When you need dinner started without peeling, chopping, or browning meat, layering ingredients straight into the slow cooker gets the job done. This dish arranges bone-in, skinless chicken thighs across the bottom of the crock, coats them lightly in condensed cream of mushroom soup, and finishes with drained canned green beans. As the slow cooker warms, the ingredients produce their own cooking liquid, simmering together until the chicken is tender enough to slip off the bone.
Servings: 4
Four-Ingredient Simplicity
Using four basic pantry and refrigerator items, this meal comes together without any pre-cooking or extra prep dishes.
How the Broth Develops
Arranging the chicken thighs directly along the bottom of the cooker exposes them to steady heat while the kosher salt seasons both the meat and the developing juices. Spreading the condensed cream of mushroom soup over the thighs coats them without extra water, because the chicken and green beans naturally release enough moisture during the slow cook to thin the soup into a savory broth.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker 4-Ingredient Chicken and Green Beans
- 2 pounds bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 to 6 thighs)
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans cut green beans, drained
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
How to Make It: Slow Cooker 4-Ingredient Chicken and Green Beans
- Place the raw chicken thighs in an even layer on the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. If any pieces are very large, tuck them in so everything fits snugly.
- Sprinkle the kosher salt evenly over the chicken thighs. This simple seasoning will help the chicken flavor the broth and vegetables as they cook.
- Spoon the condensed cream of mushroom soup over the chicken, spreading it gently so most of the chicken is lightly coated. Do not add extra water; the chicken and green beans will release enough liquid.
- Dump the drained canned green beans over the top of the chicken and soup, spreading them into an even layer. It’s fine if some beans fall down around the sides.
- Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is very tender and easily pulls away from the bone.
- Taste the cooking liquid and green beans, and add a pinch more salt if needed. Serve the chicken thighs with plenty of green beans and spoonfuls of the savory broth over the top.
Tips for the Slow Cooker
Keep extra liquids out of the cooker; the chicken and green beans release all the moisture necessary to create the cooking broth. When arranging large chicken pieces, tuck them snugly into a single, even layer at the base of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker so everything cooks evenly. Before serving, taste the beans and cooking broth to see if an additional pinch of kosher salt is needed.
Serving the Chicken and Broth
Serve the chicken thighs surrounded by plenty of green beans, and spoon generous amounts of the savory cooking broth over the top of each portion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should water or broth be added to dilute the condensed soup?
No extra water should be added. The chicken thighs and green beans release enough natural liquid as they heat to loosen the condensed cream of mushroom soup into a savory broth.
How do you know when the chicken is done?
The chicken is ready after 6 to 7 hours on LOW or 3 to 4 hours on HIGH, when the meat is very tender and easily pulls away from the bone.
What size slow cooker is needed for this recipe?
A 4- to 6-quart slow cooker allows the two pounds of chicken thighs to sit in an even, snug layer across the bottom.
Slow Cooker 4-Ingredient Chicken and Green Beans Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Place the raw chicken thighs in an even layer on the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. If any pieces are very large, tuck them in so everything fits snugly.
- Sprinkle the kosher salt evenly over the chicken thighs. This simple seasoning will help the chicken flavor the broth and vegetables as they cook.
- Spoon the condensed cream of mushroom soup over the chicken, spreading it gently so most of the chicken is lightly coated. Do not add extra water; the chicken and green beans will release enough liquid.
- Dump the drained canned green beans over the top of the chicken and soup, spreading them into an even layer. It’s fine if some beans fall down around the sides.
- Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is very tender and easily pulls away from the bone.
- Taste the cooking liquid and green beans, and add a pinch more salt if needed. Serve the chicken thighs with plenty of green beans and spoonfuls of the savory broth over the top.
