Mediterranean flavors enhance this easy, healthy and super flavorful chicken recipe. Use your preferred cut of chicken whether it be thighs, legs, or boneless chicken breast.
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Mediterranean food is up there with Thai and Indian when it comes to favorite cuisines. I love the flavors from the spices and fresh ingredients used in Mediterranean cooking. I tried to encompass as much of that as I could here. I made this up on a whim through trial and error years ago as a baked recipe. It’s evolved over time and honestly I still change it up a little bit every time I make it. For example I only had one can of garbanzo beans last time so I made it with one rather than two.
In my opinion, this recipe is all about the seasonings, lemon juice, oil combo. Nothing fancy here, you probably already have all if not most of the spices (paprika, coriander, oregano, cumin, curry powder, chili pepper, salt) in your pantry. The flavors cook together nicely while both the garbanzo beans and tomatoes.
I’ve made this with every cut of chicken and I promise you they all work. Chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on or boneless, skinless) legs, thighs (bone-in, skin-on or boneless, skinless) whatever your preference is, use it. I have even used a whole chicken before! If you choose to use white meat like chicken breasts then reduce the cooking time by an hour or so to ensure it doesn’t dry out.
before
Recipe as-is, I use a 6-quart slow cooker. If you cut the recipe in half using only 1 lb of chicken then you can use a 3.5-quart slow cooker. I know this won’t look like enough sauce when it starts cooking but trust me, it is.
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Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 lbs chicken (thighs,legs, breasts)
- 1 medium lemon, sliced
- 2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes, sliced or whole
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp oil (I used avocado oil)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Handful of fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- Add chicken to slow cooker.
- Mix together remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour mixture into the slow cooker & stir to mi well.
- Cook HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6 (or until your cut of chicken is done)
I like to serve this with a simple salad and a side of couscous or rice.
after
Here it is with boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
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Has anyone modified this to do in the instant pot?
Made this last night and it turned out pretty good. My first time trying curry. I did reduce the lemon juice and cut up half a lime to throw in instead of the lemon (that’s what was on hand). Added half a white onion too (just to use it up). Served with couscous. Boyfriend went back for seconds.
It’s in the slow cooker right now. I can’t wait to try it. It smells amazing!! Thank you!!
Excellent recipe. It turned out delicious. I used sun dried tomatoes instead of the fresh. Also, swapped out coriander with grains of paradise. We also added some zucchini during the last hour of cooking.
Big hit…took it to a party for a shared dish. Doubled the recipe and added canned tomatoes as well. I’d be interested in more of a spicy flavor for my own personal pallet, but it was a crowd pleaser. Any suggestions on appropriate added spice?
I love this! Going to try it out today. Am not a big fan of conserved foods though, could I use dried garbanzos?
Yes you can but they will need to be pre-soaked. Enjoy!
Can this be made in a pressure cooker (i.e. Instant Pot.)?
This is so delicious even my picky husband loved it. So much flavor.
I love your modifications! Thank you so much for sharing!
Why is the calorie count so high? When I view the recipe on the app, it says that it is 960 calories?
I used a can of diced tomatoes because I didn’t have fresh. Also added in some sliced kalamata olives and some capers. Came out delicious. Next time I will cut the lemon rinds off the slices beforehand, as I think they leave a bitter taste. I had to fish them out and discard.
This has become a family favorite. So much so that I have started buying ingredients to make several batches. I make several freezer bags full of all the raw ingredients and then just dump a bag in the crockpot the day we want it.
I love hearing that!! Thank you so much for the positive feedback. Most people don’t realize it makes a great freezer meal:-)
Do you need to thaw the frozen ingredients before placing into the slow cooker? If frozen, do you need to cook longer? Thank you!!
I have not made this from frozen so unfortunately I cannot speak to how the dish would turn out. In theory I would think it would work but I cannot say for sure.
Okay. Thanks. 😃
Not a fan of garbanzo beans…alternative add ins?
I would try pinto beans or even lentils. Lentils won’t have the same taste or texture as chickpeas, but they will work just as well.
I would think black beans would work. That’s what I’m going to try. Or maybe chickpeas??
Chickpeas are in the recipe. They’re the same thing as garbanzo beans:-) You can use black beans but it’s it will completely change the dish. It will no longer be ‘Mediterranean’ Chicken. Enjoy!
Could you use great white Northern beans? Not a fan of chickpeas.
Could you use great Nothern white beans? Not a fan of chickpeas.
I would imagine so but I haven’t tried it so I can’t speak to how it will taste.
This looks amazing. I bought all ingredients and I’m wondering if the cilantro is added at the end as a garnish?
Correct that’s cilantro. I really used it for added color:-) You can use cilantro, parsley, etc. Enjoy!
I think she’s asking if it’s added afterwards. I put it in beforehand because the instructions say to add all ingredients into the crockpot.
Everything is together and set to go….just realized my crockpot is at work! Dutch oven?
This was great! I thought the chicken might get over cooked if I put it on the bottom of the crockpot so I added a pound of baby carrots and my dad said “I don’t usually like carrots but these were really good”, who knew ! I’ll make a couple changes next time as it was a little dry, but, I made this for my elderly parents and they want it again. !!!! Thank You ! For the great recipe. I’ve saved your site to my favorites now !
Thank you so much for the positive feedback! Adding carrots is an excellent idea, I think I’ll give that a try next time. xShannon
Slice an onion and put the chicken on the onion
Great idea!
what provides the liquid in this recipe for the slow cooker?
No added liquid. What you see in the finished product is what was released while cooking from the food & condensation. I understand not using a liquid makes some people uneasy so you can add 1/4 cup low-sodium broth or even water if you like.
I enjoyed this, the chicken was very good. Is chili pepper powder the same as chili powder?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yes, it is the same ingredient.
I’ve been looking for a quick and easy Greek recipe. Trying this one out right now ????
I hope you enjoyed it! How did it turn out??
This looks amazing. Can you use other types of chicken parts, such as drumsticks?
Absolutely! I try to switch it up when I make this. You can pretty much use any part of the chicken: legs, thighs, breast, bone-in, boneless, skin-on, skin-off, etc. Enjoy!
I’m so excited to make this! If I use chicken breast, should I cut it up in smaller pieces?
I’m excited for you to try it! Cutting the chicken into smaller pieces is not necessary, you can leave it whole if you like. Cook time remains the same. Enjoy!
Hi,
Sounds delicious. If I were to make this a freezer meal could I mix it all together then freeze it before cooking?
Yup. You mix everything up raw, freeze and you’re all set. Enjoy! xShannon
Can the dish be served with new potatoes? Would it work to add black olives to the chicken dish?
Absolutely! Feel free to through 1/2-3/4 lbs of potatoes on in there. Feel free to use black olives as well!
Can this be used as a freezer meal?
Hi Sara,
Absolutely. This is great as a freezer meal. Enjoy!
I was out of fresh lemons so I substituted preserved lemons and it was so delicious. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
That sounds like a delicious substitute! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Actually, Susan, I think your addition makes the recipe even more authentically Mediterranean. Good move!
What do you serve this with?
I like to serve this with couscous but it’s also good over brown rice or mashed cauliflower/cauliflower rice.
Just put this in the slow cooker……Will let ya know in 6 to 8 hours what we think!
Please do. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Don’t you add some liquid like stock? The picture of the end product looks so juicy!
Nope, no liquid needed. The juice from the chicken will be enough:-)