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Crockpot Pumpkin Beer Braised Chicken – with buttery onions and creamy homemade mashed potatoes too! You guys – this is a GOOD recipe! Slow-cooked chicken with fresh herbs and buttery onions. All braised in pumpkin beer and apple cider for even more flavor and the yummiest gravy! If there’s one comforting fall and winter meal you must make, it’s this chicken pot roast. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes that are cooked right along with the chicken! This is a one-pot chicken and potato dinner that’s comforting, flavorful, and so delicious. It’s a quintessential family dinner for a cold night in. Time to cozy up!
I’ve been holding onto this recipe for too long. It’s so special and delicious. I’ve been waiting until our fall days really settled in before sharing this!
And after spending time in Chicago this past weekend, where the changing leaves and mild temperatures made for ideal fall weather, I now know it’s time!
Everyone is ready to enter cozy fall and holiday mode, and I’m right there with you all! In fact, I feel like I’m three steps ahead, which is honestly great! The fall and holiday season is always the busiest, so I’m really trying to get us all prepped and ready to go with easy dinners and great recipes for entertaining!
This brings me to today’s recipe: pot roast chicken made easily in the crockpot! I adore this recipe, and when I get home from traveling this week, I’m definitely making it for my family!
If you love a traditional pot roast, this is very similar. I swapped the beef roast for chicken breasts and thighs and braised them slowly in my favorite seasonal pumpkin beer and cider.
The flavor and tenderness are perfect! While I adore a classic pot roast, the chicken feels a little lighter and simpler for weeknight dinners!
Ok, here are the details
Ingredients
- boneless chicken breasts or thighs, or use a mix, I use skinless chicken
- flour
- chili powder
- garlic
- fresh thyme and sage
- salted butter
- sweet yellow onions
- your favorite beer, I love pumpkin beer (you can also replace the beer with broth or additional apple cider)
- apple cider (or use broth)
- potatoes, I like Yukon Gold
- cream cheese
- garlic powder
Tools
- Crockpot
- Braiser
Step 1: season the chicken
Working in the bowl of your crockpot, season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Then, rub the chicken pieces all over with flour, chili powder, garlic, fresh thyme, and fresh sage.
The flour will slowly thicken the gravy, so don’t skip it. If needed, feel free to use gluten-free flour.
Step 2: the onions
Now that you’ve taken care of the chicken, start the onions. The key is to slice them thinly. I prefer to use a lot of onions, but you do what you and your family will enjoy most!
Arrange the onions around and underneath the chicken. Then add pats of salted butter.
Step 3: add the potatoes and start cooking
Pour over the beer and apple cider, or feel free to use your favorite broth if you prefer not to cook with beer.
Arrange the potatoes over the chicken. Leave them whole; no chopping required.
Cover and slow cook until it’s dinner time!!
Step 3: broil the chicken
When ready, I transfer everything but the potatoes to a roasting pan. Then, finish cooking the chicken at a high temperature in the oven for 15 minutes.
During this time, the onions should darken a bit in color.
Step 4: the potatoes
While you finish the chicken in the oven, mash the potatoes with cream cheese, butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper!
They are going to be so creamy, buttery and scrumptious!
Step 5: serve and enjoy
Finally, serve the chicken, which should be tender and falling apart into the gravy and onions in the pot.
Serve the mashed potatoes on the side or underneath the chicken and gravy.
It’s the perfect family dinner, so hands off, too.
Of course, I served this with beer bread and a big salad! Great for Sunday nights all fall and winter long.
This pot roast isn’t too difficult, and the potatoes really make the recipe perfect. I’m so excited for you all to make this soon!!
Looking for other simple dinners? Here are my favorites:
Crockpot Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice
Baked Chipotle Cheddar Sweet Potato Chowder
One Skillet Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Orzo
Herby Buttered Balsamic Mushroom Ravioli
Smothered Chicken in Mushroom Wine Pan Sauce
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Pumpkin Beer Braised Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Pumpkin Beer Braised Chicken
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 598 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skin on or off chicken breasts or thighs
- salt and black pepper
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 3-4 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cups apple cider (not apple cider vinegar)
- 1 pumpkin beer (or use additional cider/broth)
Mashed Potatoes
- 1 pound small/medium potatoes
- 6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, rub the chicken with flour, chili powder, garlic, thyme, and sage—season with salt and pepper. Arrange the onions under and around the chicken. Add pats of butter. Pour over the apple cider and beer. 2. Arrange the potatoes around the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.3. If desired, preheat the oven to 475°. Remove the potatoes and set aside. Transfer the chicken, the onions, and the broth to a roasted pan or brasier. Roast for 15 minutes to caramelize the top of the chicken.4. Drop the potatoes back in the crockpot or a large bowl. Add the cream cheese, butter, and garlic powder. Mash well, I leave the skin on—season with salt and pepper. 5. Serve the chicken topped with gravy, onions, and fresh thyme. Serve the potatoes on the side with bread! Enjoy!
This post was originally published on October 9, 2024
If I want to omit the pumpkin beer, but still want the pumpkin flavor, could I sub it for a can of purée pumpkin?
Hey Denise,
Sure, I bet that would work nicely for you! I hope you enjoy this dish, please let me know if you give it a try! XxT
Good idea, over complicated execution. As I was removing everything from the crockpot I thought why am I using a crockpot? Chicken cooks fast, just use the oven! The flavor was nice but the potatoes did not get soft enough, the chicken dried out with the extra oven cooking time and my onions did not caramelize. With some tweaks this could be really good, cook the onions first and then add to the chicken, bake in the over and just make your potatoes seperate.
Hi Sadie,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you felt the cooking method wasn’t the best. Let me know if you try again making your recommendations! xT
Crock pot or dutch oven? The text says one thing and the photos show another.
Hi Stacy,
This dish gets finished in a dutch oven if you choose to do so:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
A crock pot and THEN dutch oven? Sorry, probably won’t be trying this. Unnecessarily complicated for braised chicken.
This didn’t quite work for me. A bit overcomplicated, not really a “crock pot meal” even if it technically calls for a crock pot. In the end kind of wet and mushy but also overcooked.
Hi Jesse,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know! xT
Delicious and SO flavorful. Thanks Tieghan for another family favorite meal
Hey Alli,
Happy Fall Thursday!
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and your comment, so glad it turned out nicely for you! XxT
If you plan to negate the potatoes how would you adjust the liquid? Thank you!
Hey Amanda,
I would keep everything the same, just skip the potatoes part:) Please let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xT
Why on earth would not you not caramelize the onions and brown the chicken BEFORE adding it to the slow cooker?? As written this will result in boiled onions and wet chicken under the broiler. And why breasts instead of something that will hold up better to braising like thighs. This makes no sense.
Hey Amber! I hope you are having a wonderful week!
So this just my personal favorite way to make this recipe. My family enjoys chicken breast so this is what I use. And I find caramelizing onions to be a pain. Instead, I love getting them caramelized in the oven just before serving. I think it’s yummy! Again this is just my method. If this is not something you want to try, totally up to you! You can simply skip this recipe! No worries at all! Have a great rest of the week. XxT
I am confused, why not do the whole thing in the oven? It doesn’t make sense to use a crockpot, if I have to take the chicken out and put it in another pan and use the oven anyways.
Hey Courtney!
Totally! You can use the oven to cook this. That will be just as delicious! I prefer the crockpot so I can walk away and let dinner cook all day! Then come home and finish it up! You do what is best for you or what you think you will enjoy most! Have a great rest of week! Happy fall! XxT
Sorry, how is this a pot roast? Braised chicken is already a thing. Thanks in advance for clarifying!
Hey Kelly! The recipe is inspired by my pot roast recipe! So I thought it was fun to kind of recreate that recipe but with chicken! At the end of the day, yes this is just a braised chicken! But most importantly it is yummy!! Have a great rest of the week! XxT
Kelly, it’s an SEO tactic. People search for weird things so blogs “develop” recipes to match the random search terms, which is why they make no sense.
This recipe is kind of a mess. Chicken pot roast isn’t a thing. You’ve simply slow roasted/braised chicken. This also isn’t “one pot” as claimed. Multiple dishes are used. Maybe edit the recipe to reflect what is made and how.
Can you provide direction for making this in the oven? It sounds delicious!
It seems like it would be easier and less messy to brown the chicken and onions first and then add them to the crockpot, rather than trying to do it at the end (having to remove them from the potatoes and liquid, and I always find wet things don’t brown/caramelize very well). It also seems like it would remove that raw flour taste because the flour actually cooks/crisps up in the pan. Is there a reason to do it in the order you wrote here?
Hello! I don’t like chicken, thyme, sage, pumpkin beer, apple cider, onions, garlic or mashed potatoes! I don’t have a Crock-pot and don’t want to get one. Tell me what to do so I can make this recipe without having to figure it out on my own like a grownup. Thanks!
Winner comment; I’m dying from laughing!
Dying. 😂Why is this always a thing?!
This reply is everything! Thank you for the laugh tonight!
Could you do this with beef instead of chicken? If so, what cut would you recommend?
Hey Julie,
Totally, a beef chuck would work nicely for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Hi Tieghan,
I was just wondering if this recipe would work well with boneless chicken breast without skin? I always have a hard time finding boneless chicken breasts with the skin still on.
The recipe doesn’t specify skin-on so I’m sure boneless skinless is fine. That being said, for this kind of braised/slow-cooked dish, I would strongly recommend using thighs (boneless skinless also fine) instead — they will get more tender, whereas chicken breast will probably overcook, particularly given the extra 15 minutes in a 475 degree oven (!).
Hi Wendy,
You bet, that would be just fine to use! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT