Here’s one of the easiest and tastiest chicken recipes you’ll ever make! This Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken is tender, juicy, and so flavorful. It makes an amazing sauce that loves to be poured over rice or mashed potatoes.
Hi there. It’s been a minute, I know. Please excuse me as I dust off the cobwebs and shoo away the crickets. My summer sabbatical was unplanned and unintentional. One minute I was making a list of warm weather recipes to share with you and the next minute, it was August. It’s been a blur and I’m feeling a little swept away, but more about my summer later. Right now, I’m hungry and determined to get my food groove back on. Are you with me?
This Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken was one of two amazing recipes that I discovered this summer. The other was a perfect apple galette that I promise to share soon. I made this chicken four times in one month and each time, my girls and my husband swooned over it. It’s earned a place in our meal rotation, not only because it’s 100% delicious, but also (and especially) because it’s so easy to make.
Whether you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed because of back to school madness or just struggling to find more free time in your 9 to 5, this recipe is here to help. It has simple ingredients and 5-10 minutes of prep. Make sure you use skinless, bone-in chicken thighs. Leaving the skin on results in a very greasy sauce with less flavor (I made that mistake). You probably already have the rest of the ingredients in your pantry, aside from maybe fresh thyme sprigs and a couple of lemons. Spices you’ll need – oregano, granulated garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper.
I usually try to take step-by-step pictures of each recipe to give you a good visual, but this one is so darn easy that all I had were these two before and after shots. By the way, you see that fresh thyme? Please don’t leave it out. That, along with the fresh lemon, is what makes this recipe a winner winner chicken dinner. Anyway, it all goes into a slow cooker with a little extra-virgin olive oil and 4 to 6 hours later…pure magic.
Sometimes, foods can taste a bit washed out after being in a slow cooker for many hours. This usually happens when foods are cooked in too much liquid. The solution (as this recipe shows) is to use only a very small amount. Here, the chicken releases most of the liquid needed. The only other ones used are 1/4 cup each of lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil.
I love finding recipes that are both delicious and effortless. Plus, I happen to be a big fan of saucy foods that I can spoon over rice. I’m pretty confident you’ll like this one. This Lemon Chicken is juicy, tender, and full of flavor. One taste and I knew I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!
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Slow Cooker Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken
One of the easiest and tastiest chicken recipes you'll ever make! This Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken is tender, juicy, and so flavorful. It makes an amazing sauce that loves to be poured over rice or mashed potatoes.
- 8 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic (garlic powder)
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (you will need about 2 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, coarsely chopped (optional)
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Prep: Trim any fat or remaining skin off of chicken thighs. Grate 1 teaspoon lemon zest from lemons and reserve for later (after chicken is cooked). Juice lemons until 1/4 cup juice is obtained.
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Add chicken, oil, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, and garlic to slow cooker and toss until chicken is well coated with spices. Nestle thyme sprigs into chicken mixture. Add lemon juice, taking care not to wash spices from top of chicken. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low.
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Discard thyme sprigs. Transfer chicken to serving dish. Stir in reserved 1 teaspoon lemon zest and parsley (if using) into sauce in slow cooker, then spoon sauce over chicken.
Recipe adapted from Cook’s Country magazine
Really delicious and super easy!!!
Thanks Blanca
Hi Michelle. I’m so glad you tried it & liked it 🙂 It’s a big hit at our house too!
I highly recommend this recipe. It is super easy and tastes amazing! Perfect for a busy day. We have lots of busy days, so I’ll be making this dinner all the time at my house!
Yes, so great for busy days! Thank you for making it. Happy you and the family liked it so much.
All I can say is WOW. This chicken is the most tender and flavorful chicken I have ever tasted. Extremely easy to prepare and make. Everyone in my house is has been raving about the refreshingly zesty yet savory flavor. The lemon is not overpowering but the sauce is an essential and amazing component of this recipe. I will be making this tasty dish much more often! Thank you!
This is a very tasty recipe. Surprisingly very simple and quick to prepare. When my household made this dish, we took some creative license and veered from the original recipe in the following ways: we cooked this in a Instant Pot (on the “meat/stew“ mode, “normal“ juiciness) and used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of bone-in chicken. The chicken turned out very moist and the sauce, which essentially consists of lemon juice and olive oil, was incredible. We served the chicken over brown basmati rice which did a great job absorbing the sauce and brought extra flavor into every bite. This recipe will became a staple for our house.
My best friend just showed me her creations know her fur 18 years ! She’s the best cook in the world I can’t wait to try this ! Will be bs me with my reviews and guaranteed its 5 star ! You will never be disappointed in her recipes !
Sorry typo “for “ and “I’ll be back” lol
Thank you! Hope you give this one a try. It is SO good! xo
I made this with skinless boneless chicken breast and it was to die for ! So good and tender. Love ❤️
Great recipe! I accidentally got boneless thighs and still good !
Second time making it this month! We loveee this recipe and even more so loveee how easy it is to cook!!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it, Alex! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
This was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except I didn’t have fresh thyme so I substituted 1 tsp dried thyme. The chicken was so flavorful and tender. The olive oil and lemon juice created the perfect cooking liquid–much better than chicken broth that so many crockpot recipes tend to use. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Sue! So happy to hear you enjoyed it so much. I really love how simple this one is 😉
Can you clarify the instruction – Add lemon juice, taking care not to wash spices from top of chicken. Are you suggesting that you pour the lemon juice into the crock pot bottom without touching the chicken? So then only the chicken at the bottom will be in contact with the lemon juice?
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