I got my first taste of Greek food when I was just a wee-one while living near Tarpon Springs, FL. With one of the largest populations of Greek Americans in the U.S., its no surprise that you can find incredible authentic Greek cuisine on nearly every street you visit there.
And although technically speaking, this is a pretty Americanized Slow-Cooker Greek Chicken recipe, the seasoning used is fairly traditional and really does give it a burst of Greek flavor that makes this dish so rich and satisfying. In fact, I recommend doubling or tripling the Greek seasoning mix and keeping it on hand for creating other tasty dishes.
For example, Greek seasoning makes a flavorful addition to burgers and grilled meats. Simply add it to your favorite meat and fire-up the grill for a quick and delicious dinner! Or add it to thick whole milk or coconut milk Greek-style yogurt to create a delicious spicy dip perfect for enjoying your favorite raw veggies.
I typically serve this over basmati rice for my family, but for those of you who are grain-free like me, it’s wonderful over seasoned cauliflower rice. And for those on a non-legume grain-free diet, you can omit the white beans and it’s just as wonderful!
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed and sliced
- 3 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (approx. 1 lemon)
- 15oz. fire-roasted tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
- 2 cups soaked & cooked white beans (*omit for Whole30, or if legume-free*)
- Optional: Lemon slices and crumbled goat cheese for serving
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp each of onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, thyme and sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
- Lightly coat the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker with olive oil or coconut oil.
- In a small bowl, combine the Greek Seasoning Mix ingredients. Evenly distribute the seasoning mix among the chicken thighs by sprinkling both sides of each thigh with the seasoning mix.
- Place chopped onion and garlic in bottom of slow cooker. Then arrange the seasoned chicken thighs over the onions and drizzle the lemon juice across the top.
- Evenly spoon the tomatoes and olives on top of each chicken thigh.
- Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
- During the last 30 minutes of cooking time, carefully remove the chicken thighs (tongs work best) and place on a platter. Stir in the beans, if using – otherwise, skip this step. Then carefully add the chicken back to the crockpot and continue cooking.
- When ready to serve, place about a half-cup of rice or grain-free cauliflower rice on each plate, if desired. Then place the chicken thighs over the rice with a large ladle or two of the white bean mixture. Garnish with lemon wedges and crumbled goat cheese, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
I recommend doubling or tripling the Greek seasoning mix in this recipe and keeping it on hand for creating other tasty dishes. For example, Greek seasoning makes a flavorful addition to burgers and grilled meats. Simply add it to your favorite meat and fire-up the grill for a quick and delicious dinner!
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Thank you so much for this recipe! I got it in my inbox this morning and it already in the crock pot! Thankfully I had thawed some chicken leg quarters for another recipe, so I used those and cut the legs away from the thighs. It smelled amazing to when I put it in the crock pot – can’t wait to smell it when it’s done! I used a half-cup of kalamata olives because I think that’s what you intended, but there’s no measurement in the recipe. Just thought you’d like to know! Thanks again! Many blessings on your ministry to families. 🙂
What would I do without awesome friends like you??? Thank you so much for letting me know I forget to add the word “cup” – you guessed right! I just fixed the recipe. Truly appreciate you taking the time to send me a note. You are a blessing! I realize that I also forgot to make a note that it’s great topped with a little crumbled feta cheese – Yum! I hope you enjoy this as much as we do! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Oh yum – feta! Love feta. Thanks for the great idea!
Looks delicious Kelly! We love Greek and my husband would probably eat this over couscous. Have a great day!! ~Tiff
Thanks, Tiff. You too, sweet friend! 🙂
For it in the crockpot now! I wonder if you could adjust to use dried/soaked beans to soak up more flavor. Seems line it will be a pain to remove the chicken to add the beans later just to warm them.
Hi, Jen. You could certainly warm the beans on the stovetop. Or just toss them into the crockpot and not remove the chicken. I just removed it because I wanted to keep the chicken looking pretty. It’s all in the presentation – LOL!
As far as using dried (soaked) beans, I haven’t tried putting soaked beans in at the start. My concern is the lack of liquid at the start, so the recipe would need some adjusting to see if that would work. Lots of blessings, Kelly 🙂
It sure does smell amazing in my house right now! My concern was the chicken NOT looking pretty after trying to fish them out, the thighs are packed tightly in there. 🙂
I echo your concern about lack of liquid using soaked beans…I will surely be experimenting with that, as beans are SOO much more flavorful when cooked in yummy juices.
Did you toss the beans on top? You have me totally curious about adding soaked dry beans. I wonder if a 1/4 cup of chicken stock to start would be a great way to get some moisture in the crockpot right away until the onions can cook down a bit. Hmmm! May have to try that next time around. 🙂
Mmm this was so delicious! Reminded me of a chicken cacciatore – Greek style. 🙂 I do think 1/3 to 1/2 cup stock may actually work with (overnight) soaked beans, as there was plenty of extra juice. Thanks for a great dinner!!
yay! glad you enjoyed it. great observations. appreciate your feedback! 🙂 thanks again!
I just found your webpage and I’m excited so try so many wonderful recipes. Where do you get your ideas from? Do you have any calorie count? When you cook do you have your recipes printed or are they on your computer. I printed all the recipes last week and it took for ever. Just wondered how your followers do it. Thanks for the meal planning.
Hi, Deanne. Welcome to The Nourishing Home. I do not have a calorie counting program as that practice is not really what the real food lifestyle is about. But if you’d like to get a calorie count, there are online programs that allow you to type in ingredients to calculate the calories of a recipe. Here’s an example: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Regarding ideas for accessing recipes, I have a print function on the site so people can print the recipes if they’d like, since many want to have hard copies. But you’ll also notice there is a save button there as well. In addition, you can create a recipe box through Ziplist – http://www.ziplist.com/recipes/box – a free online system where you can collect and organize all your favorite online recipes. That way you can just go online to your Ziplist recipe box and find the recipe you need and work from your computer or print it.
Personally I created a Master List of Meals as a Word document on my computer with just the name of my favorite recipes with the hyperlinks to them, so I can just click on the link to get to the recipe. This is a fast option and since I like using my computer while I cook, works for me. http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/03/mastering-meal-planning/
Hope this helps. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
A couple questions:
1) I only have 3 large chicken breasts. Can I use those? If yes, do you recommend any changes in preparation or cooking time/temp?
2) Do I drain the olive juice or include it? (mine were from a jar)
3) Do I drain the bean juice or include it? (mine were from a can)
4) The only liquid is the thin coat of oil, should I add some chicken stock to cover the breasts a bit?
Thanks!
Hi, Stephanie. As noted in the recipe, you want to be sure to drain canned beans if you’re using them and just use the olives, halved (don’t include the liquid). With slow cooking, you do not need much liquid at all and there will be plenty of liquid as the tomatoes, onions, etc. cook down. As far as the chicken breasts, I am assuming you are talking about boneless, skinless breasts. If so, these will cook much faster than bone-in chicken. Since I created this recipe using bone-in breasts, I can’t give an exact cook time, but I would start checking the breasts every half hour or so at about the 2-3 mark. I cannot guarantee results, since again this recipe was created using bone-in chicken. 🙂 Blessings, Kelly
One more thing. Is there any way to add the rice to the slow cooker to save me a step? If yes, how and when?
I haven’t added rice to this and it would require more cooking liquid if rice is involved, so that would be something you’d need to experiment with, as would using dry beans in place of precooked.
I tried this recipe tonight and everyone loved it. I mentioned to my kids that I had tried a new recipe, and my 4 year old said, “Well, you did good, Mama!”
That is so precious! Thank you, Susan, for taking the time to share. I just love hearing from you and your little one. Good job in reinforcing to your little one that new foods are fun and delicious to try! 🙂
Hi there, I made this last night and really liked it. It made sooooo much though! I miscalculated the weight on my thighs. Mine were boneless but I still put in 3 lbs. So, yea, I have a TON leftover.
My question is what can I transform this into. I do not foresee my family being crazy about the leftovers. I really don’t want to waste.
Help me be creative so I can save money 🙂
Thanks
The easiest solution would be to use it in soup. Just add it at the end of the cook time to warm it with the soup. Really any soup recipe would work from veggie soup to chicken soup – even chili. Hope this helps! Glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂