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Crockpot Italian Chicken and Peppers is a healthy, delicious dinner that’s versatile and customizable. Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, pasta or greens. A weeknight dinner recipe the whole family will love!

shredded chicken with peppers and marinara in a slow cooker
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This healthy chicken and pepper slow cooker recipe was originally published in 2016. It has been revised and updated for you!

This is Crockpot Italian Chicken and Peppers is a spin on my chicken taco bowl recipe. This is a recipe I make all the time because it’s so simple and easy.

Just toss the ingredients in a crockpot, go to work and when you come home from work it’s ready to eat.

Plate over some rice, cauliflower rice or bowl of greens (if you’re doing low-carb or Paleo) and enjoy a home cooked dinner!

Probably one of the easiest recipes you can make. Best part is it’s healthy, lower calorie and gluten free!

shredded chicken with peppers and marinara in a slow cooker

What I Love About This Healthy Chicken and Pepper Recipe

  • Easy – This recipe is one you can throw in a slow cooker and it’s ready to eat for dinner. The only prep you need to do is slicing the bell peppers which I do ahead of time.
  • Versatile – You can easily swap out ingredients to make this recipe your own and choose to serve it any way you like to make it fit your dietary needs.
  • Simple Ingredients – The ingredients are super simple and easy to find.
  • Low Calorie – Each serving is just a 202 calories. The high volume of vegetables combined with the chicken breast makes this a higher protein makes this recipe nutrient dense and naturally lower in calorie.
  • Higher Protein – Each serving has 27 grams of protein. The higher water volume from the bell peppers combined with the lean chicken breast combination makes it more filling.
  • Higher Fiber – Each serving has 5 grams of fiber. Fiber keeps you fuller longer!
bowl of sliced bell peppers and bowl of raw chicken breasts

Crockpot Italian Chicken & Peppers Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this healthy chicken and pepper crockpot recipe. You will also need a slow cooker that’s 6-quart or larger.

  • Chicken Breasts (I get organic, pasture-raised chicken from ButcherBox).
  • Bell Peppers
  • Marinara Sauce
  • Italian Seasoning

For the full ingredient measurements and nutritional data, scroll to the bottom of this post to the recipe card where these details are.

chicken breast and marinara in a slow cooker

How To Make Healthy Chicken and Peppers In A Slow Cooker

This is one of the simplest recipes I’ve ever made and it’s one I make repeat!

Step One – Layer the sliced bell peppers, chicken breasts and seasonings in a slow cooker. Pour the marinara sauce over the top.

Step Two – Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours.

Step Three – Once cooked, remove the cover and place the chicken breasts on a plate. Shred the chicken breasts with two forks. Add it back to the slow cooker. Stir to mix with the sauce and peppers.

Step Four – Serve any way you want it and enjoy!

slow cooker with shredded chicken and sliced bell peppers

Can You Make Chicken and Peppers In An Instant Pot?

Yes, you can make this healthy chicken and pepper recipe in an Instant Pot! The Instant Pot chicken and pepper recipe. It’s just as simple a the slow cooker version.

How To Serve Italian Chicken and Peppers

Here’s a few options for serving your healthy Italian chicken and pepper recipe.

  • Rice – Serving over white or brown rice is my favorite way to enjoy Italian chicken and peppers.
  • Cauliflower Rice – For a lower carb or Paleo version, this is a great option. I also like to do half cauliflower rice and regular rice for a higher volume and higher fiber meal.
  • Greens – This recipe is delicious served warm over a bed of your favorite greens.
  • Pasta – High protein pasta, chickpea pasta, lentil pasta, black bean pasta are all great options for enjoying this meal.
  • Zucchini or Spaghetti Squash – Spiralized zucchini or roasted spaghetti squash is another great option for serving this that’s lower carb and Paleo friendly.

Substitutions For Crockpot Italian Chicken and Peppers

Here’s the ingredient substitutions you can make for this low calorie chicken and pepper slow cooker recipe! Remember when you make substitutions it will change the nutritional values you see in the recipe card below.

  • Chicken Breast – You can use chicken thighs, pork tenderloin, turkey breasts, turkey tenderloin or lean cuts of beef.
  • Marinara Sauce – You can use any type of spaghetti sauce you enjoy with this recipe. You can also use this homemade tomato sauce instead.
  • Italian Seasoning – Italian seasoning is made of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram. You can use these individual spices instead if you do not have Italian seasoning. I also like to add a touch of crushed red peppers to this meal for a bit of spice.
  • Bell Peppers – If bell peppers do not work for you, I recommend adding spiralized zucchini or roasted spaghetti squash instead.
white place with rice and shredded chicken

More Healthy Crockpot Meals

Italian Chicken and Peppers
5 from 9 votes
Servings: 4 servings

Healthy Crockpot Italian Chicken and Peppers

Crockpot Italian Chicken and Peppers is a healthy, delicious dinner that's versatile and customizable. Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, pasta or greens. A weeknight dinner recipe the whole family will love! Gluten Free + Low Calorie
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 4 hours
Total: 4 hours 20 minutes
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Equipment

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Layer the sliced bell peppers, chicken breasts and seasonings in a slow cooker. Pour the marinara sauce over the top.
  • Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
  • Once cooked, remove the cover and place the chicken breasts on a plate. Shred the chicken breasts with two forks. Add it back to the slow cooker. Stir to mix with the sauce and peppers.
  • Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, over pasta, or a bed of greens.

Video

Notes

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 202kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 942mg, Potassium: 1178mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 2820IU, Vitamin C: 168mg, Calcium: 56mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Megan

Megan is a nutritionist who coaches women 35+ lose weight sustainably. She is the author of the Low Calorie Cookbook, fitness instructor, host of the Dish On Ditching Diets Podcast and creator of Skinny Fitalicious where you get lighter, higher protein recipes. Follow Megan on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram for the latest updates.

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5 from 9 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




51 Comments

  1. Nicole Yanni says:

    Very good flavor, but mine came out very watery. How can I avoid next time?

    1. Megan says:

      You can’t avoid the water really as it is what keeps the chicken juicy and moist. You could consider adding a grain like rice, barley or quinoa and that will absorb some of the liquid.

  2. Kelly Ruff says:

    Can you use Alfredo sauce ?

    1. Megan says:

      I haven’t tried it myself, but most likely!

  3. Rose Samoskevich says:

    easy, delicious, done in 4 hours (on high)!
    I used 16 oz of a marinara sauce and an 8 oz can of tomato sauce. Thank you!
    Served with rice.

    1. Megan says:

      Thank you for the review! So glad you enjoyed it.

  4. Danielle M Smith says:

    Love the recipe! But trying to log the nutrition information and there is no way there’s 202,000 calories (202 kcal)! Also, in a serving, does that include the rice? If so, how much rice to chicken?

    1. Megan says:

      Hi Danielle, there is 202 calories per serving. I don’t know where you got 202,000 from??? I just ran the calculator again and the 202 is accurate. It does not include the rice.

  5. Shirley V Myles says:

    Can you make this crackpot chicken and peppers with can shredded chicken

    1. Megan says:

      Yes, you could make it with pre-cooked shredded chicken.

  6. Rosemary Escamilla says:

    Can this recipe “crockpot Italian chicken and peppers” be made in the oven. I don’t like how fat comes out in the slow cooker?

    1. Megan says:

      You could bake everything in the oven. I’m not sure what you mean by how the fat comes out in the slow cooker? Chicken breasts are very lean and don’t have fat.

  7. Suzanne says:

    I can’t wait to try this!!! It looks awesome!!!

  8. Roxanne says:

    This recipe couldn’t be easier to make and the results are ,off the charts” YUMMY ! I love crockpot recipes that have you throw everything in and hit START. No pan frying or sautéing. And the leftovers get BETTER everyday ! Thank You Megan !!!! Sharing this with EVERYONE !