MENUMENU
  • Home
  • Cookbook
  • Find Recipes
    • Course
      • Appetizers
      • Beverages
      • Breads
      • Breakfast
      • Canning
      • Desserts
      • Dips
      • Entrees
      • Freezer Meals
      • Sauces
      • Seasoning Mixes
      • Side Dishes
      • Soups, Stews and Chili
    • Cuisines
      • American
      • Asian
      • French
      • German
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Indonesian
      • Irish
      • Italian
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • Polish
      • Russian
      • Scottish
      • Swedish
    • Crock-Pot Size
      • 2.5 Quart
      • 3 Quart
      • 3.5 Quart
      • 4 Quart
      • 4.5 Quart
      • 5 Quart
      • 5.5 Quart
      • 6 Quart
      • 6.5 Quart
      • 7 Quart
    • Special Diets
      • Gluten Free
      • High Fiber
      • Low Calorie
      • Low Carb
      • Low Cholesterol
      • Low Fat
      • Low Sodium
      • Low Sugar
      • Paleo
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Weight Watchers
    • Meats
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Ground Beef
      • Pork
      • Pork Chops
      • Seafood
    • Holidays & Seasons
      • Valentine's Day
      • St. Patrick's Day
      • Spring
      • Easter
      • Cinco de Mayo
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Thanksgiving
      • Winter
      • Christmas
  • Store
    • Crock-Pot Meal Plans
    • Printable Labels
    • Product Search
    • Shopping Cart
    • My Account
  • Videos
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdffxCoXRhQ
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elUZySBgmmU
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQKMGdxe0YY
    • More Videos

Crock-Pot Ladies

Easy slow cooker recipes for the busy lady

You are here: Home / Recipes / Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken

Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken

Written by: Crock-Pot Ladies 24 Comments

4.9Kshares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Print Recipe - Jump to Recipe
Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken - An easy and scrumptious recipe for Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken that is sure to be a hit with the family. The chicken comes out so moist and tender! | via CrockPotLadies.com

An easy and scrumptious recipe for Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken that is sure to be a hit with the family. The chicken comes out so moist and tender!

Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken

PIN THIS RECIPE

Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken

This week for some reason my 10 year old son Parker was being pretty darn picky in what he was going to eat. Normally my kids are not picky eaters and we don’t really force the issue. My husband and I cook dinner and they can love it or leave it (but they have to at least try it).

Everyday I give my family two options for dinner. Take it, or leave it.

But it seems like everything we put on the dinner table this week was not something Parker wanted to eat. So I asked him what he wanted to eat in the hopes that I could find something to make him happy and get the kid to eat dinner and he asked for chicken legs.

He had no requests on how he wanted the chicken legs cooked so I got busy working on a new recipe and this is what I came up with.

This recipe for slow cooker lemon chicken is a pretty easy recipe however there is a bit of an extra step involved and that is browning the chicken before adding it to the crock-pot. It only takes about 15 minutes but it gives the dish some really great flavor. You can use any chicken parts you like in this recipe, however chicken breasts can tend to dry out a bit in the slow cooker if you over cook them. But because this recipe is cooked for a shorter time period you have less chance of that.

Like I said, we used legs and they came out super moist. The kids, who don’t seem to mind getting messy ate their with their hands but us civilized adults ate our chicken with a fork.

We served this with some rice pilaf and sauteed green beans.

And let me just say…the sauce from the chicken is amazing when spooned into the rice pilaf!  😉

I hope you enjoy!

Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken

PIN THIS RECIPE

Special Diets
Low Sugar

Recipe Collections:

Chicken Crock-Pot Recipes Kid Friendly Slow Cooker Recipes
Reader’s Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes Summer Crock-Pot Recipes
Entree Crock-Pot Recipes American Slow Cooker Recipe
Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken - An easy and scrumptious recipe for Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken that is sure to be a hit with the family. The chicken comes out so moist and tender! | via CrockPotLadies.com
Print Recipe
Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken Recipe
This delicious recipe is quite the dish. Bright with the flavors of lemon, yet the meat is tender and juicy.
Print Recipe
Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken Recipe
This delicious recipe is quite the dish. Bright with the flavors of lemon, yet the meat is tender and juicy.
Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken - An easy and scrumptious recipe for Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken that is sure to be a hit with the family. The chicken comes out so moist and tender! | via CrockPotLadies.com
Rating
Votes: 8
Rating: 4.13
You:
Rate this recipe!
Servings 12Servings
Prep Time 30Minutes
Cook Time 3 - 4Hours
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 5 - 6 tablespoons Vegetable Oil divided
  • 5 - 6 pounds Chicken Pieces
  • 12 ounces Frozen Lemonade Concentrate thawed
  • 3 tablespoons Brown Sugar light or dark
  • 1/4 cup Ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Cold Water
  • 2 tablespoons Corn Starch
Servings: Servings
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 5 - 6 tablespoons Vegetable Oil divided
  • 5 - 6 pounds Chicken Pieces
  • 12 ounces Frozen Lemonade Concentrate thawed
  • 3 tablespoons Brown Sugar light or dark
  • 1/4 cup Ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Cold Water
  • 2 tablespoons Corn Starch
Servings: Servings
Rating
Votes: 8
Rating: 4.13
You:
Rate this recipe!
Servings 12Servings
Prep Time 30Minutes
Cook Time 3 - 4Hours
Instructions
  1. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt & pepper. Lightly dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture and set aside.
  2. Pour 3 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan set over medium-high heat.
  3. Brown half of your chicken pieces in hot oil, being careful not to over crowd the pan.
  4. Continue until all the pieces are nicely browned on all sides, adding more oil as needed.
  5. Place chicken in a 6 quart or larger Crock-Pot.
  6. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the thawed lemonade concentrate, brown sugar, ketchup and vinegar and pour over chicken.
  7. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
  8. Remove chicken from slow cooker and place on a plate. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
  9. In a small bowl combine the 2 cold water and cornstarch and mix well.
  10. Stir cornstarch mixture into the cooking liquids in the Crock-Pot until well mixed.
  11. Cover and cook the liquid until the sauce is bubbly and has thickened.
  12. Spoon sauce over chicken to serve.
Recipe Notes

While most slow cooker recipes can be cooked on either LOW or HIGH heat with an adjustment of cooking time. That is not recommended for this recipe. Longer cooking times with chicken often dry out the meat. A shorter cooking time at a higher heat with a recipe that has some sauce is it is a reliable way to prepare chicken in the slowcooker.

Nutrition Information
Calories: 723kcal, Total Fat: 38g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 204mg, Sodium: 1082mg, Potassium: 552mg, Carbohydrates: 34g, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 6g, Protein: 60g, Vitamin A: 12%, Vitamin C: 11%, Calcium: 0.3%, Iron: 15%
If you like this recipe or find it useful, it would be lovely if you would consider leaving a nice 4 or 5 star rating. Rating is done by clicking on the stars above.
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe
4.9Kshares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Entrees, Readers' Favorite Recipes, Summer Recipes Tagged With: All-Purpose Flour, Apple Cider Vinegar, Brown Sugar, Chicken, Chicken Drumsticks, Chicken Legs, Chicken Thighs, Corn Starch, Flour, Ketchup, Kid Friendly, Lemonade Concentrate, Low Sugar, Oil, Pepper, Salt, Vinegar

Get Slow Cooker Recipes!

Comments

  1. Warwick says

    January 12, 2014 at 3:48 PM

    Love the idea of this one but I have a couple of questions..
    1) Living in Australia I have no idea what frozen lemonade concentrate is 🙁 To me lemonade is a fizzy drink (soda pop ?) can you describe what you men by this and assuming I can’t get it here – any alternatives ?

    2) I’m not sure my slow cooker (low/high settings) would ever get to the hot bubbly stage – point 11 – (never tried it like that) I suppose it could be transferred to a conventional pad to reduce ?

    Thanks tho for a great idea 🙂

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      January 12, 2014 at 4:23 PM

      Hi Warwick,

      Here in the states Lemonade is basically lemonade, juice and sugar (my tried and true recipe if you ever want to try it – 1 part lemon juice + 1 part sugar + 4 parts water) and it is served over ice.

      Frozen lemonade concentrate is sold here in the frozen juice section like frozen orange juice concentrate. And you just add water to it. I am not 100% sure however what the measurements would be to make your own. But I am thinking (worth a try 1/2 sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice and heat until the sugar is dissolved.

      If your slow cooker would not get the hot bubbly stage on HIGH heat then of course you can thicken up the sauce in a pan on the stove. I usually do this myself since it just seems to go faster and I am in a hurry to get dinner on the table and feed my hungry crew.

      Reply
  2. Aussie in Kentucky says

    January 12, 2014 at 5:11 PM

    Dear Warwick

    Lemonade in the States is close to Lemon Juice Drink in Australia. It’s sweetened but it definitely doesn’t fizz. In Coles and Woolies I used to be able to buy bottled ready to drink Lemon Juice. In South Australia the brand was Nippy’s, and in Western Australia I think it was called Country Time or something like that.

    Hope it helps you find it premade.

    Reply
  3. kim says

    January 12, 2014 at 5:55 PM

    HI – I don`t have Lemonade Concentrate in the freezer but I have Limeade – do you think I could use it as a substitute in this recipe
    Thanks Kim

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      January 16, 2014 at 9:26 AM

      I think it would work just fine Kim, actually that sounds pretty darn good! Let us know how it turns out for you!

      Reply
  4. Tracey says

    January 12, 2014 at 6:06 PM

    Hi Heidi! Can’t wait to try this! Just a quick question- can I use boneless chicken breasts? If so, how much should I use?

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      January 16, 2014 at 9:25 AM

      Hi Tracey, you can use boneless chicken breast. I the recipe calls for 5-6 lbs of chicken (whatever cut you like). Keep in mind that boneless/skinless chicken has the tendency to dry out or get a weird texture when cooked too long. This recipe has a shorter cooking time than most slow cooker recipes, so you should be fine.

      Reply
  5. Terry says

    January 12, 2014 at 8:13 PM

    Yummy!

    Reply
  6. Ellie says

    January 12, 2014 at 8:44 PM

    Do you think this will freeze well? 5-6lbs feels like a lot of chicken.

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      January 16, 2014 at 9:24 AM

      I have not frozen it myself, but I don’t see why it would not freeze OK. There is quite a bit of sauce in this recipe and I think that would prevent your chicken from drying out. Of course if 5-6 lbs of chicken is too much you could always half the recipe too.

      Reply
  7. Stephanie says

    January 12, 2014 at 9:21 PM

    Hi Heidi, This recipe sounds good! I tried a lemon chicken recipe a few weeks ago, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. It involved covering the chicken with lemon slices and adding garlic and other spices, but to me it tasted like chicken with lemon juice on it. I have been looking for a recipe that is more “saucy” and yours seems to fit the bill. Think I will try it out next weekend! Thanks!

    Reply
  8. HeyMrsB says

    January 13, 2014 at 10:48 AM

    This recipe sounds great. I have a question though: “Does it really require 5-6 lbs of chicken?”

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      January 16, 2014 at 9:22 AM

      I am sure you can use whatever amount of chicken you want. I had a family pack of chicken legs and the package was something like 5.4 lbs. So that is what I based it on. If you do less chicken you may find a lot of leftover sauce and not a lot of chicken. You could just cut the recipe in half though for smaller amounts.

      Reply
  9. Lisa Matelle says

    January 14, 2014 at 8:21 PM

    This recipe was amazing. I used skinless chicken thighs, & everyone in my house enjoyed it! Thank you.

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      January 16, 2014 at 9:21 AM

      I am so happy to hear that your family enjoyed it Lisa!

      Reply
  10. dory says

    January 15, 2014 at 7:58 AM

    Hi Heidi, Is there a way to do this Gluten Free? I can skip the dredging part right? Do you think it will taste the same? Thanks

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      January 16, 2014 at 9:20 AM

      Hi Dory,

      For gluten-free you could either substitute a GF flour (I hear there are some pretty amazing brands on the market these days) or just omit the dredging and just brown your seasoned chicken without the flour. I am sure it would still taste amazing!

      Reply
  11. Kay says

    September 19, 2014 at 8:37 AM

    Brown the chicken? But not cook through?
    How long? I’ve made this several times, but with chicken breasts. I think I’ve over cooked, or chicken is just dry. Going to try legs now. Thank you!
    Kay

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      September 20, 2014 at 8:32 AM

      Yes you want to brown the skin on the chicken but not really cook it all the way. I would say about 3 minues on each side. Just until the it gets browned.

      As far as dark meat vs white meat, the dark meat is less likely to get dried out in the slow cooker.

      Reply
  12. Kay says

    September 20, 2014 at 11:00 AM

    Thank you! My kids looooove your recipe!!! I’m making it tonight!
    Kay

    Reply
  13. Brenda Dunne says

    November 1, 2015 at 4:39 PM

    Hello. Here in Ireland we do not have frozen lemonade concentrate. We have lime cordial. Do you think this would be suitable? If I use chicken thighs would I be able to cook it on the low setting.

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      November 3, 2015 at 10:49 AM

      Hi Brenda,

      I looked up on Google to see what Lime Cordial was as I don’t think I have ever seen that sold here. By the looks of it I don’t think that would make a very good substitution for the frozen lemonade concentrate in this recipe. However you can make your own homemade lemonade concetrate which is really just sugar, water and lemon juice that you make into a syrup. You can find a good recipe for it over on JustAPinch.com

      I think that would work just lovely if the store bought frozen kind is not available where you live. It is so tricky with ingredients sometimes for our readers outside of the US. But also very educational to learn what common food stuff we have here in the US that people in other countries do not have or are different.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken recipe says:
    January 20, 2014 at 2:02 PM

    […] Get the recipe here: https://crockpotladies.com/recipe-categories/entrees/crockpot-lemon-chicken/ […]

    Reply
  2. Slow Cooker Recipe Roundup | Making Lemonade says:
    January 22, 2014 at 6:47 AM

    […] Source: Crock Pot Ladies […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Get Your Cookbook!

The Crock-Pot Ladies Big Book of Slow Cooker Dinners

The Crock-Pot Ladies Big Book Of Slow Cooker Dinners

More Than 300 Fabulous and Fuss-Free Recipes for Families on the Go

Buy Your Copy Now!

Subscribe For Recipes!

Follow Us!

Follow Us!

  • Join 1.4M+ followers on Facebook
  • Join 274K+ followers on Instagram
  • Join 171K+ followers on Pinterest
  • Join 4K+ followers on Twitter
  • Join 1200+ followers on YouTube

Recent Comments

  • Emilee @ CrockPotLadies on Crock-Pot Chicken Divan
  • Emilee @ CrockPotLadies on Crock-Pot Potato & Kielbasa Chowder + Video
  • Emilee @ CrockPotLadies on Crock-Pot Homemade Dog Food
  • Emilee @ CrockPotLadies on Crock-Pot Hot Fudge Brownies
  • Heather on Crock-Pot Chicken Divan

Recipe Search







© 2021 · CrockPotLadies.com
Crock-Pot Ladies is in no way associated with the Rival Crock-Pot brand of slow cookers. However we really love them!
About | FAQ | Privacy Policy | Comment Policy | Disclosure Policy | Advertising