Creamy Garlic Mushroom Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
Creamy garlic mushroom crock pot chicken thighs with tender chicken and a rich, savoury slow cooker sauce.
These creamy garlic mushroom crock pot chicken thighs are perfect for those days when you want a hot, comforting dinner without standing over a warm stove. Everything cooks together in the slow cooker, including tender bone-in chicken thighs, sliced mushrooms, onion, garlic and a rich Parmesan cream sauce. It is an easy all-in-one dinner with plenty of homemade flavour and very little hands-on work.
This slow cooker chicken thigh recipe works just as well on a chilly evening as it does during warmer weather when you would rather not heat up the kitchen. Add the ingredients, let the crock pot do the cooking and come back to juicy chicken covered in a savoury creamy mushroom sauce. Serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, noodles or crusty bread for a satisfying family dinner that feels special but takes minimal effort.
Creamy Garlic Mushroom Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
These creamy garlic mushroom crock pot chicken thighs are an easy slow cooker dinner with tender chicken, earthy mushrooms and a rich garlic cream sauce. The chicken cooks low and slow until it’s juicy and easy to cut with a fork, while the mushrooms soak up all that savoury flavour. It’s cozy food without much hands-on work.
Why These Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs Are So Good
Chicken thighs are especially good in the crock pot because they stay moist and don’t dry out as easily as leaner cuts. The mushrooms add depth to the sauce, and garlic gives the whole dish that warm, savoury flavour that makes it taste like you spent much longer on dinner than you actually did.
One thing I like about this kind of recipe is how the sauce develops as it cooks. The chicken releases juices, the mushrooms soften, and everything comes together into a creamy sauce that’s especially good spooned over potatoes, rice or noodles.
When to Serve Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken
This slow cooker garlic mushroom chicken is perfect for busy weeknights, chilly fall and winter dinners, or days when you want dinner cooking quietly in the background while you do something else.
Serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, pasta or crusty bread to catch the creamy sauce. A simple green vegetable or salad on the side keeps the meal from feeling too heavy.
Tips and Tricks
- Brown the chicken thighs first. Searing the skin adds much better flavour and gives the chicken an appetizing golden colour. It is a small extra step, but it makes a noticeable difference in this creamy crock pot chicken recipe.
- Keep the chicken skin facing upward. Try not to completely cover the skin with liquid. It will still soften in the slow cooker, but keeping it above the sauce prevents it from becoming overly soggy.
- Broil the chicken before serving. For crispier skin, place the cooked chicken thighs on a baking sheet and broil them for 2–4 minutes. Stay close. The skin can go from golden to too dark fairly quickly.
- Do not add the cream too early. Stir the heavy cream and Parmesan into the crock pot near the end of cooking. This helps the creamy garlic mushroom sauce stay smooth instead of separating.
- Let the sauce thicken before judging it. The mushroom sauce may look a little thin when the chicken first comes out. Once the cornstarch slurry, cream and Parmesan are stirred in, it thickens nicely.
- Check the chicken with a thermometer. Chicken thighs are safe at 165°F, but bone-in thighs usually become more tender when cooked closer to 175°F–185°F.
- Taste before adding more salt. Chicken broth, Parmesan and Worcestershire sauce all contain salt, so the finished creamy sauce may not need much extra seasoning.
- Serve it with something that catches the sauce. Mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles or crusty bread are especially good with these slow cooker creamy chicken thighs. There is usually plenty of sauce, and you will not want to waste it.
Real Kitchen Tip: Brown the chicken thighs first if you can — it adds deeper flavour to the creamy garlic mushroom sauce.
Variations for Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken
Use Boneless Chicken Thighs
Boneless thighs work well but cook faster, so begin checking them early.
Use Chicken Breasts
Chicken breasts may be substituted. Cut large breasts in half and cook only until tender to prevent drying.
Add Spinach
Stir fresh spinach into the sauce during the final 10 minutes. Thaw and squeeze frozen spinach dry before adding.
Add Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Add about ⅓ cup of drained, chopped sun-dried tomatoes with the mushrooms for a tangy, savoury flavour.
Add More Garlic
Use one or two extra cloves or add roasted garlic for a milder, slightly sweet garlic flavour.
Change the Herbs
Try thyme, basil, tarragon or Italian seasoning. Use rosemary sparingly because it can overpower the sauce.
Make a Lighter Sauce
Replace the heavy cream with half-and-half. Add it near the end and do not let the sauce boil.
Add Vegetables
Small pieces of carrots, celery or green beans may be added with the onions and mushrooms.
Creamy Garlic Mushroom Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- 6-quart slow cooker or crock pot
- Large skillet for browning the chicken thighs
- Tongs
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Small bowl for mixing the cornstarch slurry
- Whisk
- Instant-read meat thermometer
- Baking sheet, optional for broiling the chicken skin
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning dried
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion medium, thinly sliced
- 10 oz white mushrooms or cremini, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup chicken broth low-sodium
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp thyme dried
- ½ tsp rosemary dried
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- Fresh rosemary or thyme for garnish optional
Instructions
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towel. Season both sides with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken thighs in the skillet skin-side down and cook for 5–7 minutes, without moving them too much, until the skin is deeply golden. Turn and cook the second side for 2 minutes. Transfer the thighs to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter, onion and sliced mushrooms to the same skillet. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and the mushrooms begin to brown.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and rosemary.
- Transfer the mushroom and onion mixture to the crock pot. Arrange the chicken thighs over the vegetables with the skin facing upward. Try to keep most of the skin above the liquid.
- Cover and cook on low for 4–5 hours or on high for 2½–3½ hours, until the chicken is tender and reaches a safe internal temperature. Bone-in thighs are especially tender around 175°F to 185°F.
- Carefully transfer the cooked chicken to a plate. Stir the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese into the sauce.
- Mix the cornstarch with the cold water. Stir the slurry into the crock pot sauce, cover and cook on high for another 10–15 minutes, until the creamy mushroom sauce thickens.
- Return the chicken to the sauce and sprinkle with fresh parsley.
- For crispier skin, place the cooked thighs on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil for 2–4 minutes before serving. Watch closely—the skin can brown quickly.
Notes
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs work best for this creamy garlic mushroom crock pot chicken because they stay juicy during the longer cooking time.
- Browning the chicken skin before adding it to the slow cooker creates better colour and deeper flavour. It is worth the few extra minutes.
- Keep the chicken thighs skin-side up and avoid pouring the cooking liquid directly over the skin. The skin will soften in the crock pot, but this helps prevent it from becoming too soggy.
- Slice the mushrooms fairly thick. Thin mushroom slices tend to shrink quite a bit as the slow cooker chicken thighscook.
- Sautéing the onion, mushrooms and garlic in the same skillet used for the chicken picks up all those browned bits. That is where a lot of the flavour comes from.
- Add the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese near the end of cooking. Dairy can separate when cooked for several hours, especially on high heat.
- Mix the cornstarch with cold water before stirring it into the sauce. Adding dry cornstarch directly to the crock pot can leave small lumps.
- The creamy mushroom sauce may look thin when the chicken first comes out. Give it 10–15 minutes to thicken after adding the cream, Parmesan and cornstarch slurry.
- Chicken thighs are safe to eat at 165°F, but bone-in thighs are often more tender when cooked to around 175°F–185°F.
- For crispier chicken skin, place the cooked thighs under the broiler for 2–4 minutes before serving. Watch them closely. They brown fast.
- Taste the finished garlic mushroom sauce before adding more salt. Chicken broth, Parmesan and Worcestershire sauce already bring plenty of savoury flavour.
- Serve these creamy crock pot chicken thighs with mushrooms and onions over mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles or pasta so none of the sauce goes to waste.