I made this chicken last Wednesday for dinner and there was more than enough for lunch for John and I the following day. I love my little helpers in the kitchen and Rowan was super cute stacking the cut up parsnips like blocks! This dish was beyond easy, versatile, and all three of the boys asked for seconds!! We ate the dish with a spinach salad for dinner and for lunch the next day I served the chicken over some steamed kale.
Please feel free to use different veggies if you like, but I loved the way the parsnips tasted paired with the sage and chicken….
Scrumptious Slow Cooker Chicken
2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 parsnips
3 carrots
4 celery stalks
1 red onion
10-12 whole garlic cloves
¼ cup coconut oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon rubbed sage
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Cut the parsnips, carrots, celery, and onion into large chunks making sure that the carrots and parsnips are cut roughly the same size for even cooking. Place the chicken in the crockpot and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. On top of the chicken layer the onions and whole garlic cloves followed by the parsnips, carrots, and celery. In a glass measuring cup mix together the chicken broth, coconut oil, thyme and sage (it helps to melt the coconut oil first in the microwave). Pour this mixture evenly over the chicken and veggies and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 7.
Enjoy!!
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Would olive oil be a good substitute for coconut oil (allergy)?
Hi Robin, Olive oil would be ok but I think that ghee (clarified butter) or grass fed organic butter would be yummier, if you are ok with eating some butter that is… : )
You may already know this… Most people who are allergic to coconut milk n oil are sensitive to salicylates which is high in olive oil as well……..in this case butter is the way to GO!!! Salicylates, Oxalate, Lectins Phytates, and Saponins …….all great reasons to not LIMIT your diet to fruits n veggies….they fight back! Laurie
I used EVOO in place of coconut oil and it turned out amazing! My toddler,who is extremely picky, ate his whole plate! Even my husband, who is not a fan of slow cooker recipes, loved it! This will be made often! Thank yo so much for posting this recipe:-)
I love this type of dish, I make slow cooker chicken nearly every week, (last week was your tasty beef!). So simple and tasty, easy to rustle up before work and then walk through the door at the end of the day to that yummy smell!
Do you think it would be just as good with chicken breasts?
Hi Robin – I think it would be fine with chicken breasts, I just find that chicken thighs do not get as stringy in the slow cooker and also they are way cheaper!!! : )
Can’t wait to put this in the slow cooker this week. Love the podcast. It is so encouraging to hear you ladies share how you’ve made this lifestyle work for your family.
Thanks Lezlie!
As always, thanks for the recipes. Going to try this one this week!
Looks great. Nice and simple to prepare too 🙂
Very cool recipe Sarah. Just wondering if we could omit the oil. It just seems like there is so much fat already in the thighs, it isn’t needed.
I just made the Everyday Paleo Chili Verde but with a brisket we had left over. It was a great success. I’m definitely making this again!!! Thanks for you blogs.
Hi Becky, You can omit it the oil if you like but I used skinless chicken thighs and I was actually trying to sneak in MORE fat with the coconut oil!! : )
Awesome! I was just thinking I need a crock pot recipe for this week and this is perfect. As always, thanks for sharing everything you share.
I get chicken legs and thighs from a local farmer. I’ve never de-boned them before cooking. Have you ever tried this recipe with chicken on the bone? Or, do you have any tips for de-boning the chicken? Thanks! Can’t wait for the book!!
HI Kim! I say cook them with the bone ON! When I kind find local raised chicken, that’s how it is for me too and Iike cooking it with the bone on, it gives the dish more flavor! When you cook it in the slow cooker, it will just fall off the bone.
Awesome, I have a pack of boneless chicken thighs in the fridge I was trying to figure out how to use. I was considering roasting them, but this will be much easier and sounds super tasty.
could you do this in a pressure cooker? if so, how long to cook?
Hi Kacey! Yes you can totally do this in the pressure cooker. I would start with the veggies first for 5 minutes, add the chicken thighs and go for another 7. Good luck!
Have you seen Ratatouille? In that movie there is a food critic who is cold and serious and feared by every chef in France. But when he tastes the protagonist’s ratatouille, he is suddenly taken back to being 5 yrs old in his mom’s kitchen, eating the best food ever, and it changes his whole outlook on life.
This is that recipe.
I increased the amounts of all ingredients — 3.5 lbs chicken, 5 parsnips, 5 carrots, extra garlic, etc. and I cooked it in my Les Creuset dutch oven on the stove for 4 hrs or so, but I think it turned out about the same. I also made mashed potatoes, even though I know some of the paleo community doesn’t think potatoes are proper, I disagree. (See Free The Animal)
The combo of this dish with the potatoes was the best thing I’ve eaten in I don’t know how long. Holy crap.
Hey C. August! Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it…. : ) And yes, I love the movie Ratatouille… : )
I was going to use frozen chicken thighs from Whole Foods. If I just put these in the cooker as is – frozen – would that be okay? And how would that change the cooking time? Can’t wait to try the recipe though! Thanks – A
Hi Angela,
You should be fine with that! Just might need to cook it an hour longer is all… Hope it turns out ok! : )
What a great recipe! It was my first use of coconut oil and I’m hooked. I used boneless, skinless tenders instead, so reduced the cooking time a little.
I haven’t tried a recipe of yours that I haven’t liked. I love your slow cooker recipes, they make my life so much easier!
Hey Sarah – so I used the frozen chicken thighs and it was fantastic!! I added an extra hour and it came out perfect. It was so easy to make, and as i had all the veggies pre cut up, i put it on this morning and we had it ready by dinner. Now THIS is the kind of meal crock-pots were invented to cook! And this was our first experience with a parsnip – which I now LOVE! They are sweet! Who knew?! Thanks for all your lovely recipes!
Hi Angela, I’m so glad it turned out with the frozen chicken thighs!! : )
this tasted a-maz-ing. delish! cannot wait for the cookbook to come out!
I’ve got this in the slow cooker at this moment.
My first try with the slow cooker, can’t wait!
Awesome Marye!! I hope it turns out wonderful! : )
How about using thighs with the bone and skin on? How do you think that would turn out?
Yummmmmmmmm! We had this last night and my hubby couldn’t believe it was a Paleo meal. We’ve never been disappointed by any of your recipes! I can’t wait to get your book!!
Made this last night and was amazed at the flavor. Having the rest in about two hours for lunch. Really simple prep with amazing, flavorful results. I cannot wait to try other recipes!
chicken
Hey Sarah,
This recipe looks awesome, but I do not have a crock pot. Any alternative ways to make this dish without a crock pot?
I love this recipe and have made it many times now, so thanks! When I want it like a soup, I double the liquid mixture and it comes out great that way too! I always use chicken breasts though and they come out very moist.
My husband has a crock pot website so I make lots of crock pot dishes. This one was a delicious recipe. We have been Paleo for 6 weeks now and we are so happy with how we feel. I had some mash potato on Thanksgiving but it made me feel so tired and bloated, it made me realized how good I had been feeling since I stopped eating sugars.
Thanks Sarah for all these inspiring recipes to help us enjoy eating Paleo.
This recipe is fantastic! Didn’t have any parsnips so I threw in some sweet potatoes for the last hour… my husband loved it and even my three preschoolers devoured it!
I started Paleo diet back in November for health reasons. I am a little confused…I thought root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips and potatoes were to be excluded. Did I read this information incorrectly?
This recipe is AMAZING and the kids LOVED it!!! Thanks so much!
I just made this and holy moly it was so goood!!! Just bought your book today and I can’t put it down. Thank you Sarah!
I am a single male and trying to look for easy recipes on line that don’t require too much stuff. I have some carrots, potatoes, 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, 1 chopped green onion and frozen veggies. I hope it will turn out ok. I have it on now but from reading online everything is set to 4-6 servings, I am one so I chopped the boneless chicken breast up and will add the frozen veggies later. I have it on High now. One hour or so will do it, I wonder? Any suggestions?
Well I left it on for 3 hours, it turned out to be ok. Next time I will use less potatoes or use just as much or alot more and bring some to work, heat it up.
The inside got a bit brown on the side, like not a burning brown but somewhat. Maybe it was just cooking and going well? It was easy to wash off.
I made this today in the crockpot. My poor husband had the day off and was tortured by the delicious smells all day! It turned out amazing!! We didn’t have any parsnips so I used brussel sprouts. We’re putting this into our regular rotation!
This recipe is absolutely fab – I made it the other day… perfect for this god awful British weather at the moment. I substituted the carrots as I didn’t have any and threw in some leeks instead – it. was. amazing.
Thank you!
Just wondering if I should cook this covered or uncovered? I just started it about 30 minutes ago with the lid on. It already smells awesome! Can’t wait to try it!
Covered!
I added a bunch of kale and cooked in pressure cooker for 30 min. I used chicken on the bone, so used water instead of chicken stock, and left out the oil. Delicious! Thanks for a great recipe.
Hi,
Does the broth have to cover everything?
Will everything cook evenly even if the veggies are just slightly uncovered, or should I add more broth?
I would add a bit more broth. : )
Just made this and it was really good! Should probably have saved it for a cold winter night instead of a warm spring day but it hit the spot. Had never used parsnips before and I’m sold! Thanks!
I made this tonight with boneless skinless chicken breasts and it was super tender, not stringy or tough at all. This was really tasty, very easy and will be made again. My guests loved it.
Should the sage and thyme be fresh or ground?
Fresh is best but either will work!!
A friend recommended this as one of her favorite recipes, but I tried it tonight and must have done something wrong, or maybe it just wasn’t my cup of tea (or, well, chicken). All the flavor vanished from the veggies, and it was more soupy than expected. I used bone-in thighs, so there were bones and gristly bits all over. May try one more time with breasts though, because this recipe has gotten such good feedback!
I made this last night and it was delicious! Living in Texas, my default tends to be toward spicy tex-mex dishes. This is a welcomed non-mexican food dish that also feeds into my current parsnip obsession. Thanks!
I love your blog and recipes!
I am planning on making this tonight, but my question is can I add some chicken broth in order to make it more like a soup/stew?
Thanks!
Yes, that should work just fine!!! 🙂
Wowsers! Eating my first serving out of the crockpot… This is fantastic, I never thought I liked chicken lol! I used about a third cup melted butter instead of the coconut oil, bone in thighs and whole legs, and leeks instead of parsnips. The meat is falling off the bones, it is so buttery and moist and the flavors are delish. I decided to make this recipe because it was the simplest one I found to use up my frozen chicken legs… so glad I did!!!
So glad you enjoyed it and I’ll have to try it next time with the butter, sounds amazing! Thank you!
Wow, it really is delicious! I was a little dubious because many times I have made chicken in the slow cooker and it has turned out dry. This recipe was amazing, and wholesome. I used butter instead of the coconut oil, but will have to try coconut oil too. Thank you!
So glad you liked the recipe Jen!!
Golly Sarah, what a happy surprise this meal was!! Can’t wait to prepare it next weekend, thank you so much!!!
By the way, would I be able to replace the 3 carrots with butternut squash? Lets’ say about 2 cups-cubed size butternut squash? Or a bad idea?
Yes you can absolutely sub out the carrots for butternut squash – great idea and I’m so sorry for my delayed response! Enjoy!
Like a few others i had my doubts about this recipe. The Tbsp of sage and thyme kinda freaked me out. But i need a quick and easy recipe i could throw in the crock pt over night for lunches the next day, so I ignored my doubts. I am so happy I did! I woke up to my house smelling Delicious and savory. I couldn’t help but take a quick sample as I packed lunches. I was so surprised. This dish was great and way better than I thought it would be. this will be added to my favorties list for sure. Thanks for sharing.
I did have a few changes- I didn’t have parsnips on hand and omitted them. I also didn’t have enough chicken broth and used water with a little extra salt and pepper in its place. Lastly I added minced garlic and a bay leaf.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!!! Thanks so much for letting me know!
Would you mind if I put this recipe up on Lifesum? I will give you full credit, it’s just so I can keep track of my food intake on the app.
Sure!
Hi, I’ve made this a few times now and I just wanted to comment and say how wonderful this recipe is!! It sounded like another same-old chicken recipe but it’s not. It is SOOO good! We love to eat it over mashed potato/cauliflower. The perfect comfort meal:) Thanks so much for a great meal!
Than you Heidi! So glad you enjoy it! : )
I just randomly remembered this recipe and am so glad it’s still online! I used to make it all the time a decade ago lol. Can’t wait to eat it again!