This slow cooker 4-ingredient Amish-style cream of celery chicken is exactly the kind of cozy, hands-off dinner I lean on during busy weeks. Think tender chicken thighs simmered all day in a simple, creamy sauce made from canned condensed cream of celery soup and just three pantry-friendly ingredients. It has that old-fashioned, church-supper comfort feel with almost no effort: you literally spoon the soup mixture over the chicken thighs in your slow cooker, turn it on, and walk away. It’s the kind of meal everyone in my house happily eats on repeat, which makes it a weeknight staple.
Serve the creamy chicken and sauce over fluffy mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or steamed white rice so all that rich gravy has something to soak into. Add a simple veggie on the side, like steamed green beans, roasted carrots, or a tossed salad to keep the plate balanced. Warm dinner rolls or crusty bread are perfect for swiping up any extra sauce from the bottom of the bowl.
Slow Cooker 4-Ingredient Amish-Style Cream of Celery ChickenServings: 6
Ingredients
3 pounds bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (about 6–8 thighs)
2 (10.5-ounce) cans condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste (optional, depending on your broth and soup)
Directions
Place the chicken thighs in an even layer in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. If any pieces are very large, tuck them in so everything fits snugly.
In a medium bowl, add the condensed cream of celery soup, chicken broth, garlic powder, dried parsley, and black pepper. Stir until everything is well combined and smooth.
Spoon the cream of celery mixture evenly over the chicken thighs in the slow cooker, making sure each piece is coated. Use a spatula or the back of the spoon to gently spread the mixture, but do not stir the chicken into the sauce.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6–7 hours, or on HIGH for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is very tender and easily pulls away from the bone.
Once cooked, taste the sauce and add salt only if needed, since the soup and broth already contain salt.
Serve the chicken thighs with plenty of the creamy celery sauce spooned over the top. If desired, remove the bones before serving for easier eating, and garnish with a little extra dried or fresh parsley.
Variations & Tips
For a slightly richer sauce, stir 1/4 to 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt into the slow cooker during the last 15 minutes of cooking (after the chicken is done) and let it warm through without boiling. If you prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs, those work too—just reduce the cook time slightly and start checking for doneness about 30–45 minutes earlier so they don’t get too soft. To stretch the meal, add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms or 1 cup of sliced celery over the chicken before spooning on the soup mixture; they’ll cook down into the sauce. You can also swap the dried parsley for other dried herbs you love, like thyme or a poultry seasoning blend, to give it a different Amish-style potluck vibe. If you want a thicker, gravy-like sauce, remove the chicken at the end, whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water, stir it into the sauce, then cover and cook on HIGH for 10–15 minutes until it thickens before returning the chicken to the slow cooker.
