Slow Cooker Rosemary Lemon Chicken Thighs - Eat Mediterranean Food

The chicken has been quietly simmering away for hours in a savory lemon sauce with rosemary, making it the perfect dish for a midweek dinner. Adding carrots and potatoes makes it a one-pot meal the whole family will love.

A slow cooker can be a godsend for anyone who likes to cook but doesn’t always have the time. With a slow cooker, you can brown the chicken thighs, place everything into the pot, and turn it on to cook for several hours. It leaves you free to do other things while your meal is cooking. And when it’s done, you’ll have a delicious and healthy meal that will please your family and friends.

It’s full of flavor.

It is a super easy recipe you can put together in minutes.

It is budget-friendly, which is excellent for families.

You can have it in the slow cooker all day while you are away at work and come home to a delicious hot dinner.

• Chicken – I used bone-in chicken thighs with their skin
• Chicken broth, preferably organic
• Garlic
• White Onion
• Carrots
• Fingerling Potatoes
• Lemons
• Fresh Rosemary
• Fresh Parsley
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.

Season chicken thighs with salt and black pepper and transfer four of them to the skillet.

Brown the chicken for approximately 2-3 minutes per side and transfer it to a plate.

Repeat the process with the remaining olive oil and chicken thighs.

Once browned, transfer the remaining chicken thighs to the platter with the first batch.

Deglaze the skillet by adding the chicken broth and gently scraping the bottom with a spatula to incorporate the flavorful brown bits into the liquid.

Remove from heat and reserve the deglazing liquid. Set aside.

Add garlic, onion, carrots, and potatoes to a 6-quart, or larger, slow cooker crock and arrange the browned chicken thighs on top.

Spread 2/3 of the lemon slices over the chicken and pour the chicken broth from the skillet on top.

Sprinkle with the crushed rosemary leaves and season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired.

Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.

When cook time is complete, discard lemon slices and serve immediately with chopped fresh parsley. Cut the remaining (uncooked) lemon slices into four wedges and use them to garnish the chicken.

According to most slow cooker recipes, you can just place the chicken thighs into the cooker. Still, I prefer to brown the chicken in a skillet, deglaze it, and then transfer it to the slow cooker. This adds color to the chicken and gives the dish a depth and complexity of flavor.

One of the great things about using a crock pot is that it makes everything so tender. Of course, you can use chicken breasts if you prefer. But since the chicken breasts tend to be drier, I recommend adding 1/4 cup of chicken broth to keep them juicy and flavorful.

If you do not have fresh rosemary at hand, you can use dried rosemary for this recipe. Remember to use only 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary (the conversion for fresh herbs to dried is 3:1). Also, fresh rosemary will deliver more flavor.

All slow cookers vary slightly. Your crock pot cooking time may vary somewhat from mine. If you know your slow cooker cooks lower/slower, you may want to increase the cooking time to 3.5 hours on low or 7 hours on high. In general, the cooking times for chicken thighs are as follows:

• Low 6 – 8 hours
• Medium 4 – 6 hours
• High 3 – 4 hours

If you prefer the sauce to be creamier, transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter and the sauce to a small pot. In a cup, stir 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water, add it to the sauce, and simmer until thickened.

Store any leftovers in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

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