Creamy Lemon Slow Cooker Chicken is a comforting, flavourful dish that’s wonderfully simple to prepare. This easy dinner recipe makes a rich, creamy chicken dish with a fresh hint of lemon.
Made with chicken, lemon, cream and chicken stock, this recipe is perfect for busy days when you want something warm and satisfying with very little effort.
Originally published July 24, 2023. Updated March 18, 2026.
Why Lemon And Chicken Work So Well Together
I love all things lemon so keen to get more lemon recipes here to share with you all, this is such a lovely one. The combination of lemon and chicken is so good.
As with all slow cooker meals the prep is convenient as it is all done before cooking, then you can let the slow cooker take on the rest of the work.
Adding Cream Makes This Dish So Delicious
There are two versions of lemon chicken that are popular, one is without cream and this one is with cream. I think it just adds a lovely creaminess to the end results and smooths out the tart lemon flavours.
Why Fresh Lemons Make All The Difference
You absolutely want to use fresh lemons in this recipe, there is no good alternative to the flavour that the lemon zest and lemon juice can give. So find a kind neighbour with a tree, grab some at the supermarket or track down my Dad who has an abundance of delicious juicy lemons!
What Type Of Cream To Use
The cream I have used today is the sort of cream you would normally use to make whipped cream, other alternatives are coconut cream or half n half.
Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients are lovely and simple, making this an easy recipe to put together any day of the week.
- Chicken Breasts
- Fresh Lemons
- Dried Herbs (Basil, Oregano & Rosemary)
- Garlic
- Onion Powder
- Butter
- Chicken Stock
- Cream
- Salt & Pepper
- Cornflour
How To Assemble This Recipe In The Slow Cooker
The method is lovely and simple. Because chicken breasts are quite big I like to cut them at least into halves, some into thirds if they are huge.
I then combine my herbs and use almost all of them to season the chicken and with some salt and pepper, sear them in some butter before popping them in the slow cooker. My slow cooker is 6 litres.
Then I combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, onion powder, remaining herbs and the chicken stock and whisk to combine before I pour this over the chicken breasts. Then add the dollops of butter.
How To Avoid Overcooking Chicken In The Slow Cooker
Chicken takes much less time to cook than beef, and the worse that can happen is it either falls apart which is totally fine or if left too long can become dry.
If you’re new to cooking chicken in the slow cooker, you might enjoy my guide on why slow cooker chicken can turn dry and the simple ways to keep it juicy.
So it pays to keep an eye on your particular slow cooker during cooking to ensure it does not become overcooked. But use my guidelines and you should be grand.
This recipe starts with raw chicken, which works well in the slow cooker. If you’re unsure about the process, this guide explains Can I Put Raw Chicken in A Slow Cooker?
Cooking Times And When To Add The Cream
Cooked on high for 4 hours or low for 6 should create a lovely tender chicken infused with these beautiful flavours. About half an hour before the time is up, you can remove some of the cooking liquid, add the cornflour and then whisk in the cream.
Pop this back into the slow cooker and whisk to combine.
Final Steps And Serving Suggestions
Heat that through for a further thirty minutes then you are ready to serve! Taste at this stage and gauge if you would like to add more salt and pepper, otherwise you can simply serve as is over a lovely bed of rice, spaghetti or even on its own as a lighter meal, or with a side salad.
The key is to share around that divine sauce, it can look like it has separated so give it a good stir before serving, absolutely divine.
More Slow Cooker Dinners To Try
If you enjoy easy family dinners like this one, you might also like my collection of slow cooker chicken recipes with plenty of simple meals perfect for busy weeknights along with these other dishes below too.
Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Chicken Recipe
The full ingredient list and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Chicken
Creamy Lemon Slow Cooker Chicken is a simple, comforting dinner made with chicken, lemon, cream and stock, creating a rich and flavourful meal with minimal effort.
Ingredients
- 1 Kilogram Chicken Breasts, halved
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried Rosemary
- 14 grams Butter
- 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice, 60mls
- 2 Heaped Tablespoons Lemon Zest
- 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock, 375mls
- 55 Grams butter, cubed
- 1 Tablespoon Cornflour
- 1/2 Cup Cream, 125ms
Instructions
- Set aside a large slow cooker - mine is 6 litres
- Halve the chicken breasts and add to a bowl and sprinkle over the salt and pepper
- In a small bowl combine the dried basil, oregano and rosemary. Add a teaspoon and a half of this mixture to the chicken
- Stir to coat the chicken in the seasoning
- In a frying pan add the first measure of butter and cook the chicken breasts in batches for 3 minutes each side until just golden
- Place the seared chicken into the slow cooker
- In a medium bowl add the crushed garlic, onion powder, lemon juice, lemon zest, chicken stock, the remaining dried herbs and whisk well to combine
- Pour this over the chicken
- Pop the second measure of butter cubed onto the chicken and cover with the lid.
- Cook the chicken on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours, turn the chicken one or two times during cooking, this allows you also to check that it is becoming tender but not yet falling apart.
- Set an alarm for half an hour before the end of the cooking time
- Remove the chicken carefully from the slow cooker and set aside
- Remove a quarter cup of the liquid and add to this the cornflour and whisk well until no lumps remain, pour this back into the lemon sauce and add the cream
- Whisk the sauce well and place the chicken back into the sauce and gently coat the chicken.
- Allow this to heat through for a further 30 minutes and serve over rice or spaghetti, over cauli rice or on its own.
- The sauce may look separated but simply whisk it together before you pour it over each serving.
- Feel free to add a little sprinkling of fresh parsley, and serve with a lemon wedge if required for fresh lemon flavour.
- This can be cooled and stored in the refrigerator and reheated later, but it is best fresh.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 717Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 19gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 289mgSodium: 984mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 82g
This nutrition calculation for Just Slow Cooker Recipes has been automated, please use your discretion with the calculation and use your own if unsure.
I Hope You Love This Recipe
I hope you love this Creamy Lemon Slow Cooker Chicken as much as we do. It’s such a lovely comforting dinner and one I come back to again and again.
If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you in the comments below.
Also, if you enjoy this recipe, please leave a ⭐ rating in the recipe card above. Your feedback helps other readers and really supports my recipes.
Thank you so much for visiting and taking the time to try this recipe. I hope you find plenty of slow cooker inspiration here on my blog.
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Happy cooking!
Anna
This looks great! Would chicken drumsticks work in place of the chicken breast?
Yes I think that would be lovely
What can I use instead of onion powder?
You can leave it out completely
What would you suggest as a dairy free alternative?
You’ll need to replace the butter and cream with dairy free alternatives. So a dairy free margarine and coconut cream as an example.
Hi Anna
Can you freeze this as I live on my own & need to make several meals from it.
Yes absolutely you can 🙂 Sometimes creamy dishes can separate on freezing, but they will come back together as you heat it.