Mediterranean Crock Pot Chicken Thighs are slow-cooked with tomatoes and olives and garnished with feta for an easy dinner that is ready when you get home!
Crock pots are amazing for winter dishes, but they’re also great during warm weather months too! They keep your kitchen cool and give you more time outside with the family.
These Mediterranean Crock Pot Chicken Thighs are a year-round slow cooker staple for us. I flip flop between this recipe and my husband’s favorite slow cooker chicken when I want to let dinner simmer all day while we’re at the pool or the playground.
MEDITERRANEAN CROCK POT CHICKEN THIGHS
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For this crock pot chicken thigh recipe, I use bone-in chicken thighs with the skin on. They have so much more flavor than the boneless skinless thighs. That being said, you can also use chicken breasts for this recipe if you like. Sometimes it’s about raiding the freezer, you know?
This recipe does take a few minutes of stovetop cooking to brown the chicken and cook the onions, but all the flavor it adds is totally worth the extra cooking time.
This slow cooker chicken thigh recipe screams Mediterranean flare with the crushed tomatoes, Kalamata olives, white wine, and feta cheese. This chicken is so good you’ll think you’re on vacation every time you taste it!
Ingredients for Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Yellow onion
- Dry white wine – such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Kalamata olives
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh oregano
- Feta cheese – Don’t have feta? Try parmesan cheese!
With less than 15 minutes of prep time before everything goes into the slow cooker, this Mediterranean-inspired dish is as quick as it is easy.
How to make Mediterranean Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
- Start by heating a large skillet over medium heat and add some olive oil to the pan. Season chicken thighs all over with a teaspoon of salt.
- Then you’ll place thighs into the pan, skin side down. Brown the on each side until it’s crispy, about 3-5 minutes total. After the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and set it aside for now. Browning the chicken gives it so much extra flavor!
- Next, add onions to the same pan the chicken was in and cook them for 2 minutes. Then, add in the white wine to deglaze it. Cook the onions on high heat until the liquid in the pan is reduced by half.
- Now it’s time to put everything together. Add the onion/wine mixture, crushed tomatoes, olives, oregano, garlic, and a pinch of salt in your slow cooker and stir it all up.
- Place the chicken thighs into the sauce, cover, and cook the chicken on HIGH for 4 hours.
- Serve the chicken thighs with rice or orzo pasta to soak up all that yummy sauce! I like to garnish this chicken with some crumbled Feta cheese and a little more fresh oregano.
Looking for other tasty crock pot chicken recipes? Try my Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip for your next pot luck or Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos on Taco Tuesday!
How long to cook chicken thighs in crock pot
Chicken thighs and most breasts take about 4-5 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high in the crock pot to be fully cooked. It’s hard to overcook chicken in a slow cooker, but it can be done! Make sure your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, and you’re set.
Can I cook this on low all day?
Absolutely! If you’re going to be out all day, throw this together in the morning and cook on LOW for about 7 to 8 hours. Everything else stays the same!
Want more easy Crock Pot recipes?
- Crock Pot Pulled Pork
- Crock Pot Lemon Italian Chicken with Capers
- Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
- Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Tools used to make Mediterranean Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
Slow Cooker: I love this crock pot! The lid is very secure and I can pack it up and take it on the go if I’m heading to a potluck. This slow cooker is a workhorse in my kitchen and has worked great for years!
*This post originally posted on 08/17/2015.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup Kalamata olives
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
- Feta cheese crumbled, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Use 1 teaspoon salt to season the chicken thighs.
- Place thighs into the hot pan, skin side down. Brown chicken on each side for 3-5 minutes or until skin begins to get crispy. Once chicken is browned remove from pan and set it aside.
- Add onion to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add white wine to the pan and continue to cook on high until liquid is reduced by half.
- Add onion mixture, crushed tomatoes, olives, oregano, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt in the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Place chicken thighs into the sauce and cover. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours. (or LOW for 7 to 8 hours)
- Serve warm with feta cheese and some fresh oregano sprinkled on top for garnish, if desired.
Nutrition
Ducks 'n a Row (@SineaPies) says
Oh Aubrey does this look good!
Wish I were going home from work tonight to a meal like this!
Alas, I am not. But sometime SOON!
Pinned and Yummed this one 🙂