Chicken braised over sun-dried tomatoes and finished into a cream sauce, with spinach wilted through at the end.
Four hours on Low with about fifteen minutes of attention, split between the start and the finish.
Why This Recipe Works
- Using very little broth means the chicken effectively braises in its own juices, so the base is concentrated before any cream arrives.
- Cream cheese added at the start and heavy cream at the end is a deliberate split: one thickens over hours, the other stays fresh and smooth over minutes.
- Sun-dried tomatoes rehydrate slowly in a low pot and release a depth that fresh tomatoes cannot supply at this length of cooking.
- The optional sear in step 2 takes two minutes a side and adds a browned surface the slow cooker can never produce.
A Sauce That Arrives Last
For four hours there is barely any liquid in this pot. What comes out at the end is a proper cream sauce, and every stage of building it happens after the chicken is already cooked.
The base, under the chicken
Chicken placed on top, not stirred inOnion, garlic, sliced sun-dried tomatoes
They go in first and the chicken sits on top, so everything the meat releases drips through them. Four hours turns the sun-dried tomatoes soft and gives up their concentrated flavour into the little liquid there is.
The liquid, deliberately small
Half a cup, poured in1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Enough to stop the pot drying out and no more. Two pounds of chicken releases a surprising amount of its own moisture, and starting wetter is what gives a thin sauce at the end.
The thickener, added early
Dotted around, not on top4 oz cream cheese, cubed and dotted around the chicken
The one dairy that goes in before the cook rather than after. Dotted around rather than piled, it melts slowly into the braising liquid and gives the finished sauce its body.
The finish
Spinach wilted, sauce silky1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 2 cups spinach, lemon
All at once, then 10 to 15 minutes on Low. Long enough to wilt the spinach and melt the Parmesan, short enough that the cream never approaches a boil.
The reunion
Tossed to coatThe chicken, sliced or shredded, tossed back through
Taken out to be portioned and returned to coat. Slicing gives you a plated dinner; shredding gives you something to spoon over pasta.
Then tasteFresh basil at the table, over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes. The choice matters more than usual — this is a sauce recipe, so it needs something to be a sauce for.
Ingredient Notes
- Sun-dried tomatoes, and their oil
- Half a cup drained and sliced, with the jar oil used in place of olive oil where possible. Two ingredients from one jar, and the oil is the easy one to pour away by accident.
- Cream cheese
- Four ounces, cubed, in before the cook. Half what a comparable recipe would use, because a cup of heavy cream is coming later.
- Lemon zest and juice
- From half a lemon, marked optional. Against cream, Parmesan and cream cheese it is the only acid in the pot and it is worth including.
- Something to serve it on
- Pasta, rice or mashed potatoes, listed in the ingredients rather than as an afterthought. This dish is a sauce and needs a base.
How to Make It
Season the chicken
Season with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.
Sear, optionally
Heat the olive oil in a skillet and sear the chicken 1 to 2 minutes per side for extra flavour.
Build the pot
Add the onion, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes to the slow cooker and place the chicken on top.
Add liquid and cream cheese
Pour in the chicken broth and dot the cream cheese around the chicken. Cover and cook on Low 4 to 5 hours, or High 2 to 3.
Make the sauce
Stir in the heavy cream, Parmesan, spinach and lemon. Cook on Low 10 to 15 minutes, until the spinach wilts and the sauce is silky.
Finish
Slice or shred the chicken, return it to the sauce and toss. Garnish with basil and serve over pasta, rice or potatoes.
Check the chicken
Check the chicken before it goes back into the sauce — an instant-read thermometer in the thickest piece must read 165°F (74°C).
Success Tips
- Do not add more broth than the half cup. The sauce depends on the pot staying concentrated.
- Dot the cream cheese around rather than dropping it in one place.
- Check 165°F in the thickest piece before slicing.
- Keep it on Low for the final stage — a boil after the cream goes in will split the sauce.
Serving Ideas
Fresh basil and one of three bases. Pasta is the most natural fit for a sauce this silky, though mashed potato is the better choice if you want it to feel like a Sunday dinner.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate up to 3 days. The sauce thickens noticeably when cold.
Freeze
Not recommended. Heavy cream and cream cheese both separate on thawing, and the spinach goes limp.
Reheat
Gently in a pan with a splash of broth or cream, kept below a simmer so the sauce stays emulsified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the sear worth it?
It adds a browned surface and a couple of minutes, and it is optional for a reason — the dish is good without it. If you are using the sun-dried tomato oil to sear in, it is more worthwhile than usual, because that oil brings its own flavour to the browning.
Breasts or thighs?
Either works. Thighs stay softer over four to five hours and suit shredding; breasts slice more neatly for a plated dinner. Both take the same 165°F check.
My sauce came out thin.
Usually extra liquid — either more broth than the half cup, or a lot of moisture from the chicken. Leave the lid off on Low for ten to fifteen minutes to reduce it, or stir in a little more Parmesan, which thickens as it melts.
