Slow Cooker Bacon Garlic Chicken Breast
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This Slow Cooker Bacon Garlic Chicken Breast recipe makes the most tender, juicy and flavorful chicken dinner with just 4 ingredients. The chicken breasts get a special treatment when wrapped with tasty bacon, which keeps the chicken moist. The boneless chicken breasts are cooked slowly in a crock pot for several hours, absorbing a surprising amount of flavor from the bacon and seasonings during the lengthy cook time.
Watch Video: Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts
This slow cooker garlic chicken recipe is a simple meal and takes less than 15 minutes to prepare. Place the bacon wrapped chicken in a crock pot and cook for several hours until perfectly brown. Serve it with rice and green vegetables such as broccoli and bok choy for a complete meal. It also goes great with a side like boiled corn.
After our popular Bacon Wrapped Chicken recipe, we discovered the secret of keeping chicken breasts moist and juicy by wrapping them with bacon. The magic combination of brown sugar and bacon creates an unforgettable flavor that everyone loves. Now we are taking it to a new level by using a crock pot, adding more amazing flavor to this impressive chicken meal.
SLOW COOKER CHICKEN BREAST MADE WITH ONLY 4 INGREDIENTS
This slow cooker chicken breast (boneless) recipe calls for only 4 simple ingredients plus salt and pepper as optional:
Chicken Breasts: I use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, although boneless chicken thighs work too.
Bacon: It’s important to use high-quality bacon as it holds better during the lengthy cooking process. Avoid thick-cut bacon, as it’s difficult to wrap around the chicken and may turn out rubbery after cooking.
Brown Sugar: brown sugar goes well with bacon, and the combination of the two creates great flavor.
Garlic: It’s best to use fresh garlic, but garlic powder will also work.
WRAP THE CHICKEN BREASTS
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Then rub it all over the chicken breasts.
Wrap each chicken breast with 2 to 3 strips of bacon. The amount of bacon depends on the size of your chicken and bacon. Try to tuck the bacon beneath the chicken breasts and secure them with toothpicks if necessary. Make sure the bacon won’t unravel during cooking.
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT CHICKEN BREAST
After you wrap the chicken breasts with bacon, place them in the bottom of your crock pot in a single layer, snuggling them in as evenly as you can. I usually place 4 breasts in a 6-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle more brown sugar on top, and put the lid on. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for about 3 hours. Note that you don’t need to add liquids, as it will release juices into the slow cooker as it cooks.
When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the slow cooker.
You can add vegetables during the last hour of cooking. My favorite chooses include green beans, onions, and broccoli.
If you like crispy bacon, simply broil your bacon wrapped chicken for about 2-3 minutes after cooking in the crock pot. Just watch your chicken closely as it can start to burn fairly quickly.
HOW LONG TO COOK BONELESS CHICKEN BREAST IN SLOW COOKER?
The cook time depends on the thickness of your chicken breasts and the brand of your crock pot. It usually takes about 3 hours on a LOW setting. Check your chicken after 2.5 hours. Your chicken is fully cooked when your instant-read thermometer reads 165°F (74°C).
CHICKEN BREASTS VS. CHICKEN THIGHS
I used boneless chicken breasts for this recipe. You can also use chicken thighs by increasing the cooking time to 4-5 hours on low.
5 More Easy Crockpot Chicken Recipes
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
- Crockpot Chicken Thighs
- Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken
- Crock Pot General Tso’s Chicken
Slow Cooker Bacon Garlic Chicken Breast (+VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless*
- 8-12 slices bacon
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced (about 2 cloves)
Optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground or to taste
- fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, minced garlic, and optional salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken breasts on a plate and rub half of the spice mixture all over the chicken breasts.
- Wrap each chicken breast with 2-3 slices of bacon, starting and finishing on the bottom of each breast. (The amount of bacon needed depends on the size of your chicken and bacon.)
- Place the wrapped chicken breasts seam-side down in the crock pot in a single layer, snuggling them in as evenly as possible.
- Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar mixture on top.
- Cover and seal the lid. Cook on LOW for 3 hours or until an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) is reached**.
- Optional: After cooking, place under the broiler (about 6 inches from the heating element) for 2-3 minutes to make the bacon crispy and add a nice caramelized color***.
- Remove chicken to a cutting board or plate, and cover with aluminum foil to keep it warm. Let rest for 5-10 minutes so that you will get clean slices.
- Garnish with optional parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- *If your chicken is frozen, you need to thaw it before use. For quick thawing, place the frozen chicken breasts in a sealed ziptop bag. Submerge the bag completely in cold tap water for 20 minutes. As the chicken thaws, pull the pieces apart to expedite the process. Replace with fresh cold water and submerge for 10-20 more minutes. Your chicken breasts are now ready to be cooked!
- **Check doneness after 2.5 hours the first time around, as there’s some variation between crockpots. It’s best to insert an instant-read meat thermometer through the middle of the chicken.
- Avoid removing the lid unnecessarily during cooking, as doing so lengthens the cooking time by 15-30 minutes each time.
Please read our nutrition disclaimer.
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Editor note: Originally published March 15, 2019 and updated October 1, 2019.
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being a single guy I impressed my lady friends with this awesome tasting, juicy dinner. I learned cook on low cooking on high it was kinda. so i cook on low nowdays. Thak you for this great tasty dinner.
Hi Ken, Congrats – that’s what this site is all about and this dish dresses to impress. Thanks
How much garlic do you use if you don’t have fresh garlic?
Hi Janelle, Thanks for your comment – a half teaspoon of garlic powder or granulated garlic will do it. Just note the flavor will be different from fresh.
Won’t this need to be drained of extra bacon fat? Thanks, Nora
Hi Nora, Thanks for your question. You’ll want to use a slotted spoon to lift the chicken out of the fat to serve. Hope that helps!
Wow! This turned out great even without being able to crisp up the bacon. Can’t wait to make this for my grandsons!!
Hi Bella, Thanks for your comment and glad you enjoyed!
This recipe was absolutely delicious!!! I ate it with green beans and a baked sweet potato… the only problem is that I wish I had a bigger crockpot to make more than 4! Lol… I’m actually thinking about making it again this Sunday! Thanks for the great recipe! I am looking forward to trying others.
For a large group could I put this in the oven? About what temperature would you suggest? Maybe a smoker?
Hi Kim, Thanks for your question. I haven’t tried putting it in the oven, so don’t have a recipe to share. However, the general idea would be to use a Dutch oven and cook at 275. Hope that helps!
Made this for dinner tonight wow very good will make this again thank you
Ok made this In instant pot… soooo good
(Add 1 cup of chicken stock and 1/4 cup maple syrup to bottom of instant pot) place garlic bacon wrapped chicken breasts on trivet … cook on high pressure 30 minutes rapid release. Put under broiler 2 min. Soooooo good
Hi Tanya, Sounds incredible – thanks for your comment!
Thanks so much for the recipe. I made it yesterday and we had it for dinner. My family said this was the best chicken I ever made for them. They said it was so moist they could have eaten the entire pot of chicken. This was an easy recipe to prepare and we had green beans and new potatoes. I will keep watching!!!
Hi Theresa, Wow that is so amazing to hear – thanks for your feedback and so glad everyone enjoyed it!
My husband and son loved this recipe. I cooked it too long before putting it under the broiler to crisp up the bacon. I will go a little under in the crockpot next time. However, it was still delicious!
Delicious, hubby said I could make it often and thought it was a lot of work, NOT!
This was delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Amazing!! I’m on a keto diet, so this was perfect for me!
The secret is definitely wrapping the chicken in bacon. So yummy!
Hi Jill, I couldn’t agree more – thanks for your comment!
I made this last night and it was amazing!! I omitted the brown sugar but added dry ranch seasoning to the chicken breast! Will definitely make this again!
Very easy, quick & delicious!
Chicken was very tender. Will make again.
I did put under broiler for a few min.to Crisp up the bacon.
Hi Tammie, Great to hear and thanks for your comment!
I DID NOT TOO LONG AGO AND IT WAS AMAZING. I COOKED IT IN THE CROCK POT THEN BUT I WAS WONDERING ABOUT COOKING IT IN THE OVEN. OH AND ALSO I AM USING THIGHS INTSTEAD BREAST…
IF YOU COULD PLEASE GIVE ADVICE OR INSTRUCTION ON COOKING IN OVEN; PLEASE?
Hi Kristina, Thanks so much for your comment and glad you like it! For an oven version, please use the following recipe: https://tipbuzz.com/bacon-wrapped-chicken/
Great main dish! This is my second time making this chicken dish! I’m actually making this dish on New Years day! Serving with: mashed potatoes, Brown gravy and roasted carrots.
So, you know how the directions say to put the crockpot on LOW for three hours? I highly advise you pay attention to the settings on your crockpot and not accidentally put it on high for three hours. They basically had liquefied rubber. I’m such a dingdong. It smelled amazing and was really easy to put together. I’m going to have to redo the recipe cause I definitely want to taste it.
Hi Megin, Oh, sorry to hear that and it’s true that there’s a big difference between Low and High. Thanks for your feedback and hope you’ll try it again!
Hi! How would you modify this if you are using chicken tenderloins instead of full chicken breast? I’m concerned that 3 hours cook time may dry out the tenderloins.
Thank you,
Nicole
Hi Nicole, Thanks for your question. Tenderloins are a bit too small to hold the bacon strips. I would recommend breasts, but if you use tenderloins the cooking time should be halved roughly speaking.
Hello! I was wondering would I be able to use turkey bacon with this recipe?
Hi Rosli, Thanks for your comment. I haven’t made it with turkey bacon, so can’t comment unfortunately. Please let me know how it turns out if you do!
If I do use the cut bacon do I need to extend the cooking time?
Hi there, No need to extend in that case – thanks!
Can you cook on high or will it dry the meat too much?
Hi Marie, Indeed it will dry out too much on High. Thanks for your question.
Made this tonight!! SOOOO good and so easy!! Definitely will make this again!!
Hi Angie, So glad to hear that and thanks for your comment!
I want to try this. Do you think if I put cream cheese inside the chicken it would be okay to cook that long?
Hi Jessica, Thanks for your question. I haven’t tried it so can’t comment definitively but suspect the cream cheese would start disintegrating after an hour. Hope that helps a bit.
Can you make this if you have precooked chicken breast? I like to cook chicken breast in the crock pot and then vacuum seal individually to use when needed. I knoe it wouldn’t require long to cook just enough I guess for the flavors
Thanks!
Hi Sheila, Thanks for your question. Unfortunately the answer is no, as pre-cooked chicken will dry out. It needs to be fresh or thawed chicken. Hope that helps!
Could I use regular sugar instead of brown sugar?
Hi Breanna, Thanks for your question and absolutely yes. I’ll add a note to the recipe too.
This recipe is great! The cliche. Was so tender, and it was so easy to make; besides, it was delicious.
Hi Raquel, Really happy to hear that and glad you enjoyed! Hope you try more recipes on the site.
Any suggestions on side dishes ??
Hi Brenda, Yes! Potatoes and broccoli go great with this dish.
Can this be done in an Instant Pot? Maybe 20 min on high compared to 3 hrs slow cooker?
Hi Lee, Thanks for your question. I haven’t tried it in an Instant Pot, so can’t really comment unfortunately.
Made this recipe with baked yams as side dish & family loved it! Easy and delicious….definitely will make again. THANK YOU!
Hi Trina, Great to hear and love the baked yams idea! Thanks for your comment too.
Can you mix thighs and breast? My hubby is a thigh man!!
Hi Carol, Great question! Best not to mix, as the breasts cook faster than thighs. Just choose one or the other at any given time. Hope that helps!
Made this with a little extra used about one quarter cup of home made bbq sauce it was delicious
Hi Charles, What a great idea! Glad you enjoyed and thanks for your comment!
This was delicious! I’m making it again tomorrow and I was wondering if there is any reason why I couldn’t prepare the chicken in advance to be baked later in the day? Thanks!
Hi Linda, So happy to hear that! The chicken can be reheated, but it’s never as juicy as when it comes straight out of the slow cooker. Hope that helps!
What a simple recipe this was to make. I am not usually a fan of chicken breast but this really works! And I can prep it and walk away! Yay!
Hi Beth, Thanks and so glad to hear that! The secret is not to cook the chicken breast too long.
I am a super taster so anything sweet will not agree with me. Could I just leave it out? How about using bread crumbs for the texture? How about Good Season Salad dressing right from the package instead of the honey or brown sugar? I did that because I didn’t like the ranch dressing from the package that the recipe called for & it was good! I can’t eat it with the brown sugar, honey or maple syrup or anything sweet & I would love to eat this! Please help! I gave it that rating because of the sweet aspect. Otherwise the recipe sounds yummy!
Hi Gail, Thanks for your comment. You can definitely leave out the brown sugar altogether! I haven’t tried salad dressing, but would be concerned about a flavor clash with the bacon. Just try omitting the sugar first and see how it goes. Enjoy!
We made this for dinner and will definitely make it again. Everyone loved it.
Hi Ashley, Awesome to hear and thanks for letting me know 🙂
What’s not to love about this recipe, easy, flavorful, and bacon!! All of my most favorite things!
Hi Beth, Ah, so true lol! Glad you like it and let me know how it turns out.
I made these and they were so delious wanna know if I can use split chicken breast to if so how long it’s now my new slow cooker chicken favorite yum
Hi Sarah, That’s awesome – congrats and thanks for your review! I’d avoid split chicken breast, as the smaller size is so easy to dry out. Hope that helps!
Bacon to the rescue!! This looks so tasty and juicy – amazing!!
Hi Beth, Thanks – it’s one of our most popular recipes so you’ll love it 🙂
What if you’re only cooking 2 breasts should the time be shortened?
Hi Gabrielle, Thanks for your question. I don’t recommend doing just 2 breasts because the slow cooker needs to be filled snugly in one layer to cook properly. It might work if you’re using a small crock pot with large chicken breasts… Hope that helps!
Can I cut my chicken breast in half would that affect how long it takes to cook?
Hi Cirenna, Thanks for your question. I wouldn’t recommend cutting the chicken as it’ll be less juicy. At 2 1/2 hours, the cooking time is already about as short as possible for a slow cooker. Hope you’ll try it!
Can I bake these in the oven? If so, how long and at what temperature ?
Hi Clara, Thanks for your question and the answer is yes! 🙂 Here’s the recipe: https://tipbuzz.com/bacon-wrapped-chicken/
I made this, but I cut a slit in the chicken breasts, and stuffed it with white cheddar cheese. Came out killer🤘
Hi Zac, What an awesome idea – thanks for sharing! Glad it turned out well 🙂
I am making this as I type. I am precooking the chicken in the skillet and then putting in the slow cooker. Will let you know how that works out.
Hi Ann, Thanks for your comment! Precooking in the skillet should add some extra flavor, but you may need less time in the slow cooker. Enjoy!
hi how long would it be on high?
Hi Adriana, Thanks for your question. Not recommended to cook on high, as the chicken breasts are likely to dry out. It’s pretty fast on Low at 3-4 hours. Hope that helps!
After 3 hours on low, chicken was fully cooked, but bacon was not. How can I get the bacon better cooked? Pre cook it for a couple minutes?
Hi Lauren, Thanks for your comment. Chicken breast size varies as does bacon thickness. You could try pre-cooking the bacon or alternatively use larger chicken breasts and cook 3 1/2 – 4 hours.
Hi, this sounds delicious, going to use this recipe today.
When you say add onion, what onion do you recommend? White/red?
Thanks!
Hi Zara, Thanks and either should work fine. Best to put the onions underneath the chicken in the slow cooker. Enjoy!
It was good but I think next I try it I’m going to use garlic powder instead of fresh minced.
Hi Katie, Thanks for your review! Let me know how you like it with powder compared to fresh minced 🙂
Where are the rest of the comments? They are not all showing
Hi Janet, Thanks for asking – just click the next button to view more comments.
Can I use regular (not thick cut) bacon? I don’t normally buy thick cut bacon, just a preference? I really want to try this recipe. Giving it 5 stars already, because regardless of bacon thickness, you can’t go wrong adding this to chicken.
Thanks in advance,
Hi Janet, Thanks so much! OK, so regular bacon does risk falling apart, but there are some premium regular bacons that might work if you want to avoid thick cut. Sort of a judgment call in the end. Hope that helps and let me know how it goes 🙂
How can you warmup the bacon chicken breast?
Yes, you can. Best to cover with foil when you reheat them to prevent from drying out!
I’m confused about the cook time. Recipe says 3-5 hours on low but response in comments section, asking about cook time, says 6-8 hours on low or three hours on high. Planning to make this tomorrow; helps please!!
Hi Desiree, Thanks for your comment. The correct time is 3-5 hours on LOW. Good luck!
My Crock-Pot only has settings for high 4 and 6 hrs and low 8 and 10 hrs. Since it’s suppose to cook on low do I just put it on the 8 hr low setting and take it out in 4 hrs?
I need to make at least 8 chicken breast but your recipe is for 4. Is it going to be okay to make 8, since they would have to be on top of each other. Or do you not recommend it?
Hi Jennifer, Thanks for your question. You can absolutely double up in layers and everything will cook just fine. THe only limitation is the size of your crock pot — as long everything fits in comfortably, you’re good to go. Hope that helps 🙂
How long do you cook it. ? 6 to8 hours
Hi Dave, Thanks for your question. It’s 3-5 hours on a low setting, hope that helps! 🙂
My Crock-Pot only has settings for high 4 and 6 hrs and low 8 and 10 hrs. Since it’s suppose to cook on low do I just put it on the 8 hr low setting and take it out in 4 hrs?u
Hi Debbie, Thanks for your comment. Yes, in that case you’ll need to remove it early. Use a separate timer! 🙂