I love being able to have supper on the table in less than 30 minutes. Especially on nights that I work, there’s so little time in the evening that I don’t want to spend most of it making supper! The best way to cut down on cooking time and still have a decent meal is to utilize the crock pot. A few weeks ago my hair stylist and I were trading crock pot recipes while she worked on my hair, and I mentioned that I rarely cooked chicken in the crock pot on weeknights. I find that it is always overcooked after 8 hours, even on low. She told me that she never thaws her chicken before sticking it in the crock pot – and that way it’s perfectly cooked by the time you’re ready to serve supper!
This method really intrigued me, so I tried it. It worked perfectly! I am happy to have a method for cooking chicken in the crock pot on long days! The recipe I’m sharing with you today is a breeze to pull together. All you have to do before supper is cook the noodles and throw a salad together!
A word of caution…I know there is some controversy about putting frozen chicken in the crock pot, and I did my research. I agree that if you’re cooking for someone who is at a high risk for food poisoning (very young children, pregnant women, the elderly, persons with compromised immune systems and chronic diseases) it’s wise to thaw the chicken first (source). I am not cooking for those types of people on my weeknights, so I’m going to live on the wild side and pop those frozen guys right in there. I always wear my seat belt, don’t smoke or drink, never ride roller coasters and I don’t text and drive. This is wild for me. 🙂
Chicken Spaghetti In The Crock Pot
- Chicken Breasts (frozen, bone in will take the longest to cook and won’t be as likely to dry out while they cook)
- 1 Jar Prepared Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
Place chicken in the crock pot and add sauce and seasoning on top. Cook frozen breasts on low for 8-10 hours (adjust cooking times as needed for faster cooking crock pots). Remove the cooked chicken from the crock pot and let stand for a few minutes. Cut the meat off the bone and serve on top of cooked pasta. Add the extra sauce from the pot and top with Parmesan cheese and extra Italian seasoning.
Enjoy!
This totally intrigues me! I always have the dilemma of frozen chicken so I wonder if I need to try this ASAP, haha. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
It’s great if you need your meat to be okay in the crock pot all day long…I hate coming home to dry, dusty chicken. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing a meal that isn’t a soup or chili! Most of my crock-pot meals do fall into one of those categories but I’m always on the hunt for alternative crock-pot dinner ideas! This one sounds and looks perfect! P.S. I’m pregnant and have thrown frozen chicken breasts in the crock-pot more times than I care to admit. I didn’t even know there was a risk there-oops! Thanks for linking up!
LikeLike
You’re welcome! 🙂 I find that most crock pot chicken recipes are ready in 4 hours or less…and I’m gone for a lot longer than that during the work day. I needed something that wasn’t dry as dust when I got home! 🙂
LikeLike
I love crockpot recipes! Whitney, Do you have a favorite kind of spaghetti sauce for this recipe? I often make my own sauces, but would love to know more about any you particularly favor for this recipe. Thank you for the great, easy dinner idea!
LikeLike
Hi Seema! One of my favorites is Ragu Tomato and Garlic pasta sauce. I also really like Bertolli sauces – but I usually just buy whatever is the best deal. 🙂 I hope you enjoy this recipe!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I also like the garlic and tomato sauces! Thank you for all the help Whitney:) This dish turned out wonderful and the family absolutely loved it! I’m definitely going to remember this one!
LikeLike
Thanks for letting me know that you made the recipe! I’m so glad your family enjoyed it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, Whitney!
I found your blog through High Five for Friday (I think). I love what your blog is about and I also like your blog design. And, I like your sister’s fashion posts.
This recipe looks so yummy!! I love spaghetti, and crock pot meals, and chicken! Great post!
Sarah
http://mybowsandclothes.blogspot.com/
LikeLike
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much! I enjoy Alli’s posts too, and I love hearing that from others. ❤️ Thanks for stopping to say hi!
LikeLike
This sounds delicious, Whitney! (And Arlene’s recipe sounds great also.) I cook frozen chicken in the crock pot fairly often and have never had a problem doing so.
LikeLike
That’s good to know – I’m glad to hear that method works for you too. 😊
LikeLike
One of my favorite cube steak recipes is made in the crock pot. My husband loves it! Mix one can golden mushroom soup, one can cheddar cheese soup and one envelope of Liptons onion soup mix in the crock pot. Then add the cubed steak( I do not even brown it!) I try to turn the steak over so that it is covered with soup mixture. Cook on low for 8 hours and it is so tender and tasty. I also use this with stew beef and that is great too. Serve with potatoes or rice or over noodles. Like you I must add that soups have lots of salt in them so drink lots of water when you eat this or look for the low sodium soups! People with blood pressure or kidney issues must be careful of salt intake.
LikeLike
I’ve never cooked with cube steak, but that sounds like something Paul would enjoy. Thanks for sharing! I will look for cube steak and give it a go!
LikeLike