The “Magic” One-Pot Dinner: The Easiest, Cheesiest Crockpot Chicken & Broccoli!

What does the perfect weeknight dinner look like in your house? For most of us, it needs to be easy to make, a guaranteed hit with the entire family, and have the simplest, fastest cleanup possible. It’s the holy trinity of a stress-free evening, the ultimate goal for any busy home cook.

Well, what if I told you that there is a recipe that checks every single one of those boxes with flying colors? A dish that combines tender, juicy chicken, healthy broccoli, and a luscious, creamy cheese sauce, all made together in one single pot. It’s a meal that feels like a warm, comforting hug at the end of a long day.

Today, we are making that perfect dinner a delicious reality with this incredibly easy Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli. This “dump and go” recipe lets your slow cooker do all the hard work for you. Get ready to add your new favorite one-pot meal to your weekly rotation.

The Ultimate Family-Friendly Dinner: Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli

This Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli recipe is a true family-favorite for a very good reason. The classic and deeply comforting combination of savory chicken, tender broccoli, and a rich, gooey, homemade cheese sauce is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. It’s a simple, wholesome, and complete meal all cooked together in one single dish.

A Perfect Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe for Easy One-Pot Meals

You will find that this is a fantastic slow cooker chicken recipe. The chicken becomes so unbelievably tender and juicy as it cooks gently for hours in the savory sauce. It is also a true star among easy one-pot meals, as everything from the chicken to the sauce is made right in the crockpot, which means your final cleanup is an absolute breeze.

Your Guide: How to Make a Cheese Sauce in a Crockpot

For anyone wondering how to make a cheese sauce in a crockpot that is smooth and creamy, the secret is to use a stable creamy base and to add your shredded cheese near the end of the cooking time. You will start by cooking your main ingredients with a creamy binder like the cream cheese in our recipe. During the last 30 minutes of the cooking time, you simply stir in your freshly shredded cheese until it melts into a smooth, luscious, and perfectly gooey sauce.

Why You’ll Love This Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli

You are going to love this recipe because it’s a cheesy, comforting meal that your entire family, especially picky eaters, will absolutely devour. You’ll also adore that it’s an incredibly easy “dump and go” recipe with very minimal prep and an almost non-existent cleanup. Plus, it’s a fantastic and delicious way to get your family to happily eat their vegetables without a single complaint.

Nutritional Benefits

This wonderful one-pot meal is a beautifully balanced and nourishing dinner. The chicken provides a huge source of high-quality, lean protein, which is essential for a filling and satisfying meal. The broccoli is a true nutritional superstar, absolutely packed with Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and beneficial dietary fiber. The creamy cheese sauce also adds a great dose of calcium for strong bones, making this a well-rounded meal.

Full Recipe

Are you ready to create the ultimate cheesy comfort food that will have your whole family, including the kids, cheering for broccoli? This detailed guide will walk you through every simple step, from creating the easy, creamy cheese sauce to letting your slow cooker do all the work. Get ready to master a new weeknight favorite that is as delicious as it is easy.

An incredibly easy, cheesy, and satisfying one-pot meal. This Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli recipe features tender, shredded chicken and broccoli florets smothered in a rich and creamy homemade cheddar cheese sauce. This is the ultimate “dump and go” comfort food, a perfect and family-friendly dinner for any busy weeknight.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 4 hours (on low) | Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes | Yield: 6 servings | Category: Dinner, Main Course | Method: Slow Cooking | Cuisine: American | Diet: Low-Carb, Keto

Essential Ingredients for Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli

This family-favorite comfort food meal comes together with a handful of simple, delicious ingredients.

• Chicken: 2 lbs (about 1 kg) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Broccoli: 1 large head of broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
• For the Cheesy Sauce:
  • 1 block (8 oz / 225g) of cream cheese, softened and cubed
  • ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Aromatics: 1 teaspoon garlic powder & ½ teaspoon onion powder
• Seasoning: Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Ingredients Notes

A little more detail on our key ingredients will ensure your crockpot meal is perfectly creamy and delicious.

• The Chicken: This recipe is designed for ultimate ease using raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts that cook to tender perfection right in the slow cooker. The chicken will become so moist and tender that it will shred effortlessly with a fork at the end of the cooking time.
• The Broccoli: For the absolute best texture, this recipe uses fresh broccoli florets. It is very important to add the broccoli to the slow cooker during the last part of the cooking time. This simple step ensures that the broccoli is perfectly crisp-tender and a beautiful, vibrant green in the finished dish, instead of becoming mushy and overcooked.
• The Cheesy Sauce: Our incredibly easy, from-scratch cheese sauce is what makes this dish so rich and delicious. Using a base of softened cream cheese is the secret to a thick, velvety, and stable sauce. A good quality, sharp cheddar cheese will give your sauce the best, most classic, and bold cheesy flavour.
• The Cheese: A sharp cheddar cheese will give your sauce the most delicious and savory flavour. For the absolute creamiest and smoothest melt with no added starches, it is always best to buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself just before using.

How to Make a Cheesy, One-Pot Meal

Let’s walk through the incredibly simple “dump and go” process for this comforting family dinner.

• Step 1: Prepare the Base in the Slow Cooker. Place your raw chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker. Sprinkle the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper over the chicken. Pour the chicken broth into the pot and place the cubed, softened cream cheese on top of the chicken.
• Step 2: Let the Slow Cooker Work Its Magic. Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on the LOW setting for 4 hours, or on the HIGH setting for 2-3 hours, until the chicken is very tender and cooked through.
• Step 3: Shred the Chicken and Add Broccoli. Use two forks to easily shred the cooked chicken directly in the slow cooker. Stir the shredded chicken with the melted cream cheese until you have a creamy base. Add the fresh broccoli florets to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
• Step 4: The Cheesy Finish. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the top of the chicken and broccoli mixture.
• Step 5: Melt the Cheese and Serve. Place the lid back on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for another 15 to 20 minutes. The dish is done when the broccoli is tender-crisp and the cheddar cheese is completely melted and gooey. Serve hot.

Storage Options

This cheesy chicken and broccoli meal makes for fantastic low-carb leftovers. Once the dish has cooled completely, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can easily reheat individual portions in the microwave for a quick and satisfying lunch or another easy dinner.

Variations and Substitutions

This simple one-pot recipe is a wonderful and versatile template that you can easily adapt to your family’s tastes. You can swap the broccoli for other hearty vegetables like cauliflower florets or green beans. For a different cheesy flavour, feel free to use a different melting cheese, like a Monterey Jack or a Provolone. For an extra layer of savory flavour, you can add some cooked and crumbled bacon to the dish along with the cheese at the end.

Practical & Valuable Tips

For the best, creamiest sauce, it is very important that your cream cheese is softened and cut into cubes before you add it to the slow cooker, as this will help it to melt smoothly. To prevent your broccoli from becoming mushy, do not add it at the beginning of the cooking time; adding it during the last 30 minutes is the key to a perfect, crisp-tender texture. Finally, for the most flavourful and evenly melted cheese, always shred your own cheese from a block.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use frozen broccoli instead of fresh? Yes, you can, and it’s a great shortcut! There is no need to thaw the frozen broccoli first. You would simply add the frozen florets to the slow cooker during the last 30 minutes of the cooking time, just as you would with the fresh variety.
2. My cheese sauce was a little oily. What happened? An oily or separated cheese sauce can sometimes happen if your slow cooker runs very hot, or if you use a lower-quality, pre-shredded cheese. It is best to use full-fat block cream cheese and to shred your own cheddar cheese for the most stable and creamy sauce.
3. Can I use a rotisserie chicken to make this recipe even faster? Yes, absolutely! You would use about 3 to 4 cups of pre-cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken. You would simply combine all the sauce ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on LOW for about 1 to 2 hours until hot, then stir in the broccoli and cheese at the end.
4. How do I know for sure when the chicken is cooked all the way through? The chicken is done when it is opaque with no pink remaining and it shreds very easily with a fork. However, the only 100% reliable way to know your chicken is safely cooked is to use an instant-read meat thermometer. The chicken should register an internal temperature of at least 74°C (165°F).
5. What is the best way to serve this cheesy chicken and broccoli? This rich and satisfying dish is a complete low-carb meal on its own. However, it is also absolutely delicious served over a bed of fluffy white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, or some egg noodles.

Conclusion

This Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Crockpot recipe is the ultimate one-pot meal for a comforting and satisfying dinner. It’s a dish that takes simple, family-friendly ingredients and lets your slow cooker transform them into a cheesy, delicious, and incredibly easy feast. It’s a foolproof recipe that is guaranteed to become a new favorite in your weeknight dinner rotation. This is one of the easiest Chicken Crockpot Recipes you’ll ever make. If you love this simple comfort food, don’t forget to share it and save it to your favorite slow cooker recipes board on Pinterest!