Slow Cooker Chicken and Quinoa Dinner

Get a simple and nutritious dinner prepped with this Slow Cooker Chicken and Quinoa recipe. Throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and then enjoy your tasty meal at the end of the day. This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.

For easy meals that don’t take a lot of effort, I highly recommend using a slow cooker. “Dump-and-go” meals are the perfect solution to a busy schedule.

In today’s recipe, chicken, quinoa, veggies, and broth go into the crockpot and finish right in time for dinner! Chicken thighs stay tender and moist while the quinoa soaks up the flavorful broth. It feels like comfort food, but this slow cooker quinoa and chicken recipe is packed with nutrients and protein.

Quinoa is hailed as a superfood, and for good reason. Although it eats like a grain, it’s actually a very nutritious seed. One cup of quinoa contains 8 grams of protein plus important vitamins like manganese, magnesium, and folate. It’s also naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.

You will love this healthy crockpot chicken and quinoa dinner. It’s a great recipe to add to your weekly meal plan.

Crockpot Chicken and Quinoa Recipe Benefits

• Quinoa adds plenty of protein, carbs, and fiber to help you feel full.
• Chicken thighs stay moist in the crockpot.
• Only 20 minutes of prep time and you’re ready to go!
• Gluten-free, dairy-free, and absolutely delicious!

Ingredients

• Olive oil – Olive oil adds flavor and heart-healthy fats to this dish. You can also use avocado oil or ghee in its place.
• Quinoa – You can use any color quinoa you prefer. If you’re new to quinoa, white quinoa has a mild taste and fluffy texture. It’s a good choice if you aren’t sure how the different colors taste.
• Veggies – Onions, carrots, and celery give this dish even more nutrients and plenty of flavor.
• Garlic – You can buy a head of garlic and mince the cloves or you can buy pre-minced garlic. You can find a jar of pre-minced garlic in a small jar near the fresh ones.
• Chicken broth – Chicken broth is a star ingredient for slow cooker recipes because it imparts so much flavor. I like to buy several boxes whenever it goes on sale. It can be high in sodium so be sure to buy reduced-sodium broth. Vegetable broth works too.
• Seasoning – Never forget to season your food! Sea salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning do the trick for this chicken dish.
• Chicken thighs – Chicken thighs are dark meat that contain more fat than chicken breasts. This just means they stay moist no matter how you cook them.

Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact measurements.

Recipe Steps

Step One

In the base of your slow cooker, add the olive oil, quinoa, onion, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, broth, sea salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine.

Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.

Step Two

Place the chicken thighs on top of the vegetable and quinoa mixture, but don’t stir.

Step Three

Place the lid on the slow cooker and set the temperature to low for 8 hours.

Step Four

When the cooking time is up, remove the lid and use tongs to transfer the cooked chicken to your serving plates.

Step Five

Then, stir the vegetables and quinoa and serve them with the chicken.

Step Six

Top with parsley and enjoy!

Recipe Tips & Substitutions

• This meal is best cooked on low to give the quinoa enough time to cook through.
• Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat before serving.
• If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, leave off the chicken and use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth. Serve alongside any main dish.
• Top with parmesan cheese if you aren’t on a dairy-free diet and want even more flavor.
• You can also serve this dish with the chicken stirred into the quinoa and veggies (as opposed to separating the chicken from the quinoa and veggies). You may need to shred the chicken using two forks to help it break up as you stir it.

Recipe FAQs

More Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Might Like

• Slow Cooker Chicken Stew with Lentils and Spinach
• Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken
• Keto Crockpot Chicken Thighs with Cabbage
• Crockpot Mexican Chicken and Rice
• Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chicken Curry

Or, you can see my entire index of gluten-free Crockpot recipes.

What to Serve with Crockpot Chicken and Quinoa

Baby Romaine Salad Recipe

Easy Carrot Cucumber Salad with Sweet Vinaigrette

Food Processor Chopped Salad

Romaine Salad with Simple Vinaigrette Dressing

Slow Cooker Chicken and Quinoa Dinner

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Print Recipe

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Get a simple and nutritious dinner prepped with this Slow Cooker Chicken and Quinoa recipe. Throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and then enjoy your tasty meal at the end of the day. This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.

• Total Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1.25 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 pieces)
• Fresh chopped parsley (optional, for topping)

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Instructions

1. In the base of your slow cooker, add the olive oil, quinoa, onion, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, broth, sea salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine.
2. Place the chicken thighs on top of the vegetable and quinoa mixture, but don’t stir.
3. Place the lid on the slow cooker and set the temperature to low for 8 hours.
4. When the cooking time is up, remove the lid and use tongs to transfer the cooked chicken to your serving plates.
5. Then, stir the vegetables and quinoa and serve them with the chicken.
6. Sprinkle the parsley on top of each dish before serving, if desired.

Notes

1. This meal is best cooked on low to give the quinoa enough time to cook through.
2. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat before serving.
3. You can also serve this dish with the chicken stirred into the quinoa and veggies (as opposed to separating the chicken from the quinoa and veggies). You may need to shred the chicken using two forks to help it break up as you stir it.

 

• Author: Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 8 hours
• Category: Main dish
• Method: Crockpot
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Gluten Free

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
• Calories: 296
• Sugar: 3 g
• Sodium: 319.3 mg
• Fat: 10.6 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 16 g
• Fiber: 2.7 g
• Protein: 32.9 g
• Cholesterol: 140.1 mg

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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. She is a top wellness and food blogger with nearly 10 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.