Slow Cooker Smothered Chicken

Easy slow cooker smothered chicken with a rich keto queso sauce. This is a delicious low carb dinner recipe that practically cooks itself! In partnership with La Terra Fina.

I’m busy, you’re busy… we’re all busy busy busy. Even these days, when we’re all home more, we seem to fill up our days with the business of life. Work, family, trying to keep everyone safe and healthy, cooking up healthy keto diet meals…

If that last part has you feeling a bit overwhelmed, trust me you are not alone. I’m right there with you, despite the fact that my job involves cooking and baking on a daily basis. 

Slow Cooker Smothered Chicken to the rescue! Seriously takes only 15 minutes of prep work. Best of all, it’s a serious family pleaser. My 11 year old kept coming into the kitchen, asking what smelled so good. 

It was an auspicious start to the evening for this tired parent.

La Terra Fina Dips & Spreads

I am going to introduce you to my new secret weapon for cooking up easy meals during the busy holiday season. It’s the delicious prepared dips from La Terra Fina. 

They have all sorts of flavors that range from the classic Spinach Artichoke to interesting twists like Everything But The Bagel and Sriracha Three Cheese. They’re made with non-genetically engineered ingredients, with no artificial flavors or preservatives. 

And they can be found in the deli and dip aisles of many national grocery stores like Kroger and Safeway.

But most importantly, they are full on delicious. I opened the Chile con Queso and dipped in a finger. And suddenly found myself in the difficult position of wanting to eat the whole container with a spoon, rather than making the dinner I had planned.

It required serious restraint on my part to continue with my dinner plans. 

Easy does it!

Since I wrote the book on Easy Keto Dinners, I can tell you that using pre-made dips and spreads can be a huge time saver. I’d even go so far as to call it a sanity saver, when life feels a bit overwhelming. 

You have to choose your pre-made items wisely, of course, and consider quality ingredients. La Terra Fina Chile con Queso dip contains sour cream, Monterey Jack, cream cheese, jalapenos, poblanos, and red pepper.

But don’t consider yourself limited to using just the Queso dip for this keto smothered chicken recipe. The great part is that you have options and any of their delicious dips would work just as well. Go crazy with the different flavors! I’m trying the Cheesy Artichoke for my next attempt. 

How to make Slow Cooker Smothered Chicken

Did I already mention how easy this smothered chicken recipe is? It’s so simple and takes minimal prep work. Here are my best tips for getting it right:

1. I highly recommend browning the chicken in a skillet before adding to the slow cooker. This is a skin-on recipe and browning never really happens in a slow cooker. It will improve the flavor and appearance immensely and only takes 8 minutes. 
2. You could do this same recipe with boneless skinless thighs as well. In which case, skip the browning in a skillet and add directly to your slow cooker. You will also want to reduce the time by about 1 hour. 
3. There is no need for any broth or additional liquid. Slow cooking will draw the moisture out of the chicken and you will have plenty of liquid for a delicious sauce. 
4. You can add some canned diced tomatoes for additional color and texture. The dip has all the spice and flavor you need
5. Then just add all of the ingredients to the bottom of a slow cooker, set it for 3 hours, and walk away. You don’t need to do much more, dinner is cooking while you can work or spend time with family!
6. To create the “smothering” sauce, transfer the chicken from the slow cooker to a plate and scrape off any ingredients that are clinging to it back into the pot. Use a whisk to combine the liquids and the dip into a creamy sauce. 
7. If you prefer a completely smooth sauce, you can use transfer it to a blender or use an immersion blender right in your slow cooker. 
8. It’s easy to scale this recipe up or down, as needed. Use whatever number of thighs makes sense. La Terra Fina dips come in 10 ounce containers so it’s easy to measure how much you need based on the number of servings. 

How to serve Keto Smothered Chicken

Traditional smothered chicken is typically served over rice or mashed potatoes, but that’s not very keto friendly. I recommend making some cauliflower rice or some mashed cauliflower to go with yours.

Or try serving it over one of my Cheesy Keto Biscuits. Now that would be tasty! It makes lots of lovely sauce and you want something to soak it all up.

More delicious keto chicken thigh recipes

• Keto Jalapeno Popper Chicken
• Keto Creamy Chicken and Mushrooms
• Keto Chicken Broccoli Casserole
• Easy Keto Pizza Chicken
• Roasted Garlic Chicken Thighs
• Ranch Baked Chicken Thighs

Slow Cooker Queso Smothered Chicken

Easy slow cooker smothered chicken with a rich keto queso sauce. This is a delicious low carb dinner recipe that practically cooks itself!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: keto smothered chicken, slow cooker smothered chicken

Prep Time: 5 hours

Cook Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 571kcal

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (can also use a mix of thighs and drumsticks)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 container 10 oz La Terra Fina Chile con Queso dip
• ¼ cup finely diced drained tomatoes

Instructions

• Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
• Add the oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken, skin side down and cook undisturbed for 4 minutes. Then flip over and cook the other side for another 4 minutes.
• Place the chicken, queso dip, and diced tomatoes in the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker.
• Set slow cooker to high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
• Once cooking is done, remove the chicken to a plate, scraping off any of the dip that may be on top and putting it back in the pot.
• Use a whisk to combine the dip and any accumulated juices until smooth. Serve the sauce overtop the chicken.

Nutrition Facts

Slow Cooker Queso Smothered Chicken

Amount Per Serving (1 thigh with sauce)

Calories 571 Calories from Fat 297

% Daily Value*

Fat 33g51%

Carbohydrates 3.6g1%

Fiber 0.1g0%

Protein 33.5g67%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.