Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs

Slow cooker lemon garlic chicken thighs are simmered in a buttery sauce that is perfect for spooning over rice and vegetables. Low carb and gluten-free. Assemble ahead and freeze as a freezer crockpot meal!

The slow cooker is such a great appliance to lean on when you're working from home, or in the middle of a busy season. Easy dinners like crockpot salsa chicken and slow cooker honey lime shredded chicken sandwiches come in so handy!

Another of our faves are these slow cooker lemon garlic chicken thighs. I mean...is there any better flavor combo than lemon and garlic? How about if we throw a little butter in there? Am I speaking your love language yet? ♡

Because it is a 'no saute' slow cooker recipe, it takes only 10 minutes to get it on to cook, and you can even assemble your ingredients ahead and freeze as a freezer crockpot meal.

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Recipe video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this recipe. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Ingredient notes

• chicken- while this recipe is written for boneless skinless chicken thighs, you could easily swap in chicken breasts. Reduce the cook time to 4 hours on low. I do recommend sticking to skinless chicken as the fat from the chicken skin would make the sauce too fatty.
• bouillon- for this recipe, we skip the sauté step, but to make up for the extra flavor that this gives, we instead add some chicken stock concentrate- I highly recommend a concentrate (like better than bouillon) versus the powdered bouillon
• butter- to add a creamy, luxurious texture to the sauce, we add a few tablespoons of butter. You could use salted or unsalted.
• wine- the white wine adds depth to the sauce, but if you are worried about the alcohol content, you could omit it.
• lemon- we cook the chicken in the zest only, adding the juice just before serving. This helps keep the lemon flavors light and bright, and prevents it from getting sour while cooking.

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Step by step directions

1. Assemble- In the insert of a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker, combine the garlic, salt, basil, lemon zest, chicken stock, chicken stock concentrate and wine. Stir until well combined, then add the chicken thighs. Turn to coat in the sauce, then scatter butter cubes evenly over.

NOTE- For a full batch, I love this 6 quart slow cooker. For a half batch, I recommend using a small 2.5 quart slow cooker.

2. Cook- Set the slow cooker to cook on the lowest setting for 4 hours.

TIP- all slow cookers vary slightly, so if you know your slow cooker cooks lower/slower, you may want to increase the cook time to 5 hours.

3. The finishing touches- Just before serving, stir in the juice of half a lemon, garnish with extra lemon slices, and fresh parsley.

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FAQ

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Serve it with

• Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic Butter
• Crispy Grilled Potatoes
• 7 Easy Rice Recipes
• 7 Cauliflower Rice Recipes
• Staple Kale Salad

Meal prep & storage

This recipe works great for meal prep using two different strategies:

Reheat meals

1. Cook the chicken fully through, then portion out with rice and steamed vegetables.
2. Cool completely, then refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
3. Reheat until steaming hot in the microwave.

Crockpot freezer meal

A crock pot freezer meal is assembled ahead and frozen before cooking. This way, when it’s time to cook, you simply dump the ingredients into the slow cooker and skip any measuring. This is a great recipe to prepare for someone who is expecting a baby.

Here’s how you can turn this recipe into a freezer meal:

1. Assemble the boneless skinless chicken thighs plus all remaining ingredients (except for fresh lemon juice, lemon slices & parsley) in a gallon-sized freezer bag, reusable silicone bag, or meal prep container.
2. Squeeze out as much air as possible.
3. Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
4. Thaw completely, then cook as directed in the recipe card.

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