This Crock Pot Pepper Jack Chicken is one of our family’s favorite slow cooker dinner recipes. It is a super simple one-pot crock pot meal.
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Cris here.
I just love this recipe. I hadn’t made it in a while and when I was thinking about what we could share on the channel and blog next it hit me! Crock Pot Pepper Jack Chicken! I have made this dish for years in one form or another. It does have somewhat of an unusual ingredient for a dish like this, BUT trust me it is sooo good!
Crock Pot Cooking in an RV
Sometimes when we go out on adventure we aren’t sure how long we will be away from the camper. Slow cookers with “warm” settings (like our Ninja) that kick on after the cooking time are a lifesaver for those days. However, as much as the “warm” feature can save the day, they can also dry out dishes (I’m looking at you chicken breasts…) if you aren’t careful. That is one reason we like to cook with chicken thighs (or beef) on those days. Dishes that call for chicken thighs or beef tend to be able to withstand cooking beyond the original cooking time better than chicken breasts or pork.
How to Make Pepper Jack Chicken in a Crock Pot
Making this dish in a slow cooker is super simple. You just place the chicken down in a 6 quart slow cooker season and layer on the veggies. Cook the dish on low for 4-6 hours until chicken easily shreds when stirring. Top with cheese and cook on high until cheese melts. Ta-Dah! So easy and so good.
Notes on Crock Pot Pepper Jack Chicken
- We used our 6 quart Ninja to cook up this dish, but you can use any 6 quart slow cooker.
- We now have an Instant Pot version of this recipe too: Instant Pot Pepper Jack Chicken
- The whole frozen green beans may seem like an odd addition, but trust me it is so yummy. We always use whole frozen beans. Fresh beans would likely turn out more crisp and canned would give it an entirely different texture.
- You can use a different cheese than pepper jack, but then the dish won’t be pepper jack chicken ;).
- You can use chicken breasts instead of boneless skinless thighs, but the cooking time will likely be less than the thighs. Watch closely so you don’t dry out the chicken breasts.
- Looking for more recipes? Our Recipe Finder can help you find exactly what you need.
- Check out all our favorite recommendations for cookbooks, slow cookers and low carb essentials in our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- As with any of our recipes, carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly. As a result, your nutritional content depends on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline and should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
One of Our Most Popular Recipes
“This was soooo good!”
-Erin
“I served this with rice…all we can say is YUMMM…even with the green beans!! What makes this recipe even better is that it’s just as good reheated for leftovers!! :)”
-Angela
“Love this recipe. It’s so easy and delicious. I served it over rice and my family loved it!”
-Christine
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Crock Pot Pepper Jack Chicken
Ingredients
- 3.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 10 oz frozen whole green beans
- 1 bell pepper seeded and sliced
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms sliced
- 1/4 Cup Butter
- 10 Slices Pepper Jack Cheese
Instructions
- Place chicken in the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker and season with garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and salt and pepper.
- Layer frozen green beans, then mushrooms and peppers.
- Season again with salt and pepper, top with butter and cook on low for 4-6 hours until chicken is shreddable when stirred.
- Stir chicken until shredded and then top with cheese on cook on high until the cheese melts.
Video
Notes
- We used our 6 quart Ninja to cook up this dish, but you can use any 6 quart slow cooker.
- We now have an Instant Pot version of this recipe too: Instant Pot Pepper Jack Chicken
- The whole frozen green beans may seem like an odd addition, but trust me it is so yummy. We always use whole frozen beans. Fresh beans would likely turn out more crisp and canned would give it an entirely different texture.
- You can use a different cheese than pepper jack, but then the dish won’t be pepper jack chicken ;).
- You can use chicken breasts instead of boneless skinless thighs, but the cooking time will likely be less than the thighs. Watch closely so you don’t dry out the chicken breasts.
- Looking for more recipes? Our Recipe Finder can help you find exactly what you need.
- Check out all our favorite recommendations for cookbooks, slow cookers and low carb essentials in our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- As with any of our recipes, carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly. As a result, your nutritional content depends on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline and should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
- Check out the video featuring this recipe here: https://youtu.be/tDx33tkTzTI
Nutrition
We recommend serving these desserts with this one pot meal:
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also enjoy:
- Crock Pot Pepper Jack Pork Chops
- Bacon Mushroom Swiss Crock Pot Chicken
- Crock Pot Bacon Broccoli Chicken
Her site Recipes That Crock is dedicated to helping everyone find delicious recipes to serve their families every month.
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Loved this recipe! My thighs were not unthawed and I wasn’t sure if I could use frozen ones so I just used our leftover rotisserie chicken and cooked in on low for a couple hours. I served it over cauliflower rice!
Good call on not using frozen! The USDA does not recommend using frozen meats in a crock pot. You can read what they have to say here: https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Is-it-safe-to-cook-frozen-foods-in-a-slow-cooker-or-crock-pot. I love that you used what you had on hand and loved it!
Can you cook it on high in your crackpot
We haven’t tried cooking this on high, but it should work. You will want to shorten the cooking time to 2-3 hours and watch it closely the first time you make it so you can adjust the cooking time as needed for your particular crock pot. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Loved this! Seriously yummy recipe. Next day I didn’t even take the time to warm left overs. I needed a snack so I looked in the refrigerator grabbed the leftovers, just to have a bite or two 🙂 but, next thing I know I ate it all standing at the kitchen counter. Can’t wait to make it again.
I’m so glad you loved this recipe! We love hearing when readers enjoy one of our recipes.
3 1/2 lb chicken breasts seems to be a lot. Have you made it with less?
We haven’t tried this with less chicken, but it could work. With less chicken, the cooking time will change. Make sure you watch it closely the first time you make it so you can adjust the cooking time as needed. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Aunt Lou
I have made this recipe snd my family loved it! Quite a few of them don’t like mushrooms I wonder if you could substitute pepperoni?
I’m so glad your family loved it! I haven’t tried this with pepperoni instead of mushrooms, but we always encourage our readers to make our recipes our own and would love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
Aunt Lou
Love your recipes sound so good, but mine always over cook, would love for you to have an alternative
cooking method, please thanks
It sounds like your slow cooker cooks hot. Every slow cooker cooks differently. That is why we always recommend watching a recipe closely the first time you make it to adjust the cooking times as needed for your particular unit. For example, if I am cooking something in one of my crock pots that I know cooks hot and the recipe is for 4-6 hours, I will start checking it around the 3 hour mark with a food thermometer and make a note on the recipe of when it is done for that slow cooker. I hope that helps.
Aunt Lou
What sides do you eat with this?
We usually pair it with some combination of corn, green beans, mashed potatoes or salad. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
Add a jar of sliced jalapeños and this is perfect!
Add a jar of sliced jalapeños and this is perfect!
Have not made this yet but aunt Lou you may have stole my heart. I love pepper jack cheese. So this is the next one I’m gonna try.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! It is really yummy!
What kind if cheese would work best other than pepper jack may be to spicy for family?
We haven’t tried this with any other cheese, but you might try Monterey Jack. Personally, I cannot handle much spiciness, but enjoy this recipe. The butter and cooking juices from the chicken help to cut the heat. If you give it a try with Monterey Jack Cheese, let us know how it goes!
Can you place the chicken in the crock frozen? (Forgot to thaw mine out last night🤦🏻♀️)
Hi Shaunna!
The USDA recommends all meat be thawed prior to cooking in a slow cooker. You can read all of the Food Safety Basics for Slow Cookers here: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/slow-cookers-and-food-safety.
Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
I see a lot of recipes that sear the meat first before putting into the crockpot. Could I do that in this recipe>
Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Thanks, Janet
We haven’t tried this recipe with searing the chicken first, but think it could work, if that is your preference. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
I tried this recipe with chicken thighs. Just felt like it had no flavor. I followed recipe perfectly. Maybe needs some sort of red sauce???
There seems to be a lot of juice ; do you drain it before adding cheese
We enjoy the broth but if you prefer less, I suppose you can drain it before adding the cheese. Enjoy!
Hi. Do you serve this with anything else or just scoop it all up and serve ?
Another recipe worth making over and over and over and over…You get it!
Ha! Yes! We get it and agree fully! I’m so glad you enjoy this one as well!
Cris, I only have a 4 quart slow cooker. Is that big enough?
Hi Michael!
We haven’t tried this in a 4 quart, but if all the ingredients fit, it should work, but will most likely have a longer cooking time. So, make sure you watch it closely the first time you make it to adjust the cooking time as needed. If the ingredients do not fit, reduce the ingredients equally so that it will fit. Hope this helps!
Aunt Lou
So yummy!!! My kids were complaining (as always) about dinner, and then they tried it. It’s a new favorite! Thank you for the great recipe!
I’m so glad they tried it and liked it! That’s a Mom Win for sure!
So my family loved this last time I made this, my husband does not like mushrooms what other vegetable can I add instead?
I’m so glad they loved it Marcia! If you want to just leave the mushrooms out, I think that would be ok.