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
Thomas says
Do you have specific directions for doubling the recipe to serve 6-8? We have a larger family & this seems like a perfect family dinner. Many thanks!!
Lorena says
Hi Thomas, this is an easy recipe to simply double. Double each individual ingredient and follow the directions. It will work just fine :)
Kathy says
Yes multiple by 2 this will double the recipe.
Bree says
Hi I was wondering if I could prepare it all in the crock pot the night before and put it in the fridge then in the morning take out and put in the warming part? Or is it not good to let it all sit over night?
Lorena says
You can definitely do that Bree. Great idea! Make sure you put the lid on when you place the bowl in the fridge.
Nancy says
Can you use frozen boneless /skinless chicken breasts?
Lorena says
Hi Nancy, I don’t’ recommend it. Chicken breasts dry out terribly in my opinion. They are best reserved for pan-frying or baking. I only use chicken breast for soups or soupy stews and even then I prefer thighs.
Andy says
Perfect. My wife has a weird thing where she can only eat super dried out chicken. Good to know breasts will dry out – looks like I’ll be using half thighs, half breasts.
Lorena says
looool. I’m glad you found the perfect solution for your family.
Susan Bethune says
This recipe looks delicious, I can’t tolerate oils well. I was wondering if melted butter would work instead of olive oil or if you could suggest something else? Thank you!
Lorena says
Absolutely! Butter will work perfectly in this recipe.
Soumaya says
Hello well i don’t have a slow cooker, how can i cook this recipe instead?
Lorena says
You can also make it in the Instant Pot :)
Maggie says
What about a Dutch oven in the oven? I bet you could do it in a skillet at well
Lorena says
Absolutely! Both works.
Kathy says
You can still cook it in your oven 350 degrees pan a baking dish add lay out everything as shown here. Cover the pan with foil and bake your meal Do keep a close eye on the food and test for fineness of your ckickenat 45
minutes. Carefully pull the foil off because steam will burn you. Add the asparagus at this time recover the food and return it to your oven. Checking again in about 20 minutes for doneness. Fork tender veggies ,and no red meat whatsoever on the chicken thighs. Yum I bet pork chops would be great cooked this way
sharon byrd says
can you use chicken breast or legs in place of thighs in slow cooker lemon chicken recipe
sharon byrd says
can i use breast or legs in this recipe? and what does nc stand for
Lorena says
Hi Sharon, legs work well, breasts not so much. Dark chicken meat is way more forgiving than white chicken meat. Breasts dry out easily. I’m not sure what you are referring to with “nc”? Where does it say nc?
Heather says
Yummy 😋
I would like to try with with chicken breasts like someone else did and take them out early. I love the how the thighs turned out and my hubby ate them but dark meat is not his favorite. It’s a great recipe,
Abuela says
Did you brown the chicken before placing it in the slow cooker?
Lorena says
No, I didn’t. I broiled it after as instructed in the recipe card.
Kate says
Was the nutritional information for a serving or the entire recipe? How many servings does it make?
I can’t wait to make it!
Lorena says
It makes 4 servings (in the recipe card right after prep times it always says the number of servings) and the calories are always automatically calculated for 1 serving :)
McKenzie says
Can I use frozen chicken thighs or should I thaw them first?
Lorena says
From what I’ve read, it’s not safe to add frozen chicken thighs unless completely submerged in liquid. I recommend thawing in the fridge overnight first.
Kira says
i used breasts..which I prefer…and it came out great. At 3.5 hrs on high, I turned them over to ensure juicy chix. Deeeeeelicious!!
Chrissie says
Wondering what you could sub the lemon with? Can’t do citrus.
Lorena says
I’m afraid you’ll have to leave it out completely then. Orange works well, too but since you can’t have citrus that’s obviously not an option really. Maybe just replace the liquid with some chicken stock. You’ll need a bit more seasoning on the chicken though probably.
Kathy says
I reccomend using lemon extract to taste. However you may also want to add apple cider vinegar for the acid. You could leave out citrus completely and substitute the apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice. If it to start add a teaspoon of white sugar to balance it.
Char says
Made it for the first time and we loved it. It was so tasty. Used green beans. Will definitely make it again !!!
Lorena says
YAY!
Gwen says
Can you substitute a different vegetable in place of the asparagus? Otherwise, it sounds really good.
Lorena says
Yes, you can easily use green beans or broccoli instead.
Sunita says
Why should we not lock the lid to slow cooker
Lorena says
The instruction manual suggests you risk the lid breaking if you lock it while cooking.
Sarah says
This looks amazing! Does the calorie count include a serving of potatoes? Thank you for sharing?
Lorena says
Hi Sarah, yes, it includes a serving of potatoes. Most food bloggers will have plugins that calculate nutritional information automatically because few of us are nutritionists and able to calculate that on our own. All those calculators base their calculations off of the ingredients listed in the recipe card and the number of servings listed.
Sterling says
Hello! I’m making this right now, but did want to call out that in your video you are shown locking the slow cooker, but I researched that it should NOT be locked while cooking. Here’s a website that explains: https :// www. thekitchn. com/slow-cooker-lid-latch-safety-258576
Lorena says
Hi :) Yes, I know. Several people made me aware of it in the comments and I went ahead and read the instruction manual then. I stopped locking the lid from then on. I had no idea. Thank you for the info :)