Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes and Basil

Name: Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes and Basil
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 375 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon olive oil; 3 lbs boneless (skinless chicken breasts); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 2 cloves garlic (crushed or finely minced); 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar; 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (left whole); 1/4 cup basil leaves (cut into chiffonade (fine ribbons)); Homemade or store-bought balsamic reduction (if desired.)

7/16/19

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Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes and Basil is easy, fresh, and flavorful with only five main ingredients. You can make it a hearty comfort food meal by serving it over pasta. Or keep it light, gluten free, and low carb with cauliflower rice. It’s also a great healthy crock pot recipe for busy nights!

Orignally published in July 2014.

A while back, I showed you how I “roast” an entire chicken in my crock pot, when I shared this Lemon Herb Slow Cooker Roast Chicken recipe. At the same time, I told you about the garden that The Bug wants to plant. With my history of, well, killing plants, I was fearful things would not turn out well. This is true even though I was not the one responsible for the plants.

However, I was totally wrong.

Our three tomato plants, each in their own giant pot, went craaaaaaayyyyzy! It was like a tomato plant jungle. I actually think I could have lost my kids in them.

Three plants, one of which we thought wasn’t going to survive past the first week.

Then we had cherry tomatoes and little pear shaped ones. These plants grew so tall with so many branches, filled with so many tomatoes, that The Hubby pretty much had to rig up scaffolding using a couple of tomato cages, a few stakes we had around, and twist ties.

Day after day I could fill larger and larger bowls. I was putting them on salads, the little guy was shoveling fistfuls into his mouth.

I even roasted big batches with oregano, basil, onion, red wine, and balsamic vinegar, then blended it down to make sauce, of which I still have containers in my freezer. And this was just tons and tons of wee little tomatoes from two plants! I have to be honest, I’m glad we didn’t plant anymore.

Total tomato success! Now if only I could get The Bug to eat them. Despite seeding us with the idea to grow tomatoes and taking part in the planting, watering, and picking, the Bug still won’t eat a tomato. Oh well, his loss. It’s also the reason I keep reading him this book.

One day, when I pulled another big bowl of those tomatoes off of the bushes and snipped some basil, I made this tomato basil pulled chicken…

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Pulled Chicken

This crockpot chicken is a fabulous way to use up garden tomatoes and the summer abundance of fresh basil.

What do you need to make crockpot balsamic chicken?

Ingredients:

Olive oil
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
Balsamic vinegar
Garlic
Tomatoes
Fresh basil
Optional balsamic reduction for serving

Equipment:

Slow cooker – I have made this often in my larger Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker because it was the only one I had. But an inexpensive 4-quart slow cooker will be fine too.
Garlic press – with so few ingredients, I definitely recommend using fresh garlic for the best flavor. A garlic press ensures you don’t end up with any big chunks of garlic.
Tongs – these are very helpful for shredding the chicken and serving it.

How do you make Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes and Basil?

Coat the bottom of your slow cooker with olive oil.
Add chicken, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and tomatoes.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Shred chicken.
Stir in basil.

What do you eat with balsamic chicken?

We enjoyed it over polenta, but it would be equally tasty over pasta or rice.
If you have two crockpots, try it with Slow Cooker Parmesan Quinoa.
For a low carb option, serve it over cauliflower rice or parmesan whipped cauliflower.
Enjoy it alongside Greek Zoodles Salad.

What else can you make with tomatoes?

What are more crockpot chicken recipes?

Orange Saffron Slow Cooker Roast Chicken
Slow Cooker Orange Sesame Chicken
Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken
Lightened Up Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken & Black Beans
It’s Indian food made easy with Slow Cooker Chicken Curry from Well Plated.
Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken from Family Food on the Table has intoxicating sweet-savory flavors and aromas.
And if you start Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken from The Cookie Rookie in the morning, you won’t have to wait for takeout at dinnertime.
Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken with Artichokes from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen is also a flavor-packed option.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken Recipe

Stewing this crock pot pulled chicken in balsamic vinegar infuses it with moisture and sweet, bold flavor. The addition of the tomatoes plus a sprinkling of basil just before serving makes this comforting dish light and fresh. Then, just for a little more punch, drizzle with syrupy reduced balsamic at the end.

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4.67 from 6 votes