Slow Cooker Tomato Balsamic Chicken

Slow Cooker Tomato Balsamic Chicken takes 5 minutes to prep and only requires a few basic ingredients.

To make this dish, add your ingredients to the crock pot, then sit back and relax as it does all the work for you! The balsamic vinegar tenderizes the meat, allowing all the other flavors to meld, creating the most tender, flavorful chicken. It's perfect for quiet nights at home with the family, especially if you're busy and looking for a hands-off dish!

If you're as obsessed with slow cooker chicken recipes as I am, you have to try Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken and Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken!

Key Ingredients and Easy Swaps

To bring this mouth-watering slow cooker chicken dish to life, you'll need the following key ingredients:

• Chicken breasts: Make sure to use boneless skinless chicken breasts. Alternatively, you could use boneless skinless chicken thighs or lean pork instead.
• Canned tomatoes: Use canned diced tomatoes and drain half of the liquid before using. You can use any type of diced tomatoes you like.
• Sweet onion: The natural sweetness of the onions pairs beautifully with the tangy flavors of balsamic vinegar.Any onion will work, or swap in onion powder.
• Fresh spinach: In this case, fresh spinach is best. Frozen spinach would also work. Just defrost it and drain it first. Leave it out until the last 30 minutes of cooking.
• Balsamic vinegar: This sweet and tangy vinegar adds a ton of incredible flavor to this slow cooker chicken dish.
• Italian seasoning: You can use a store-bought blend or make your own using this quick and easy Italian seasoningrecipe. You can also swap in any other seasoning or spices you like.

How to Make This Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken Recipe

This is the ultimate dump-and-go meal and is super easy to make!

Step One: Prep the Ingredients

Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker and season it with a little salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and Italian seasoning on top.

Step Two: Let It Cook

Set your slow cooker to low and let everything cook for a few hours. The chicken will get tender and soak up all those flavors.

Step Three: Add the Spinach

Toward the end, toss in the spinach and let it wilt down. Give it all a good stir to combine.

Step Four: Taste and Serve

Once everything is cooked, taste it and adjust the seasonings if needed. Serve it up with a little extra balsamic vinegar if you like.

How to Make This Dish in the Instant Pot

You can easily make this dish in the Instant Pot! Here's how:

1. Add in your ingredients along with an additional ½ cup of chicken broth or water.
2. Set the time to 10 minutes on high pressure. When the timer goes off, flip the nozzle to quickly release the pressure and mix in the spinach to allow it to wilt.

Make-Ahead Option

Need to make this meal ahead of time? Here's how to do it:

• Add all of your ingredients to a large freezer bag and store in the fridge for 2-3 days. When you're ready to make the dish, pour everything into the slow cooker and enjoy!

Recipe Ideas and Ways to Customize

Want to make the best slow cooker chicken ever? Here are some of my top tips and tricks to help you make that happen:

• Add extra veggies. You can either swap out the spinach for kale or add some additional veggies to the mix. I love adding mushrooms to the slow cooker for the last hour of cooking.
• Cheese, please. Yes, this dish tastes fantastic, with some cheese added at the end! Try grating some fresh parmesan cheese over the chicken or adding a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.
• Add garnishes. For a stunning pop of color, add some fun and flavorful garnishes just before serving the dish. My top picks include fresh basil or parsley, freshly cracked black pepper, and lemon wedges.

Ways to Serve Tomato Balsamic Chicken

While this dish tastes absolutely delicious on its own, I like to pair it with a side dish or two to make it even more satisfying. Not sure what to serve? Here are some of my favorite dishes to serve with slow cooker balsamic chicken:

• With pasta: For the ultimate Italian-inspired feast, try serving this dish over a bed of angel hair pasta. Alternatively, for a low-carb meal, you can serve the chicken over zoodles or spaghetti squash noodles.
• With grains: Looking for something on the heartier side? You can serve this dish over a whole grain, like brown rice or quinoa. To keep it grain-free, try pairing the dish with a bowl of cauliflower rice.
• With polenta: I love pairing creamy polenta dishes, like Creamy Spinach Polenta and Parmesan Polenta with Basil, with this recipe. If you're serving a group, this pairing guarantees to be a crowd-pleaser!
• With a salad: I love serving cozy slow cooker dishes like this one with a light and refreshing side salad. Some of my top picks include my Easy Arugula Salad and this Healthy Caesar Salad.