5 Easy Summer Crockpot Dinners

So here’s my hot take—and yes, I know the irony of using the word “hot” here—the crockpot is the most underrated piece of equipment in your entire kitchen, especially in the summer. I know, I know, crockpots seem like a fall and winter thing: stews, chili, all that homey stuff. But hear me out: I’ve been using mine for years, and it’s actually changed the way our family eats between June and August.

Here’s the thing: In summer, the heat isn’t the point of a slow cooker. It’s liberty. “You throw everything in at 8 am, and you go live your life, work, pool, run errands, whatever. Dinner is just when you walk back in the door. Can’t stand on a hot stove. No heating the kitchen at 5 pm when it’s already 89 degrees outside. No last-minute panic. I’ll be honest: on the hottest days last June, I literally forgot we even had a hot dinner waiting for us because the house stayed cool all day. That’s the dream, you see?

Tyler, coming in from baseball practice, smelled the kitchen and said, “Mom, did you cook today?” with real surprise—because the house was not a sauna. I just smiled and said yes. I didn’t mention the farmers market bit or the three hours I sat on the back porch reading. That’s between me and the slow cooker.

These five dinners are what I actually cycle through all summer. Nothing complicated. Not loaded with ingredients you’ll never use again. Just good, solid, satisfying meals that do all the work while you’re out there actually enjoying the season, you know?

Dinner 01 – Honey Garlic Chicken Legs – Slow Cooker

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 6 hours low or 3.5 hours high | Makes 6 servings

So, this is my most-requested recipe from the other swim team parents, and I am not even a little surprised. It’s the kind of dish that makes your whole house smell incredible, takes about ten minutes to throw together in the morning, and tastes like you actually spent the afternoon cooking it, which you didn’t. You were living the best summer life.

I’ll be honest with you — chicken thighs are the way to go here, not chicken breasts. Thighs are cheaper; they stay juicy after hours in the slow cooker, and the extra fat in them absorbs the honey garlic sauce in a way that makes chicken breasts look really bad. I have tried this with breasts multiple times out of stubbornness, and I’m over it. Thighs for the win. Every single time.

I brought a crockpot of this to Marisol’s end-of-season swim banquet last summer. The coach’s husband—who I’m pretty sure never says anything nice about food—had three servings and asked me what restaurant it came from. So that’s the energy that we have, you know?

Ingredients:

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (skin-on adds more flavor as it renders down into the sauce)
• ⅓ cup honey (real honey, not the bear-shaped variety if you can help it)
• ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari (for gluten-free)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced (yes, six; don’t be scared)
• 2 tbsp ketchup (I know. Trust me.)
• 1 T white rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp cold water (for thickening the sauce at the end – optional but recommended)
• For garnish: sesame seeds, chopped green onions
• To serve: rice or noodles

Directions

Step 1: In the bottom of the crockpot insert, mix honey, soy sauce, garlic, ketchup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and salt and pepper. No need to dirty another bowl—this is crockpot cooking; we don’t do unnecessary dishes here.

Step 2. Add the chicken thighs to the top of the sauce. You don’t need to brown them first—I know some recipes tell you to, and sometimes it’s worth it, but on a busy summer morning when you’re trying to get kids out the door? Not this day. Just put them skin-side up, spoon a little sauce over, and put the lid on.

Step 3. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3.5 hours. The chicken should be tender, falling off the bone, and the whole house should smell absolutely amazing. Transfer the thighs to a plate.

Step 4. Here’s the trick that takes this from good to OH MY GOSH: Take the liquid out of the crockpot and pour it into a small saucepan. Combine the cornstarch with cold water, whisking until smooth. Add to the sauce and simmer over medium heat for about 3 minutes until it thickens into a gorgeous, glossy glaze. And pour it back over the chicken.

Step 5. Sprinkle sesame seeds and green onions on top. Serve over rice and watch your family go completely silent, which in my house is the highest compliment there is.

Chef’s Notes + Family Take

Tyler’s verFamily: “Can we have this every week?” -His stock line for anything he loves, but I like the consistency. Marisol ate two thighs and then used the leftover sauce as a dip for her bread, which, honestly, I cannot argue with.

The sauce is the star of the show, so don’t skip the thickening step—it takes four minutes and makes a big difference. Leftovers shred beautifully with two forks and make the most incredible rice bowls, tacos, or lettuce wraps the next day.

Variations I’ve Tried

If you don’t have honey, use maple syrup. A more subtle flavor, but still seriously good. For a sweet-heat version that’s absolutely addictive, stir a teaspoon of sriracha or gochujang into the sauce. Works great with bone-in pork chops, too, if your family is stuck in a rut. If you want to turn this into an all-in-one meal, add halved baby potatoes underneath the chicken before cooking, and they’ll absorb all that honey-garlic sauce, turning into something magical.

Dinner 02 — Black Bean and Corn Chicken Chili

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: Low 7 hours or High 4 hours Yield: 8 servings

Now, I know what you’re thinking: chili in the summer? And I understand. I understand. But here’s the deal: this is not your thick, heavy, sit-by-the-fireplace chili. It’s bright and smoky and loaded with fresh summer corn, and it eats more like a hearty summer stew than something you’d make in January, you know? This is the kind of bowl you can eat on the back porch on a warm evening, and it just feels right.

This one saved me time and time again during the weeks when both kids were in summer camp because I could make an absolutely enormous batch on Monday morning and dump it in the crockpot. We’d eat it for three days. 8 servings sounds like a lot until you consider that Tyler eats the equivalent of two adult portions per sitting.

This is the deal with rotisserie chicken—I use it here, and I am not ashamed. You can definitely use raw chicken breasts and shred them after cooking; the recipe includes both options. But on a week when I’m tired, and the chicken is already sitting there, cooked, at the grocery store checkout? You know that rotisserie bird is a gift, right?

Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (or 3 raw chicken breasts—add whole, shred after cooking)
• 3 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off (or 1 15oz can frozen corn in a pinch)
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 can green chiles, diced (mild—my kids will do mild)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ tsp chili powder,
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 lime, juiced
• Toppings: sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, chips

Directions

Step 1: If you are using raw chicken breasts, season them with salt, pepper, cumin, and smoked paprika. Then put them at the bottom of the crockpot when using rotisserie chicken. Add it in the last hour of cooking so it doesn’t dry out. Important distinction, you know?

Step 2. Add everything except the lime juice and toppings: corn, black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, broth, onion, garlic, and all the spices. Mix it up as best as you can. Close the lid and leave.

3. If using raw chicken, cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours. Remove the breasts and shred with two forks; they will literally fall apart instantly. Add shredded chicken back into the pot. If using rotisserie chicken, cook everything else for 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high, then stir in the shredded chicken for the last 45 minutes to warm through.

Step 4. Add the lime juice, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Does it want more salt? A little more chili powder? More lime? This is your chili from now on. “Make it taste how you want it to taste.

Step 5. Scoop into bowls and serve with the full topping lineup: sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips. No substitutions for the toppings. They make the whole experience, and honestly, they let everyone customize their bowl, which keeps the picky eaters happy; we’ve all been there.

Chef’s Notes + Family Take

This is the family that made Tyler say, “Okay, chili in summer is actually good.” I framed it and hung it on the fridge. Not really. Well, almost.

This freezes BEAUTIFULLY—I always make the whole batch and freeze half in quart-size containers. Future me has pulled this out of the freezer on some incredibly chaotic school year nights and felt like an absolute hero. If you’re freezing it, save the corn kernels and add fresh or frozen corn when you reheat it—the texture is so much better that way.

Variations I’ve Tried

Make it totally plant-based by using vegetable broth and replacing the chicken with an extra can of beans and a cup of cooked quinoa tossed in at the end. Seriously good, you won’t miss the meat! In the last hour, add a block of cream cheese for a creamy version Tyler calls “chili, but make it fancy.” Add diced zucchini or summer squash at the beginning with everything; it melts down and thickens the chili while adding nutrition that the kids never suspect.

Dinner 03 – Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Loin

Prep time: 8 min Cook time: 6 hr low or 3 hr high Makes 6 servings

So I want to talk about pork tenderloin for a second because I think it’s genuinely underappreciated as a weeknight protein, and I won’t stand for it anymore. It’s lean, it’s cheap compared to most other cuts, it cooks beautifully in the slow cooker, and when you hit it with brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, it’s amazing. It’s a deep, caramelized, almost steakhouse-quality flavor that will have people actually asking what you’ve been doing all day. The answer is whatever you want to, you know?

I made this the first time I was completely out of ideas on a Wednesday, had a pork tenderloin in the freezer, and basically just used what I had in the pantry. The brown sugar and balsamic were a risky, dramatic combination, and it totally worked. Tyler said it tasted like something from “a fancy restaurant that’s a little Italian.” ” I don’t really know what that means, but I’ll take it.

Honestly, this is also really one of the prettiest things to slice and put on a platter, which is important when you want dinner to look like you tried without actually trying that hard. That’s my whole philosophy in life.

Ingredients:

• 2 pork tenderloins, about 1 lb each (if you see silver skin, trim it off—it takes 30 seconds and is worth it)
• 3 tbsp of brown sugar
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar (get the good stuff if you can)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped, and Dijon mustard (dTb olive oil)
• 1 tsp rosemary, dried
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Salt.
• Fresh rosemary to finish, if you have it on hand

Directions

Step 1: In the bottom of the crockpot, whisk together your brown sugar, balsamic, Dijon, garlic, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, and pepper. It will look like a dark, shiny, slightly mysterious sauce, and that’s just right.

Step 2. Season the tenderloins generously with salt, then nestle them right in the sauce and turn to coat all sides. If you have a spare couple of minutes, sear them first in a hot pan—you’ll get a better crust and more complex flavor. If you don’t have two minutes, skip it altogether, and nobody will know, I promise you.”

Step 3: Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2.5-3 hours. Pork tenderloin cooks more quickly than you’d think, so don’t cook it any longer than this or it’ll dry out. This is the one slow cooker recipe where you do want to keep an eye on the time. Internal temperature should be 145 degrees F.

Step 4. Remove the tenderloins to a cutting board and let them rest—seriously, let them rest; don’t cut them up right away. Meanwhile, pour the sauce into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until it thickens into a beautiful glaze.

Step 5. Cut the tenderloin into medallions, arrange them on a platter, and pour the reduced glaze over the top. Fresh rosemary, if you have it. This is dinner-party-worthy and took you 8 minutes of actual effort. That is the idea.”

Chef’s Notes + Family Take

Marisol, the call analyst, said, “The fanciest thing we’ve ever had for a regular Wednesday,” and I genuinely felt seen as a parent. Tyler ate six of the medallions. I’m not saying that’s right, but I’m not saying I wasn’t proud.”

The leftovers here are fabulous—slice them thin and use them in sandwiches the next day with a bit of the reserved glaze and some arugula, and you have the kind of lunch that makes your co-workers jealous, if you still go into the office.

Variations I’ve Tried

Use honey or maple syrup instead of brown sugar—a little bit different sweetness but just as good. Add a tablespoon of whole-grain mustard to the sauce for a sharper, more complex flavor profile. This technique works beautifully on a beef chuck roast, too; increase the cook time to 8 to 9 hours on low. If you want a more Asian-inspired dish, swap Dijon and balsamic for rice vinegar and a tablespoon of hoisin sauce—a totally different dish, but both are seriously amazing.

Dinner 04 – Tuscan Soup with White Beans and Sausage

Prep: 12 minutes Cook: low 7 hours or high 4 hours Yield: 8 servings

The truth is, I never really thought soup belonged in my summer rotation—until I tried this one. It’s light enough that it doesn’t feel heavy in warm weather, it’s full of vegetables, and there’s something about the combination of white beans, Italian sausage, and fresh greens that feels summery in a way that beef stew doesn’t, you know?

It’s also the recipe I make when I know we have a crazy week ahead—the kind of week where Tyler has baseball, Marisol has art, and I have a full catering job, and nobody is going to be home at the same time for dinner. A big pot of this in the crockpot means whoever walks in first can ladle themselves a bowl. It’ll taste just as good at 10 pm as it does at 8 pm when I finally get home.

I’m going to be straight with you; this sausage does a lot of the work in this recipe. It flavors the whole pot as it cooks, infusing the broth with all this beautiful flavor. I have done it with chicken sausage when I want to go lighter and with turkey sausage when I need to be budget-conscious, and both work great. Just make sure it’s the good stuff; you know, quality sausage really matters here.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Italian sausage, casing removed (mild or hot, depending on your crowd)
• 2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into pieces
• 2 medium carrots, cut into rounds
• 1 tsp Italian herb blend, dried
• ½ tsp fennel seeds (optional, but try it once before you skip it, you know?)
• Salt, red pepper flakes
• 3 big handfuls of fresh spinach or kale (add after 20 minutes)
• Parmesan rind (if you have one in the freezer – total game changer)
• Good crusty bread, extra Parmesan to serve

Parmesan

Step 1: This is the one step where I’m going to ask you to turn on the stove for 2 minutes and, in a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausage, breaking it into crumbles, until just cooked. Drain fat and add to the crockpot. Ye, you can skip this. No, it won’t be that good. The browning develops flavors that don’t happen in the crock pot. “Two minutes. You can do this.

Step 2. Add all ingredients to the crockpot except the spinach and parmesan: beans, tomatoes, broth, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, salt, and red pepper flakes. But if you have a Parmesan rind, throw it in—it melts slowly into the broth and adds this amazing savory depth that I really can’t describe, but it makes the soup taste like it’s been simmering in a nonna’s kitchen all day, you know?

Step 3. Cook on low for 7 hours or on high for 4 hours. Add your spinach or kale about 20 minutes before serving. It wilts down to almost nothing, turning the broth a gorgeous, vibrant color and adding so much nutrition. Taste the broth and add salt to taste.

Step 4. If the parmesan rind hasn’t completely dissolved, remove it. It’ll be all soft and bloated and look a little alarming, which is totally normal; it did its job. Ladle into bowls and top with plenty of freshly grated parmesan and a drizzle of your best olive oil if you have it.

Step 5. Bring that bread to the table. This soup needs bread. I won’t listen any other way.

Chef’s Notes + Family Take

Tyler actually did this with such focus and intensity that I knew it was a winner before he even said a word. Then he said, “This is better than the restaurant one”—referring to a local Italian place we love—and I had to pretend to be casual about it while internally doing a victory lap around the kitchen.

This freezes up very well, so I always double the recipe. Freeze it without the spinach, then add fresh spinach when you reheat it—much better texture. Also, keep your parmesan rinds in a bag in the freezer. This is the recipe that made me start doing just that, and I have never looked back.

Variations I’ve Tried

To make it whole-plant, use vegetable broth, skip the sausage, and add a can of lentils instead. Thermesan rings add so much depth that you don’t miss the meat. For a more summery, garden-fresh version that’s beautiful in the bowl, add a diced zucchini and some halved cherry tomatoes in the last hour. At this stage, you can stir in a quarter cup of heavy cream to make things creamier (totally optional, but not at all unpleasant, let’s say that).

Dinner 05 – Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 6 hours low or 3 hours high | Yield: 8 servings

Honestly, this is the recipe I make when I want dinner to pretty much make itself with zero brain involvement on my part. Five ingredients. Prep in five minutes. 8 people for dinner. This is the one I text my friends when they say they’re too tired to cook, and they always text me back either “Oh my god, why didn’t I know about this?” or a bunch of emojis. Sometimes both, you know?

Barbecued pulled chicken is the epitome of summer food. What do you want on a long Sunday when you’re going back and forth from the backyard and the kitchen? That’s what you want on a Friday night when the week has finally worn you down a bit, and you need dinner to happen with no drama. And it’s just what you want when feeding a crowd; this recipe scales up beautifully, and I’ve tripled it for Marisol’s birthday party cookout without breaking a sweat.

I’m not going to lie, the secret is a good BBQ sauce. Use a sauce you actually like to eat straight, not the cheapest one on the shelf. This is a five-ingredient recipe, which means every single ingredient carries some serious weight and that the sauce is load-bearing. Pay three bucks more and have something you love.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs – thighs will give you more flavor and moisture)
• 1½ cups favorite BBQ sauce (plus more for serving – always more for serving)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar (helps with caramelization and adds depth to the sauce)
• • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (cut the sweetness)
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder.
• Salt & Pepper
• Brioche buns or potato rolls, for serving (this is important—get good buns)
• Coleslaw, for serving (store-bought is totally fine, I do it all the time)
• Pickles (a must in this house, no exceptions)

Directions

Step 1. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place it flat in the bottom of the crockpot. Chicken prep completed.

Step 2. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix your BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Pour over the chicken. It doesn’t have to be covered—the chicken will release liquid as it cooks, and it will all work out, you know? Close the lid and leave.

Step 3. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. The chicken should be so tender that it falls apart at a glance.

Step 4: Move the chicken to a cutting board and shred with 2 forks. Or, honestly, if you have a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, 15 seconds on medium speed gives you perfect pulled chicken. 3 years ago, I found this trick, and it felt like I’d cracked something secret. Return the shredded chicken to the crockpot and stir it to thicken. Git to thicken. Go ahead. Salt? More salt? More vinegar? Do it.

Step 5. Pile it high on toasted buns (please toast the buns; it takes 90 seconds, ttt, and that makes such a difference) with coleslaw right on top and cheese, ketchup, and pickles on the side. This is dinner in summer. This is the thing.

Chef’s Notes + Family Take

OMG, it was the first family thing for Tyler’s baseball team after a tournament, and twelve kids and six adults wiped out a triple batch in about fifteen minutes. A dad asked me what the marinade was—*the* marinade. There’s no marinade. There are 5 ingredients. I just smiled and said, “It’s a family recipe.” It’s fine.

Marisol makes hers into what she calls “a proper BBQ tower”—bun bottom, chicken, coleslaw, pickles, extra sauce, bun top, pressed down firmly. She’s eight. She is all business.

The leftover pulled chicken is golden—make quesadillas, top baked potatoes, stuff omelets, put it on pizza, or fill avocados with it. I’ve used it every way I can think of, and it’s never failed me.

Variations I’ve Tried

Instead of BBQ sauce, use your favorite store-bought teriyaki sauce for an Asian-inspired pulled chicken that is incredible over rice bowls with cucumber and sesame. A smoky, spicy version of BBQ sauce is to add half a can of chipotle peppers in adobo, which the adults absolutely love—keep a mild batch going simultaneously for the kids, because we’ve all learned that lesson the hard way. And for a low-carb situation, serve the pulled chicken over shredded cabbage with a drizzle of sauce instead of on a bun — still completely satisfying, I assure you.

I hope these five recipes get your summer back, you know? That’s really what this is all about — less time in the kitchen and more time actually living. Your crockpot wants to help. Let her. Happy cooking, friends.

— Chef Julia ✦ Chicago, IL