A super easy Slow-Cooker Lemon Chicken recipe full of lemon flavor and tons of delicious garlic. No need for sides as the potatoes and veggies are cooked right in the crockpot with the bone-in chicken thighs.
Tried and loved by HUNDREDS of people. This recipe went mega-viral on social media and the feedback has been incredible.
There are days in the week where you have to have dinner ready within 15-20 minutes from the moment you enter the front door.
Of course, you can always make a fried egg and eat it with some bread but after a while, that can get pretty boring. Doesn’t a delicious Lemon Chicken sound so much better?
This is where our slow-cooker comes into the game. What an amazing tool this is!
This Crockpot Lemon Chicken recipe can be made in as little as 3 hours and up to 8 hours. Which makes it perfect for many different schedules. If you prefer rice over potatoes you may want to check out my Crockpot Chicken and Rice recipe instead.
Slow-Cooker Lemon Chicken Thighs
I know I will get this question so I’m going to address it right away: “Can I use Chicken Breasts?”
Well of course you “CAN”. The question though is if you should and for this specific Slow-Cooker Lemon Chicken recipe (and many others for that matter) I do not recommend it.
Here is why: Chicken breasts that are steamed or cooked for too long become incredibly dry. The only way to get around this is completely submerging them in sauce and making sure not to cook too long.
Bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs are much more forgiving. There is almost no way to overcook them. So I highly, highly recommend using those for this Crockpot Lemon Chicken.
You won’t regret it. I promise.
To address the fear of a soggy, leathery skin: yes, it will be soggy and leathery but you have two options once the chicken thighs are cooked through. Either remove and discard the skin. It will be super easy to remove at this point.
OR, place the chicken thighs on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes. The skin will crisp up super nicely and taste absolutely fantastic.
If you are concerned about the fat rendered into the lemon sauce due to the skin you can always pass the sauce through a fat separator. I love those things. They are perfect for ANY sauce.
Slow-Cooker Lemon Chicken And Potatoes
What you will probably love most about this recipe is that the sides are cooked right in the crockpot with the chicken.
Potatoes don’t need to be submerged in any liquid to cook through. You can place them all to one side or layer on top of the chicken.
The best potatoes to use are baby potatoes. They hold their shape the best. No need to peel them either because the skin is very soft and stays stuck on the potato halves as opposed to fall off and float around in the sauce.
If you want them crispy you can place them next to the chicken thighs on a baking sheet and also broil for 3-5 minutes. 3 minutes if you preheated the oven, 5 minutes if you didn’t.
I also like to add my veggies right into the pot, but at the end. Not for the whole cooking process. You risk vegetables becoming mush if you cook them for so long. The only vegetables that can withstand long cooking times are root vegetables.
You can use carrots or celery instead of asparagus if you prefer to cook everything in the crockpot from the beginning and be able to eat within 5 minutes of walking in through the front door.
I prefer fast cooking veggies that stay crispy though for some freshness and crunch in the meal.
Thin green asparagus cooks within 15-20 minutes max with the crockpot set on high. So it’s perfect as side for this Slow-Cooker Lemon Chicken.
Slow-Cooker Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 red onion
- 6-8 chicken thighs - bone in, skin on
- 1-1.5 lbs baby potatoes
- 1 lemon
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- sea salt
- pepper
- bunch thin green asparagus
Instructions
- Peel and slice red onion and add to the bottom of the slow cooker in one layer.
- Add chicken thighs on top in one layer.
- Wash and half baby potatoes and add to slow-cooker.
- In a small bowl mix zest of 1 lemon, juice of that same lemon, olive oil, honey, thyme, sea salt, pepper and finely chopped garlic and then pour over ingredients in slow cooker.
- Put lid on and secure, then set to high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours (depending on your schedule. 3 hours on high being the minimum and 4 the maximum and 6 hours being the minimum and 8 hours the maximum when set on low).
- 15-20 minutes before the time is over, set slow cooker to high and add asparagus on top and put lid back on. The thicker the asparagus, the longer it will take.
- optional but recommended: 5 minutes before the time is over, remove the chicken thighs, place on a baking sheet and put under the broiler on high for 3-5 minutes or until the skin is golden.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Mary says
Can this be frozen as it is just me but I love this. Thanks
Lorena says
Hi Mary! Yes, you can absolutely freeze it. It also stays good in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Becky says
I love this recipe! I have used boneless skinless thighs and did not find them to be dry at all…just very tender. Perhaps because I cook it on low? Anyway, I highly recommend!
Ken Loudon says
Placed the onion then chicken in the cooker; poured the lemon/honey mixture over top; then added the potatoes on top & seasoned them … the lemon chicken was more intensified & the potatoes retained their flavour with just a hint of the lemon
Dom says
Looks amazing! I was wondering if I can do this in a conventional or normal pot as my slow cooker broke.
Lorena says
I guess it would be possible, you might have to increase the liquid a little bit, as the regular pot will produce more evaporation unless you have a super tight-fitting lid for it. I’m not entirely sure Dom, I’m sorry.
Clarissa says
I prefer to have some extra juice leftover do you think it would work out if I doubled everything but the dry ingredients?
Lorena says
Yes, I think it’ll work perfectly fine.
Caroline says
Grrrrrrrrr out of lemons so I used a lime… wish me luck.
Lorena says
I’m sure it’ll taste just as amazing with limes :) Good luck!
Marci Berumen says
How did it turn out with the lime?
Alex says
Think it would work with an orange??? Also, no honey :( any substitute ideas??? Os since I’m using an orange how well do you think it’ll be?
Lorena says
Yes, I’m sure it’ll work with orange instead of lemon. The honey is mostly needed to balance out the sourness of the lemon. Since with an orange you won’t have the sourness you can simply leave it out. If it need a little sweetness you can sweeten it with any kind of sweetener. Sugar or maple syrup should both work fine.
Brenda says
Delicious! I love the fact that this is a clean recipe that I did not feel guilty eating or feeding my family . I love chicken skin and the last step of putting the thighs in the oven to crisp up the skin was perfect! My husband really enjoyed it too. It was perfect to put in the crockpot before church and have it almost ready by the time we got back, just in time for lunch! I will be making this again!
Lyn says
Cooking this now & bit concerned there’s not enough liquid in recipe. My slow cooker instructions say all food should be covered!
Lorena says
Hi Lyn, how did it turn out? I haven’t read the instructions. I cook stuff without hardly any liquid in it all the time. A sweet potato for example or spaghetti squash. Works every time.
Teresa says
Hi. This recipe looks and sounds yummy but (coming from a certain generation of fat-fobics) isn’t the saturated fat and cholesterol too high?
Lorena says
Hi Teresa, this all depends on what your general die looks like. I eat up to 70g of fat daily in my 1,800-calorie clean eating diet. It’s all clean though, hardly any refined carbohydrates and close to no sugar. I try to incorporate animal skin or cartilage in some way at least once a week for the benefits of the collagen. You can obviously also use a supplement instead. I’m always for trying to get as much as possible in through food.
Jo says
I never leave comments or reviews but just have to as I love this recipe. I have made it three times now and it’s amazing. I love it because it’s simple, quick but very very tasty. Can’t wait to share it and cook it for a crowd!
I saw the question about whether it would work without the skin. The first time I did it I bought (by mistake) skinless boneless thighs and I cooked it in the slow cooker. It was lovely, really tasty. The only thing I will say is that it didn’t look that attractive – thigh meat can look a little grey – but who cares what it looks like eh? The taste was amazing.
I have also done this recipe as a tray bake today actually. I poured the mixture over the thighs, part baked the spuds then coated them in the remaining mixture and baked. I steamed the asparagus and then placed them on top for the last 5 mins in the oven. Amazing. Love it! Thank you!!
Lorena says
WOW!!! Thank you so so so much for taking the time to leave such a wonderful comment Jo! I really really appreciate it. It’s comments like yours that keep me going. I love when people try my recipes and like them. It fills my heart!
Donna says
Do you think it will taste as good without the skin on the chicken?
Lorena says
I think it’ll be fine. I prefer to leave it on to avoid the chicken from drying out but considering there is quite a bit of sauce in the bottom you can always pour all that sauce over the chicken in the end if you don’t like the fat in the sauce. Another way to avoid fatty sauces but keeping the skin on is investing in a “fat separator”. Those things are amazing, you just pour the sauce in the fat separator and pour it right out without the fat :)
Terri says
I made this last night….So Amazing, my husband loved it
Lorena says
I’m so happy you liked it Terri :D
Denise Jordan says
Can I put this together the nite before?
Lorena says
Yes and no. You could prep the chicken and sauce and onions without a problem at all. The potatoes would however brown once you cut them up. If you can find very small baby potatoes you don’t have to cut them in half. In this case you could prep everything the night before in a sealable container and store in the fridge overnight.
Lora Hyatt says
Wish this was converted for IP
Lorena says
Working on it ;)
Melanie says
I can’t wait to try this! Big fan of slow cooker recipes!
Lorena says
You will love it!!!