Slow Cooker Creamy Tarragon Chicken

Last updated on: October 6, 2026

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This slow cooker creamy tarragon chicken is what happens when a comforting French-inspired chicken dinner meets the glorious convenience of chucking everything in the slow cooker.

Tender chicken breasts cook gently in a sauce made with white wine, chicken stock, Dijon mustard and fragrant tarragon, before crème fraîche is stirred through at the end. The result is creamy, herby and properly comforting without requiring you to stand over a hob all evening.

Each serving contains approximately 432 calories and a whopping 62 g of protein, with lean chicken breast providing most of that protein. That makes it particularly useful if you're trying to eat a high-protein diet for weight loss while still wanting dinners that resemble actual food rather than chicken and broccoli staring sadly at one another.

It serves five, takes around 15 minutes to prepare and cooks for 4 hours on LOW or 2 hours on HIGH. You'll need a slow cooker and a frying pan – the little bit of browning beforehand is absolutely worth it.

Why you’ll love this high-protein recipe

• A massive 62 g protein per serving. Ideal when you're trying to hit a decent daily protein target without adding protein powder to everything you own.
• Only 432 calories per portion. Plenty of creamy comfort without completely blowing your calorie budget.
• The slow cooker does most of the work. Once the initial browning is done, you can wander off and get on with your day.
• Uses straightforward supermarket ingredients. Nothing here requires an expedition to a specialist food shop.
• Excellent for meal prep. Make five portions at once and you've got several high-protein lunches or dinners sorted.
• It feels more indulgent than it is. White wine, crème fraîche and tarragon give it proper creamy French-bistro vibes while lean chicken breast keeps the macros impressive.

If easy meals like this are your thing, have a browse through my high-protein chicken recipes for plenty more ways to make chicken breast considerably less boring.

Key Ingredients

Chicken Breast. The protein powerhouse of the recipe. Using 1 kg of chicken breast gives you generous portions and helps push each serving up to an impressive 62 g of protein.

Tarragon. This is the flavour that makes the dish. Tarragon has a distinctive aromatic, slightly aniseed-like flavour that works brilliantly with chicken and creamy sauces. Dried tarragon is convenient, although fresh tarragon gives an even brighter finish.

Dry White Wine. Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio works nicely. Reducing the wine in the frying pan concentrates the flavour and cooks off some of its harshness before it goes anywhere near the slow cooker.

Crème Fraîche. Added right at the end, crème fraîche makes the sauce smooth and creamy. You only need 100 ml, so we're not drowning perfectly innocent chicken breasts in a vat of cream.

Dijon Mustard. Just one teaspoon gives the sauce a gentle tang and extra depth without making it taste overwhelmingly mustardy.

Chicken Stock. Forms the base of the sauce and picks up all those lovely flavours from the wine, herbs and chicken.

Onion & Garlic. Cooking these before they go into the slow cooker develops much more flavour than simply throwing them in raw. It's an extra few minutes of work, but we're chasing good chicken here, not merely acceptable chicken.

Cornflour. Thickens the cooking liquid into a proper creamy sauce rather than leaving you with chicken swimming in vaguely tarragon-flavoured soup.

For more easy dinners built around lean protein, my collection of high-protein recipes is a useful place to raid for ideas.

How To Make Slow Cooker Creamy Tarragon Chicken

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper, then sear for around 2 minutes on each side until lightly golden. You’re only after colour here, not cooking them through.

Place the browned chicken breasts into the slow cooker. Those golden edges might seem like a small detail, but they give the finished slow cooker tarragon chicken much more flavour.

In the same pan, cook the chopped onion for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Pour in the white wine and simmer for 2–3 minutes, scraping all those lovely browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine has reduced by roughly half.

Pour the onion and wine mixture over the chicken, then add the chicken stock, tarragon, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper and cornflour. Give the liquid a good stir, cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Stir in the crème fraîche until completely combined and the sauce becomes smooth and creamy. Spoon plenty of that tarragon sauce over the chicken, then serve. This is not the moment to be stingy with the sauce.

Serving & storage

To Store

Allow your slow cooker creamy tarragon chicken to cool before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

If you're meal prepping, portion the chicken and sauce into individual containers so you've got a high-protein lunch ready to grab without having to perform Tupperware surgery every morning.

To Reheat

Reheat gently in a saucepan over a medium-low heat until the chicken is piping hot throughout. Add a small splash of chicken stock or water if the sauce has thickened considerably in the fridge.

You can also microwave individual portions. Cover loosely and heat until piping hot, stirring the sauce partway through where possible.

To Freeze

Yes, you can freeze it. Allow the cooked chicken to cool completely, portion into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

Creamy sauces can occasionally change texture slightly after freezing, so thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently. A good stir usually brings everything back together.

Serving Suggestions

For a classic dinner, serve the creamy tarragon chicken with mashed potatoes, boiled baby potatoes or rice and plenty of green vegetables.

For something lighter, try steamed broccoli, green beans or roasted vegetables. If you're keeping an eye on calories, load up the veg and let the chicken provide the protein-heavy centrepiece. You can find plenty more inspiration in my low-calorie meal prep recipes.

Slow Cooker Creamy Tarragon Chicken

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This Slow Cooker Creamy Tarragon Chicken is the stuff of dreams. Juicy chicken, a silky white wine sauce, and a hit of fragrant tarragon, all bubbling away in your slow cooker while you go about your business. Plus, it's high in protein, meaning you can feel all smug and healthy while scoffing it down.

• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 5 1x

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 kg chicken breasts
• 15 g garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 150 ml dry white wine (e.g. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio)
• 200 ml chicken stock
• 1 1/2 tsp dried tarragon (or 1 tbsp fresh)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 30 g cornflour
• 100 ml crème fraîche

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Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt & pepper and sear for 2 minutes per side until lightly golden (don’t cook through). Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker.
2. In the same pan, add onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the white wine and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until reduced by half. Deglaze by scraping up any browned bits for extra flavour. Transfer the onion-wine mixture to the slow cooker.
3. Add chicken stock, tarragon, and Dijon mustard, salt, some more pepper and the cornflour. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours, until the chicken is tender.
4. Stir in the crème fraiche and mix well.
5. Serve & Enjoy!

• Author: Scott Baptie
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 2 to 4 hours
• Method: Slow Cooker

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 432
• Fat: 16
• Carbohydrates: 10
• Protein: 62

Variations & tips

• Don't skip the sear if you have time. Browning the chicken creates extra flavour through caramelisation. You're not trying to cook it through – around 2 minutes per side is plenty.
• Deglaze that pan properly. When you add the wine, scrape up the golden bits stuck to the bottom. That's concentrated flavour and it belongs in your dinner, not down the sink.
• Use fresh tarragon for a brighter flavour. Swap the 1½ teaspoons dried tarragon for roughly 1 tablespoon fresh. You can also scatter a little fresh tarragon over the finished dish.
• Want even more protein? Stir a little high-protein Greek yoghurt into the sauce alongside the crème fraîche, but remove the slow cooker from the heat first to reduce the chance of it splitting.
• Prefer chicken thighs? Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work too and remain beautifully juicy in the slow cooker, although they'll change the calories, fat and protein figures.
• Watch the cooking time. Chicken breast doesn't benefit from spending the entire day in a slow cooker. Once it's tender and safely cooked through, it's done. Four hours on LOW should be plenty for most slow cookers.

If your slow cooker earns its permanent place on the kitchen worktop, you'll find loads more ideas in my collection of healthy slow cooker recipes.

FAQ

Can I make slow cooker tarragon chicken without wine?

Yes. Replace the 150 ml white wine with additional chicken stock. You'll lose some of the acidity and depth, so adding a small squeeze of lemon juice at the end can help brighten the finished sauce.

Can I put raw chicken straight into the slow cooker?

You can, but I prefer searing it first. Those golden edges add another layer of flavour, particularly when the same pan is then deglazed with the wine. It's a few extra minutes that genuinely makes a difference.

Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts?

Absolutely. Boneless, skinless thighs are particularly forgiving in a slow cooker and stay wonderfully tender. Just remember that the nutritional information will change because thighs generally contain more fat and slightly less protein than breast.

How can I make this tarragon chicken lower in calories?

Use a reduced-fat crème fraîche and serve it with plenty of vegetables rather than a large portion of mash or rice. The chicken itself is already very lean, which is why this recipe manages to pack 62 g protein into around 432 calories.

More high-protein recipes to try

• If creamy chicken is your idea of a good evening, try my Chicken Supreme – another comforting chicken dinner packed with flavour.
• For another slow cooker favourite, my Slow Cooker Chicken Chasseur delivers tender chicken in a rich, savoury sauce.
• Fancy something creamy with a slightly more dramatic name? Try my Slow Cooker Marry Me Chicken – apparently regular compliments were no longer sufficient.
• For a lighter, fresher slow cooker dinner, my Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken is another easy way to turn chicken breast into a high-protein family meal.
• If you want proper cosy-food territory, try my Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole – ideal when the weather is doing its best to ruin everyone's mood.

You can also browse my full collection of high-protein low-calorie recipes when you want filling meals that make hitting your protein target easier.

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