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This Crockpot Chicken and Peppers is healthy, low-calorie, and packed with protein and fiber. While slow cooker meals are the perfect dinner after a busy day, many slow cooker recipes are packed with extra calories. This one is the perfect healthy option the whole family will love.
Enjoy this slow cooker chicken with bell peppers and marinara for dinner with minimal effort. All you need to do is cut up the onion and peppers, which can be done in advance to save you time! Switch up the spices to transform the dish to fit your tastes without any extra work. This is a great way to enjoy a nutritious home-cooked meal when you don’t feel like cooking.
If you like healthy crockpot recipes, you will love my Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma and Healthy Crockpot BBQ Chicken!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Low-Effort Home-Cooked Dinner: Sometimes at the end of a long day, you just don’t feel like cooking, but you still want a home-cooked dinner. That’s the perfect time to pull out the crockpot and make this Italian chicken and peppers. Just chop, dump, and come back to a healthy and delicious high-protein crockpot dinner.
- Versatile Flavors: This chicken and peppers recipe is incredibly versatile; you can change the flavor with a few additional spices or by adding your favorite vegetables.
- Simple and Healthy: This recipe has only 4 main ingredients, and they are all simple and affordable. The lean chicken is packed with protein, and the peppers are a great source of fiber without being high in calories.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are best for this recipe because they are easy to shred after they cook. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.
- Bell Peppers: Thinly sliced red, yellow, orange, and green bell peppers add flavor to the chicken and sauce.
- Marina Sauce: Use your favorite jarred marinara sauce, or make my healthy crockpot tomato sauce to use instead.
- Italian Seasoning: This seasoning mix is made with basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. You can also add the spices individually, plus some garlic powder or red chile flakes.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Use a Different Meat: This recipe also works well with turkey breasts, pork tenderloin, or lean cuts of beef. The meat renders tender and shreds easily and is full of flavor.
- Make Tacos or Fajitas: Switch up the spices and turn this recipe into crockpot chicken tacos or fajitas. You’ll need cumin, chili powder, or taco seasoning to transform this into taco filling.
- Add More Veggies: The base flavors of this recipe are so simple that they work well with a large variety of vegetables. Try adding zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, spinach, or onions.
How to Make Crockpot Chicken and Peppers
This Italian chicken and peppers recipe is the perfect simple weeknight meal without any hassle. There’s hardly any prep work, and you have tender and juicy chicken within a few hours. Save leftovers for lunch or meal prep and enjoy a healthy meal for a few days.
Step 1: Add Ingredients to the Crockpot. Layer the sliced bell peppers, chicken breasts, and seasonings in the bottom of a 6-quart crockpot. Pour the marinara sauce over the top of everything. Secure the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
Step 2: Shred the Chicken. After the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the slow cooker. Shred it with two forks and add it back to the slow cooker. Stir it back into the sauce for a few minutes before serving it. It’s great with some cauliflower bread on the side for dipping.
Expert Tips
- Don’t Overcook the Chicken: Watch your chicken, especially if your crock pot runs hot. Remove it once it reaches 165°F so that it doesn’t dry out or turn tough.
- Make Shredding a Breeze: Instead of shredding the chicken by hand, add it to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and turn it on low. It will shred the chicken for you within a minute or two.
- Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. Reheat your leftover chicken and peppers in the microwave in 60-second increments until they’re heated through. Be sure to thaw frozen leftovers for 24 hours in the refrigerator before reheating them.
Serving Suggestions
One of the best things about this slow cooker chicken and peppers is how versatile it is. You can serve it over rice, pasta, or vegetables to make a hearty and nutritious meal. Everyone, including the kids, will love the simple flavors! Plus, this healthy, high-protein meal is great for households on a budget.
- This Italian chicken and peppers tastes amazing served over rice or pasta, or with cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
- For more veggies and fewer carbs, you can also serve this meal with zucchini noodles, like in this chicken cacciatore.
- Pair your dinner with a low-carb Italian chopped salad with a homemade healthy Italian salad dressing.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! This is a great recipe for the Instant Pot! Cook the chicken and peppers first using the pressure cooking setting. Then add the seasonings and sauce and cook until heated. For more information, you can follow my Instant Pot chicken and pepper recipe for more details.
No, it’s not a good idea. The USDA does not recommend placing frozen chicken in the crockpot as it sits at an unsafe temperature for too long. This allows bacteria to grow. Instead, you should thaw frozen chicken before cooking it in your slow cooker.
If your sauce is thinner than you prefer, make a cornstarch or tapioca flour slurry using a tablespoon of cold water and a tablespoon of starch. Slowly pour the mixture into your crockpot and stir everything to thicken your sauce. You can also cook the dish uncovered for more time to allow some of the liquid to evaporate.
Sure, this is a great meal to prep in advance and use for meals throughout the week. It’s versatile, so you can repurpose it into different meals to keep things fresh. You can also save yourself some time by cutting the peppers a day or two in advance and keeping them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook them.
More Healthy Crockpot Recipes
If you tried this Crockpot Chicken and Peppers recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Crockpot Chicken and Peppers
Equipment
- Crockpot
Ingredients
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 lb Chicken Breast, boneless skinless
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 24 ounce Marinara sauce
- Pinch salt & pepper
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
- Add the peppers in the last 30 minutes of cook time if you want them to still have a little crunch.
- Cook the chicken until it reaches 165°F, then promptly remove and shred it. Overcooked chicken will be tough and chewy.
- Use the paddle attachment on your stand mixer to shred the chicken instead of doing it by hand.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Approximately how many chicken breasts or pounds of chicken are you using here?
12 ounces is approx 3/4 pound.
I know, I’ve been hesitant to share warm recipes because it’s spring but it’s still snowing in some places so meals like this are much appreciated. I love how short the ingredient list is and that it’s so easy to make!
I still have some I’m going to sprinkle in. In case you didn’t notice!
Yum. JUST YUM. I’m a sucker for marinara sauce, and we love bell peppers. and just yum. This would be gone in about 2 days.
If only you lived closer!
Every time I go to AZ or NV I marvel at the nut job weather. Or even here… it never really got cold! I mean…. it’s like 65 now which feels chilly in the shade. But that’s nothing!
But this crock pot meal IS something. I need to break mine back out. It’s been a couple weeks!
It’s been strange weather here. It was 60 the other day and this weekend it’s supposed to be 90’s. It’s been this way all winter. At least once it’s hot, you know it’s just HOT.
90 degrees sounds great right now. We slept w the window open last night so it was really cold when we got up. I’m sitting in my sweats with the heat cranked drinking hot tea to try and normalize my temperature haha. I should add this meal into it as well!
Yeah, I don’t miss that at all. 90’s is good weather, but when it starts so soon that means it’s gonna be a long summer.
I am pretty convinced that the crock pot is God’s gift to the world. I mean, it’s so easy and makes everything SO delish. This is a perfect, healthy weeknight meal!
Yes! Don’t you think it should be a standard appliance and have it’s own space in the kitchen?
I can’t believe how easy this recipe is! It’s right up my overworked alley, and I bet the bf would actually eat it too. Thanks for the inspo, I am actually going to make this on Sunday. My “throw things in and let them cook” experiments with the crock pot have all been huge flops!!
Let me know how you like it!
90s for that long might kill me! It’s starting to feel warmer here now that a few days are in the 60s. For some reason I haven’t taken out my crockpot all winter, needs to change!
It’s dry so it feels cooler than you think. You need to start making some of your desserts in the crockpot!
This is totally up my ally! Sounds so delish and you have me craving chicken…at 6am 😛
HAHA the blogger struggle is real isn’t it?
I love recipes like this that are easy, healthy, and that my kids will also enjoy! Looks delicious, Megan!
Thanks Blair! I’m all about easy.