Who doesn't love fried chicken?
When you grow up in the South, chances are pretty good that Momma’s fried chicken made its way to your dinner table on a regular basis. If you miss the crispy, tender flavors of your youth (but, you don’t miss all of the greasy fat and calories), you’ll love our slow cooker fried chicken recipe. It won’t wreak havoc on your healthy eating plan but it still captures all the yummy flavors you love about fried chicken.
Best of all, because we’re using a crock pot, this slow cooker fried chicken recipe is easy and convenient! You’ll be amazed at how the chicken gets so crispy in a slow cooker. I was skeptical at first, I’ll admit, but then I gave the recipe a try. Now, I’m completely hooked! Not only was it super easy to throw together, but the chicken turned out super crispy and delicious, too.
You better believe this healthier version of slow cooker friend chicken recipe will be a regular appearance at my family dinner table. I can’t wait to bring this to summer picnics and backyard barbecues, too. And, now that we added this incredible Asian dipping sauce, I’m even more stoked to share it with my friends and family.
New And Improved: The Optional Asian Dipping Sauce
We’re always looking for ways to update our Skinny Ms recipes. I must say, this time we nailed it with this additional Asian inspired sauce. Even though slow cooker fried chicken is a Southern classic, you’ll find a lot of Asian-style fried dishes, too. In Japan, they call it katsu and it’s almost always served with a sauce like this.
Adding an Asian-style sauce to your favorite fried chicken is the perfect way to switch up your normal routine. If you’re bold enough to give the sauce a try, you can use it in one of two ways. Either, drizzle it over the chicken or use it as a dip. It works well either way, so give it a go both ways. You certainly won’t be disappointed!
Slow Cooker Fried Chicken
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Fried Chicken
- 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
- 1 egg white
- 1/3 cup buttermilk reduced-fat
- 1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour
- 3/4 cup whole-wheat Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher or sea salt to taste
Asian Dipping Sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons shallots minced
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons hot chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
Slow Cooker Fried Chicken
- Lightly spray slow cooker with olive oil spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg white and buttermilk. Add spices to flour in another bowl for dredging chicken. Add panko crumbs to a shallow dish and spread out for coating.
- Dip filets, one at a time, into the egg mixture and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge each filet into flour mixture and dip again into egg mixture. Coat filets with panko crumbs and press crumbs onto chicken. Complete this process for each filet.
- Mist each filet, on both sides, with Olive Cooking spray and place side by side in the slow cooker. Lightly sprinkle the top of each filet with freshly ground black pepper. Cover and cook on high 2-1/2 hours or until they have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove the lid and allow to continue cooking for 10 minutes. Removing the lid helps the chicken get crunchier.
Asian Dipping Sauce (optional)
- Sauté garlic and shallots in oil, cook just until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer 3 minutes. That's it!
Nutrition Information
Have you made this recipe?
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Last updated June 27, 2018
Can I use chicken wings or drumsticks?
Kayla, Yes, whatever pieces you like.:)
My chicken was not crunchy nor browned. I put it in the oven to get that effect, but didn't help the bottom where the bread crumbs remained wet and soggy. What did I do wrong?
Did you use flour and panko bread crumbs and remove the lid? Some slow cookers make more steam than others.
Why do you dip in egg, then dredge in flour, and egg again? I've always been under the impression that dredging is to help with moisture. I always dredge, then dip in egg, and follow with bread crumbs. What does the first dip in the egg do for this recipe?
Kathy, Dipping in the egg first helps the first coating of flour stick. If the cutlets are wet you can skip the first egg dip.
what is 165 on a slow cooker, low or high?
Lynn, 165 degrees F is the low setting on a slow cooker.
Tried this as shown but sadly nobody in my family enjoyed this at all. 🙁
Can I use light cream and white flour instead of buttermilk and whole wheat flour? Would the amounts need to be adjusted? Thanks.
Keep the amounts the same, no need for adjustments. 🙂
Dairy free option?
Debi, In this case, I would use almond milk.
Is the nutritional info including the sauce?
Kim, The sauce is optional and not included in the nutritional data. If you make the sauce, drizzling a tablespoon over the chicken wouldn’t change the data very much at all.
Is OK to use regular Panko crumbs versus whole wheat ones?
Yes – regular Panko will work just fine!
Kind of a dud. 3 hours in slow cooker and still raw and goopy. Ended up putting it in a high heat oven on a rack for 30 minutes to cook the chicken to temp and to brown the crust. After that it tasted fine, but dinner was an hour later than anticipated.
Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out for you! Glad you were able to find a solution to make this recipe fit your preference!