ground chicken crockpot recipes
I love Chicken breast, but sometimes I just want to whip up an even easier dinner.
Enter ground chicken…
Healthier and more affordable than most chicken recipes.
So if you’re on the hunt for mouthwatering, low-calorie crockpot ground chicken recipes that practically cook themselves…
And wondering what could be easier than chicken breasts, this is the place to be!
These easy ground chicken recipes will quickly transform the pound of meat in your fridge into something flavorful and satisfying.
Whole30 Buffalo Chicken Meatballs That Taste Way Too Good To Be “Clean Eating”
Image from Mary’s Whole Life
Okay so you know how most Whole30 ground chicken crockpot recipes taste like you’re being punished for trying to eat better?
These are not that.
The base is just ground chicken, almond flour, egg, and a few spices you already have in that cabinet you never organize.
Five minutes of prep and then your slow cooker does the rest for about two hours.
They come out with this tender, almost pillowy texture that honestly has no business being dairy free.
The buffalo sauce coats em real nice too, not drowning but like… properly sauced if that makes sense.
Nearly a perfect 5 out of 5 rating from people who’ve actually made these which tells you something.
Throw em over some cauliflower rice if you’re staying strict, or pile em on slider buns if you’re just here for the flavor.
Batch prep these on a Sunday and your future self will literally thank you by Wednesday.
Smoky Parmesan Buffalo Meatballs Your Slow Cooker Was Made For
Image from Averie Cooks
If you’re feeding a crowd and need something that looks like you tried way harder than you did, bookmark this one right now.
Thirty meatballs.
From one batch.
The panko and parmesan in these give them this crispy edge thing going on that the almond flour version just cant replicate.
And then theres the smoked paprika which honestly takes the whole flavor profile up a few notches without you doing any extra work.
You mix everything together, roll em out, toss em in the crockpot with buffalo sauce and walk away for two hours.
That’s it.
These are the kind of ground chicken crockpot recipes you bring to game day and then everyone’s texting you the next morning asking for the recipe.
I’m not even exaggerating, the comments section on this one is wild with people saying they’ve made it multiple times already.
Serve em with ranch or blue cheese on the side and just watch em disappear.
Grape Jelly BBQ Meatballs That Sound Weird But Trust Me On This
Image from Life is but a Dish
Yeah I know what you’re thinking.
Grape jelly and BBQ sauce on meatballs sounds like something a toddler invented.
But this combo has been a potluck secret weapon for years and once you try it you’ll get why people won’t shut up about it.
The jelly melts down into the BBQ sauce and creates this sweet, tangy, sticky glaze situation that is honestly kinda addictive.
This recipe makes about 60 mini meatballs which sounds insane til you realize how fast they go at any gathering.
The meatball itself is super simple, ground chicken with breadcrumbs, an egg, and basic seasonings.
Nothing fancy there.
But that sauce though.
It does all the heavy lifting and turns something basic into something people fight over.
Almost a perfect score from everyone whos made it and honestly I’m not surprised.
These are the ground chicken crockpot recipes your grandma probably knew about but never told you because she wanted all the credit at the family reunion.
Hawaiian Chicken Meatballs With That Sweet Sriracha Kick You Didn’t Know You Needed
Image from Jeanie and Lulu’s Kitchen
Ever have one of those nights where you want something that feels like a vacation but you’re standing in your kitchen in sweatpants?
This is that recipe.
The Hawaiian sauce on these meatballs hits this perfect spot between sweet and spicy because theres sriracha AND worcestershire in the mix.
Which sounds like a lot going on but it works, I promise.
The smoked paprika in the actual meatball gives it this warm, almost smoky undertone that pairs so good with the pineapple sweetness.
Fifteen minutes to get everything prepped and then the crockpot babysits it for four hours.
Serve these over rice and you’ve got a full dinner that tastes like you spent way more effort on it than you actually did.
Or pile em on toothpicks for a party appetizer situation, they work both ways.
Real talk, this is one of those ground chicken crockpot recipes that makes you wonder why you ever bothered with beef meatballs in the first place.
The Crockpot Buffalo Meatballs With 71 Reviews And A Blue Cheese Situation
Image from Jo Cooks
So this ones been around for a while and theres a reason it has over 70 reviews.
The green onions mixed into the actual meatball is a small detail that makes a big difference.
Gives it this fresh, almost bright flavor that cuts through all that buffalo heat.
And can we talk about the blue cheese dressing pairing for a second?
Because whoever decided buffalo chicken meatballs needed a cool, creamy blue cheese drizzle on top understood the assignment.
The meatballs themselves are nothing complicated, ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, and seasonings you probably already own.
About two hours in the slow cooker and you’re done.
These work as appetizers, as a lunch thing over salad, or honestly just standing at the counter eating them straight out the crockpot.
No judgment.
When it comes to ground chicken crockpot recipes that have actually been tested by a ton of real people, this one’s got the receipts to back it up.
Okay so ground chicken is honestly one of those ingredients that people sleep on way too hard.
It’s leaner than beef, cheaper than turkey, and when you throw it in the crockpot with the right stuff it goes absolutely crazy.
I put together this whole list of dump and go crockpot chicken dinners because some nights you just do not have the bandwidth to stand over a stove, you know?
These ground chicken crockpot recipes run the whole range — spicy, saucy, comforting, Italian, buffalo, teriyaki, you name it.
Let’s get into it.
These Honey BBQ Meatballs Are What Potluck Dreams Are Made Of
Image via Slow Cooker Gourmet
You know that one dish that disappears first at every single gathering and everyone’s hovering by the crockpot?
Yeah, this is that dish.
Ground chicken gets mixed with oats, egg, and a little milk — which sounds weird but it basically just makes the meatballs hold together without being dense.
Then you coat em in this honey BBQ situation that’s sweet and smoky and kinda sticky in the best way.
The slow cooker does the heavy lifting for about 6 hours so you can genuinely forget about it til it’s done.
Serve em on rice, in buns, or just straight from the pot with toothpicks — no judgment here.
These are right at home in any roundup of dump and go crockpot dinners because the prep is like 15 minutes and the payoff is ridiculous.
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs That Taste Like Game Day But Way Less Chaos
Image via Monday is Meatloaf
Ranch dressing in the actual meatball mix — not just as a dip on the side but inside the thing itself.
I know.
That’s the move.
The ground chicken base gets seasoned with onion powder, garlic powder, and a little ranch, then it goes into the crockpot for two hours which is honestly so short for a slow cooker recipe.
You end up with these tender little buffalo meatballs that have that tangy heat going on and the ranch cools it down just enough.
Throw em over rice or stuff em in hoagie rolls with a little blue cheese crumble on top.
Five stars from everyone who tried em, and honestly not surprised.
The Budget Friendly Buffalo Meatball That Goes Hard on Flavor
Image via Eating on a Dime
If you’ve ever thought buffalo chicken meatballs sound expensive or complicated — this one is gonna change your whole mind.
Eating on a Dime keeps it real with ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, celery, onion, and garlic, and the celery in there is honestly a vibe because it adds this little crunch and freshness that you don’t expect.
Four hours in the crockpot, coated in buffalo sauce, done.
Works as a main over rice or as an appetizer situation when you’ve got people coming over.
This is one of those recipes that lives on my list of easy chicken recipes with few ingredients because the ingredient list is short but the flavor is not.
Tuscan Chicken Meatballs and Gnocchi That Feel Like a Whole Vacation
Image via Little Sunny Kitchen
Okay this one hits different.
Like genuinely sit down before you look at this recipe.
Ground chicken meatballs packed with sun dried tomatoes, parmesan, and Italian seasoning, slow cooked in this creamy Tuscan sauce, and then you add gnocchi at the end so it soaks everything up.
It’s the kind of dinner that makes your kitchen smell so good you feel almost guilty about how easy it was to make.
Two and a half hours total, serves 6, and rated a perfect 5 from everyone who made it.
This is what I think about when I think about dump and go crockpot pasta dinners done right.
Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs Over Creamy Orzo and Yes It’s As Good As It Sounds
Image via Half Baked Harvest
Almost 700 ratings at 4.4 stars — Half Baked Harvest does not miss and this recipe is proof.
Ground chicken or turkey gets mixed with Dijon, parmesan, and Italian seasoning, then you throw in a whole head of garlic with the top cut off and just let the crockpot do its thing for four hours.
The garlic basically melts into everything and becomes this mellow, buttery, almost sweet flavor that you cannot get any other way.
The orzo goes in near the end and comes out creamy and rich without being heavy.
Honestly this one deserves its own category in easy creamy crockpot chicken recipes because it just does so much.
A Slow Cooker Chicken Chili That’s Been Making Weeknight Dinners Easier for Years
Image via Just a Taste
Some recipes just have that comfort thing locked in and this chili is one of them.
Ground chicken, two kinds of beans, bell pepper, onion, and garlic all go in together and slow cook for 8 hours so by the time dinner rolls around the spices have fully melded into each other and the whole thing tastes like it sat on the stove all day.
Which it basically did, just without you having to watch it.
Top it with sour cream, shredded cheese, maybe some cornbread on the side — you’re set.
This is the kind of recipe you wanna bookmark under dump and go crockpot soups for the colder months.
Ground Chicken Chili for When You Barely Have Ten Minutes to Spare
Image via The Lazy Slow Cooker
The name says lazy and I respect the honesty so much.
Ten minutes of prep — diced tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, onion, green chilies, and your ground chicken all go in at once.
No browning, no sautéing, no fussing around.
Eight hours later you’ve got this thick, hearty chili that tastes like way more effort than it was.
This is the ground chicken crockpot recipe for the days when life is a lot and dinner just needs to happen.
Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes That Are Messy in All the Right Ways
Image via Life With The Crust Cut Off
Sloppy joes but make em spicy, give em a buffalo kick, and let the crockpot handle everything for five hours.
Ground chicken, celery, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, and buffalo wing sauce all cook down together into this saucy, tangy filling that is honestly better than any sloppy joe mix out of a can by a mile.
Scoop it onto toasted buns with some ranch drizzle and maybe a little shredded cheese on top.
Makes 8 servings so it’s solid for feeding a crowd or just having leftovers for lunch the next two days.
This one fits right in with dump and go crockpot dinners for kids too because buffalo sauce is totally adjustable on the heat level.
Chicken Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes Are the Mashup Nobody Knew They Needed
Image via Nourish Plate
Okay hear me out — Philly cheesesteak flavors but in a sloppy joe format and made with ground chicken.
It actually works so well.
Ground chicken gets browned first, then goes into the crockpot with yellow onion, green bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and chicken stock thickened up with cornstarch.
Four hours later you pile it onto hoagie rolls and melt provolone on top and honestly it kind of tastes like the real thing in the best way.
18 five star ratings and people are really out here not sleeping on this one like they should.
Buffalo Chicken Chili That Hits Like Your Favorite Hot Wings But In a Bowl
Image via The Magical Slow Cooker
Frank’s Red Hot, fire roasted tomatoes, ground chicken, and green bell pepper all slow cooking together for about five hours.
That’s it.
That’s the whole vibe.
It’s got that buffalo heat but it’s also hearty like a real chili so it fills you up in a way that wings alone never do.
Top it with some blue cheese crumbles and sliced green onions and you’ve got a bowl that feels like a whole personality.
This is one of the ground chicken crockpot recipes I keep coming back to when I want something spicy but not complicated, and it plays really well with other recipes on my list of slow cooker soups.
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili That’s Paleo and Still Somehow This Good
Image via Skinnytaste
Jalapeno popper flavors — creamy, spicy, a little smoky — turned into an actual chili that’s also paleo.
Ground chicken and beef together with sweet potato, jalapeños, red bell pepper, and smoked paprika and this thing builds this layered heat that sneaks up on you in the best way.
The sweet potato adds this subtle sweetness that balances the jalapeño and I honestly wasn’t expecting to love that combo as much as I do.
Almost 60 ratings sitting at 4.7 stars, which says everything.
If you’re keeping things grain free this fits right in with low carb dump and go crockpot dinners.
The Tuscan Meatball and Gnocchi Situation You’ll Want on Repeat Every Week
Image via Supergolden Bakes
Another Tuscan meatball version and I promise it’s different enough to include because the Supergolden Bakes take adds fresh basil leaves directly into the meatball mix itself.
Sun dried tomatoes, garlic, Italian herbs, egg — all mashed into ground chicken or turkey and formed into meatballs that go into the slow cooker for almost four hours.
The sauce gets this deep, slow-cooked richness and the gnocchi soaks it all up by the time you’re ready to eat.
10 minutes of prep and it looks like you cooked all afternoon.
That’s the kind of ground chicken crockpot recipe I’m always here for.
Firecracker Meatballs That Are Sweet and Spicy and a Little Addictive
Image via Butter Your Biscuit
Buffalo sauce plus brown sugar plus soy sauce plus apple cider vinegar all going into one crockpot together.
It sounds like a lot but it creates this sticky, tangy, sweet heat that coats every single meatball and makes it really hard to stop eating em.
You get 32 meatballs out of this recipe which is lowkey amazing because that’s either a giant dinner for a group or like three meal prep lunches over rice.
Four hours on low and the whole thing is done.
Fair warning — these go fast.
Honey Garlic Chicken Meatballs With an Asian Inspired Sauce That Goes Over Everything
Image via Slimming Eats
Honey, passata, soy sauce, garlic, fresh ginger, and a little chili — that sauce alone is something I would put on everything.
The ground chicken meatballs soak in it for over six hours so by the time dinner’s ready they’re just completely saturated with this sweet, savory, slightly spicy flavor.
You can serve em over rice, noodles, steamed veggies — honestly even just with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Slimming Eats keeps things lighter without sacrificing any of the flavor and this one is a perfect example of that.
Great addition to the lineup if you’re also looking through gluten free crockpot dinners — just swap the soy for tamari and you’re good.
Delish’s Buffalo Chicken Meatballs That Are Basically a Party Appetizer Dressed Up as Dinner
Image via Delish
Ten minutes of prep, two and a half hours in the crockpot, and you’ve got buffalo chicken meatballs that could genuinely be the highlight of any gathering.
Delish goes with ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, chives, a pinch of cayenne, and melted butter to finish everything off and that butter situation at the end makes the sauce cling in a way that is so good.
Garnish with extra chives and serve em with toothpicks or pile em on a plate — either way people are gonna be circling back for more.
These are one of those appetizers that secretly also work as dinner if you just throw em over rice and call it a night.
A Five Minute Prep Tuscan Meatball Recipe That Tastes Like You Actually Tried
Image via Buns In My Oven
Five minutes of prep.
Five.
Baby spinach, sun dried tomatoes, parmesan, garlic, Italian seasoning, and ground chicken all get mixed together and formed into meatballs and that’s genuinely all the work you’re doing.
The crockpot takes it from there for about three and a half hours and by the time the gnocchi goes in at the end the whole pot is this creamy, dreamy, Italian inspired thing that looks way more restaurant than weeknight.
This is one of those ground chicken crockpot recipes that makes you feel like you have your life together even when you absolutely do not.
Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs With Ginger and Cilantro for That Extra Something
Image via A Duck’s Oven
Grated ginger and chopped cilantro inside the actual meatball — not just in the sauce but in the meat itself — and that detail makes all the difference.
The ground chicken gets mixed with breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, and those aromatics, then goes into the crockpot coated in teriyaki sauce for five hours.
You end up with these tender, fragrant meatballs that have this warm herby thing going on underneath the sweet teriyaki glaze.
Serve em over jasmine rice with sesame seeds and sliced green onions and honestly it feels like takeout but cheaper and somehow better.
This is a solid one to keep in your back pocket alongside other easy crockpot chicken recipes for when you want something a little different from the usual rotation.
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs That Do the Most in the Slow Cooker
Image via Valerie’s Kitchen
Chicken parm energy without the frying, without the breading station, without any of the mess.
Ground chicken gets mixed with Italian panko, finely grated parmesan, grated onion, garlic, dried parsley, and basil — so the flavor is already built in before it even touches the slow cooker.
Six hours on low in a good marinara and the meatballs get so tender they practically melt.
Pile em over spaghetti, stuff em in hoagies, or serve em straight with a ton of extra parm on top.
18 five star ratings from the readers over at Valerie’s Kitchen and honestly you can taste why.
This is the kind of ground chicken crockpot recipe that wraps up a whole list perfectly — cozy, reliable, crowd pleasing every single time.
