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This EASY Crockpot Chicken Marinara is a great weeknight meal! Chicken breasts cooked in Great Value Organic pasta sauce served with penne – even the picky eaters like this pasta recipe.

chicken marinara mixed quirk pasta in a brown bowl with cheese sprinkles on top.

Why You’ll Love Chicken Marinara

The day I made this dinner I was texting with a friend about how frustrating it is to make dinner. She joked that in the morning she has all the intention to make a nice meal and by the time 4:00 rolls around it’s cereal again because the chicken is usually still frozen or she’s too tired to cook. I totally agreed with her; making dinner is exhausting.

That’s why, about this time of year, I break out my crockpot and just leave it on the counter. After a long day of work the last thing I want to do is cook dinner. If the slow cooker is out it will remind me to set it and forget it and dinner is ready when we are!

The key to making a delicious chicken recipe in the slow cooker is adding a lot of flavor. I love to do this by adding sauce to my crockpot instead of just cooking the chicken plain or with herbs. One, the sauce lends flavor into the chicken and two, it keeps it nice and moist.

ingredients to make Crockpot chicken marinara

5 Ingredient Chicken Marinara

The main ingredients are a jar of marinara sauce and boneless skinless chicken breasts. Since we’re starting with a jarred sauce, I like to doctor it up a little, so I added spices: red pepper flakes, Italian Seasoning, and Garlic Salt.

This chicken marinara recipe is made even easier because it’s semi-homemade, but with good ingredients. That’s the key when you’re starting with prepared food: make sure it’s good quality. The better the products are, the better the end result will be.

chicken marinara in a black crockpot with a wooden spoon stirring the dinner.

How to make Chicken Marinara

Stir together the sauce and spices. Pour the sauce in a slow cooker (I like using a slow cooker liner for easy cleanup).
Just add the chicken and cook on high until it’s done.
Shred the chicken with two forks and serve with penne or spaghetti, rice, or a vegetable like broccoli or asparagus. Top with mozzarella cheese or parmesan and some fresh basil or fresh herbs.

How long to cook chicken in the crock pot

Thawed and boneless chicken breasts take about 2-4 hours on HIGH in a crockpot. I always check the chicken after about 2 1/2 hours to see if it’s cooked through. Chicken cooked too long gets dry, so be sure not to overcook.

How do I make my crockpot chicken stay moist?

That’s what this recipe is great for: Crockpot Chicken Marinara is super flavorful because the chicken absorbs all the flavor of the marinara as it cooks. This is the perfect chicken to serve over pasta!