The slow cooker is truly the ultimate kitchen MVP. You set it, forget it, and come back to a meal that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.
Whether it is a cozy winter stew or a fresh summer dish, the recipes that require a slow cooker, also known as a crock pot, are always ready to make your life easy and full of flavors, no matter the season.
This is especially the case with my 10 slow cooker recipes that are sure to delight your palate as well as those of your guests.
So let’s dive into some slow-cooking magic!
Ranch Crack Chicken
I will start with one of my favorite dishes from the slow cooker. Ranch crack chicken is the ultimate slow cooker dish as it is quite simple to make and yields wonderfully flavorful results.
The combination of tender chicken, juicy bacon, and melted cream cheese is the one that will surely leave you coming for more.
This recipe requires a bit more of your precious time but the great thing about it is that you definitely don’t have to be an expert to make it.
Chicken And Dumplings
Here is yet another slow cooker recipe that incorporates chicken. Chicken is ideal for slow cooking because it makes it tender and extra delicious.
In this case, it is combined with fluffy dumplings and flavorful veggies, creating a cozy, homemade goodness, that is not just delicious but also nutritious and full of protein.
Plus, it is super easy to make!
Navy Bean And Ham Soup
Soup is one of my favorite types of dish as it can be so comforting and filling as well. I especially appreciate navy bean and ham soup because, aside from being delicious, I can use my leftover ham bone from the holiday in the best possible way.
I just put it in the slow cooker with beans and other ingredients and let this fantastic kitchen tool do its job.
The recipe is pretty simple, but results in the complicated flavor profile that is sure to satisfy.
Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
I always search for paste recipes that require cooking in a crockpot. Recently I came upon a fantastic recipe for chicken pasta made with Olive Garden dressing.
Chicken pasta cooked in a slow cooker is already something special, but when you add this American classic inspired by Italian flavors to it, you are on the top of the game.
It is the perfect combo of creaminess and bright, zesty flavors, and besides that, it is quite easy to make.
Hungarian Goulash
As the name suggests, this dish comes from one eastern European country and it is one of their most iconic dishes.
It perfectly combines tender beef, cooked veggies, and a blend of spices, and it yields the most wonderful results when it is cooked in a crockpot.
This Hungarian goulash recipe requires minimal effort to make and it is best to serve it with a few slices of bread to enjoy.
Pork Chops
I have to admit that I am a meat person, far away from being vegan or vegetarian. My favorite type of meat is definitely pork as it is quite versatile and I like it in almost every form.
However, when I want to make a culinary masterpiece from it, I always choose to cook it in a slow cooker.
The recipe for crockpot pork chops is just that — every bite is extra tender, juicy, and packed with flavor!
Poor Man’s Stew
From the name itself, you can already conclude that this dish is quite budget-friendly. Yet, that does not make it less valuable, especially less flavorful and filling.
In fact, this is the type of dish you can feed a whole family with and continue eating the whole week.
A slow cooker recipe combines tender beef, rich sauce, and nutritious veggies, and it is perfect for those colder winter months.
General Tso’s Chicken
This one is a popular Chinese-American dish known for its bold, sweet, and slightly spicy flavors.
This recipe combines pieces of chicken in a tangy sauce and a slow cooking method allows the chicken to absorb all the rich flavors of the sauce while staying juicy and tender.
Aside from being amazingly delicious, it is also quite easy to make.
Birria Tacos
This time we are heading to the south, more precisely to Mexico. Birria tacos are a classic Mexican dish that combines a rich, savory stew with tender and flavorful beef, or goat.
To take it to another level, and also minimize the cooking effort, I prefer to cook it in a slow cooker.
This slow cooker recipe keeps the authentic taste or even elevates it, while at the same time making things very simple.
Cracker Barrel Fried Apples
I decided to make the sweet ending when it comes to this list as my last crockpot recipe is not a savory dish but rather a sweet treat.
It is a homemade twist to a popular Cracker Barrel recipe for fried apples, and in my opinion, it is even better than the one from their restaurant.
Of course, one of the main reasons for that is the fact that it is made in the kitchen MVP — slow cooker!