Crockpot Chicken and Vegetables

Crockpot Chicken and Vegetables is simple and satisfying comfort food heaven.

This is my new favorite crockpot meal! It features fall-apart tender chicken thighs that are popped under the broiler to create a delicious crispy skin. There’s also a full meal of vegetables including, baby red potatoes, carrots, and red onion (the onion mostly cooks down into the sauce.)

Speaking of the sauce, you’ll be happy you have chicken AND vegetables to enjoy it with because you’ll want to get every drop on the plate. Flavored with a pop of lemony brightness, the chicken broth base is thickened with flour before going into the crockpot. Then it’s simmered to a gravy thickness in a saucepan as the chicken broils.

Last but not least, thyme sprigs roast their earthy goodness into the meat as it cooks and a final flourish of thyme is sprinkled on the cooked vegetables. Darn good eating!!

Crockpot Chicken and Vegetables Tips

Serving Size – One medium to large chicken thigh is the perfect size for someone with an average appetite. But if you’re serving someone with a hearty appetite, then you may want to plan for two thighs.

Oval crockpot – I recommend using an oval crockpot vs. a round crockpot if you have one. The larger footprint in the oval provides more space to place the thighs on top of the veggies. But if all you have is a round one, those thighs will just have to cozy up to each other.

Sauce vs. Gravy – If you’re pressed for time you can use the crockpot juices as is, without reducing them further in a saucepan. But this step only takes a few minutes and provides a more gravy-like consistency.

The original recipe also includes pieces of corn on the cob and rosemary but I omitted those ingredients. I skipped the corn because it’s January and there’s no fresh sweet corn to be had in Minnesota. If you do give Jessica Gavin’s recipe a try, there’s no need to initially brown the chicken. It won’t be crisp after it cooks in the crockpot. Crisping it in the broiler at the end is the way to go.

Crockpot Chicken and Vegetables

Tender chicken thighs with crispy skin, baby potatoes, carrots, and onion served with a lemon-thyme flavored gravy.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Servings: 4

Author: Adapted from Jessica Gavin’s Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 4 large chicken thighs bone-in, with skin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more for seasoning
• 1 cup red onion cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups carrots cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound baby red potatoes cut in half
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 ¼ cup chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice divided
• 6 sprigs thyme plus 1 tbsp. chopped thyme

Instructions

• Trim excess skin from the chicken thighs.
• Season both sides with salt and pepper.
• Place onion, carrot, potatoes, and garlic in the crockpot.
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, chicken stock, flour, and 1 tbsp. of lemon juice, and add to the slow cooker.
• Add chicken to crockpot. Place thyme sprigs on the chicken and pour the remaining 1 tbsp of lemon juice over the chicken.
• Cover and cook 3 hours on a high setting or 4 to 6 hours on a low setting until the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
• Remove chicken thighs from the crockpot and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil thighs until the skin is crisped, about 4-5 minutes.
• While chicken is broiling, use a ladle to scoop most of the crockpot juices into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer and reduce the juices to a thin gravy consistency.
• Sprinkle remaining 1 Tbsp. Chopped thyme over vegetables in the crock pot.
• Serve crisped thighs with vegetables and gravy.