or thawed, boneless skinless
- 1 can (10.5 oz) Cream of chicken soup - Substitute cream of mushroom if desired
- 1 packet (0.87 oz) Brown gravy mix - Any brand works
- ½ cup Water or chicken broth - Broth adds more flavor
- Optional Sour cream or cream cheese - Stir in at the end for creamier texture
- Optional Garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper - To taste
- Optional Ranch or Italian seasoning - For variation
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker and arrange evenly.
- Pour cream of chicken soup on top, sprinkle gravy mix, and add ½ cup water or broth.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours without lifting the lid.
- Shred the cooked chicken with two forks directly in the slow cooker and stir into the gravy.
- Serve hot over mashed potatoes, rice, or biscuits; stir in sour cream if desired for creaminess.
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