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
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Shann says
Can boneless chicken breasts be used for this, and would it change the cooking times or anything?
Lorena Grater says
I don’t recommend breasts because they dry out with long low temperature cooking but others have tried it and reported it still tasted good to them. They made no changes.
Donna says
Can I use boneless skinless chicken breast?
Lorena Grater says
I find it dries out a lot. I don’t like slow-cooking chicken breast. However, others have reported they used chicken breast and it turned out great. I guess it depends on how you like your chicken :)
Ruth says
Can I do this with a pot not a slow cooker? And just leave it go on low heat all night?
Lorena Grater says
It’s not recommended to leave the stove on while you’re sleeping and can’t keep an eye on it. Here I have a very similar oven version, that’s better than using the stove: https://greenhealthycooking.com/rosemary-lemon-chicken/
Racjel says
This was bland and greasy. Awful. Will never make again.
Lorena Grater says
I am so surprised to read that. Most people love it. Did you season it well. “Blandness” is basically a lack of salt and pepper. I purposefully never suggest an exact amount because everybody’s taste for salt and pepper is different. Did you put the chicken under the broiler at the end? The skin only becomes crispy if put under the broiler. Else it’s soft and can definitely be perceived as greasy.
Sonia S says
It was so good! I made it exactly how the recipe says. Everything was cooked perfectly. According to my husband the potatoes were the best part. I loved the asparagus. The lemon wasn’t overwhelming either which was nice. I was hoping for left overs but there wasn’t any left. It was that good. This recipe is a keeper.
Cali Drew says
I made this recipe and my family and I did not enjoy it. The chicken came out dry and with barely any flavor besides garlic. The potatoes also were still hard when the timer was done. We cooked it for the correct time and temperature, but it definitely didn’t meet our expectations.
Lorena Grater says
I am so sorry to hear that. What brand of slow-cooker do you have if I may ask? And did you use bone-in chicken thighs and small baby potatoes? Did you cook on low or on high and for how long exactly? What surprises me the most is that you write your chicken was dry and potatoes not cooked through. That doesn’t make much sense because if the chicken was too dry it must have been cooked for too long but then the potatoes wouldn’t be hard. It would all just make sense if you used chicken breast maybe and regular-sized potatoes?
Lauren says
Should the chicken be covered completely with liquid?
Lorena Grater says
No, it doesn’t have to be. The steam that builds in the pot is enough to cook it in such a long time.
Cathy says
I loved the flavors and I used skin boneless thighs. My potatoes didn’t come out like the pictures you showed. They came out really brown not golden. They were still good but visual entices people to eat. I cooked it for the appropriate time my hubby turned it off. Do you know why this happened? I’m definitely going to make this again it was delicious!
Lorena Grater says
Brown as in burnt? The only thing I can think of is that maybe your potatoes were much smaller than mine or that your slow-cooker cooks on higher temperature than mine? I’m not sure why yours burnt. I’ve made this recipe several times and they’ve never burnt but I suggest you check at the 3/4 time mark next time just to make sure.
Joan A. says
We are in the middle of a snow storm so I can’t go to the store — I have all the ingredients except baby potatoes. Can I use my russets and maybe cut them into quarters? This way they would be about the size of 1/2 of a baby potato.
Lorena Grater says
I haven’t tried myself but I would assume it would even work with just halved russet potatoes.
Joan A. says
Thank you!
Ally says
Can I use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe?
Lorena Grater says
Yes, it works, too.
Candice says
This looks so delicious! How much salt do you use? Sorry if I missed this.
Lorena Grater says
Salt is super subjective. You’ll have to add to taste. I stopped giving measurements because no matter what measurement I added it was always way too much for some and at the same time way too little for others. It all depends what level of saltiness you are used to.
Samantha Dalton says
Hi! So excited to try this. I have a bag of Trader Joe’s frozen fine green beans. Could I use these instead of the asparagus?
If so, what would be the steps? Thank you so much and I have had a blast exploring all of your recipes! I have never been good at cooking chicken (raw chicken actually makes me break out into a rash), so these easy recipes are so, so helpful! Thank you. :)
Sam
Lorena Grater says
Yes! French beans work perfectly and you wouldn’t have to adapt the recipe at all. Just follow the steps exactly the same replacing the asparagus with the beans.
Jaime Weaver says
I have tried this I love it I have made it a few times! Yummy 😋 and healthy love love love it!
Rocio says
Can you make this recipe in the instant pot? Slow cooker mode?
Lorena Grater says
Yes. https://greenhealthycooking.com/instant-pot-lemon-chicken/
Amanda Lloyd says
Can you freeze this meal?
Lorena Grater says
Yes!!! It freezes fantastic. The potatoes do suffer a tiny bit but not too bad.