Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken
Tender, fall-apart chicken bathed in a rich garlic butter sauce — all built in the slow cooker with almost no hands-on effort.
Ingredients
- 4bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs(about 2.5 lb total)
- 1 tspkosher salt
- ½ tspblack pepper(freshly ground)
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- ½ tsponion powder
- 4 tbspunsalted butter(cut into pieces)
- 8 clovesgarlic(minced)
- 1 tbspfresh thyme leaves(or 1 tsp dried)
- ½ cuplow-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tbsplemon juice(freshly squeezed)
- 2 tbspfresh parsley(chopped, for serving)
Method
- 01
Pat the 4 chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels — surface moisture is the enemy of good browning.
- 02
Mix together the 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp smoked paprika, and ½ tsp onion powder in a small bowl, then rub the mixture all over the chicken thighs.
- 03
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the seasoned chicken thighs skin-side down for 4–5 minutes until the skin is deep golden brown, then flip and sear 2 minutes more. Transfer to the slow cooker insert.
- 04
Reduce the skillet heat to medium and add 2 tbsp of the unsalted butter. Once melted, add the 8 cloves minced garlic and cook, stirring, for 60–90 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
- 05
Pour in the ½ cup chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Let it bubble for 30 seconds, then pour the entire mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- 06
Scatter the remaining 2 tbsp unsalted butter pieces and the 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves over the chicken.
- 07
Cover and cook on HIGH for 3–4 hours or LOW for 6–7 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender enough to pull apart easily.
- 08
Stir the 1 tbsp lemon juice into the cooking liquid, then spoon the garlic butter sauce generously over the chicken.
- 09
Garnish with the 2 tbsp fresh parsley and serve immediately with the pan sauce spooned over the top.
Adapted from public domain & community sources