Slow Cooker Greek Chicken
Slow cooker Greek chicken combines just 4 ingredients like lemon, garlic and Greek yogurt to create a fresh, delicious high-protein meal you can use in a number of ways. Stuffed in pita piled with veggies or in a bowl with rice or pita, it’s a Greek-inspired slow cooker recipe that you will find yourself making week after week!
5 star review
“This is probably one of my favorite recipes right now! So easy, so versatile, and a huge hit with my entire family. I can’t recommend this recipe enough!”
– Emilia
About this Slow Cooker Greek Chicken
This slow cooker Greek chicken is one of the most delicious, versatile, and easy meal prep recipe you can make. It’s so good I had to make a juicy greek shredded pork version too! I’m all about creating recipes with ingredients you usually have on hand, and this recipe is that! Like my slow cooker lemon herb chicken, the star in this recipe is the simple marinade, similar to souvlaki marinade, that transforms basic chicken into a mediterranean style chicken.
And, again, we’re using ingredients that you most likely have on hand – lemon, greek yogurt, and garlic. And, on top of that, this meal prep recipe can be used in so many ways throughout the week. One of my favorite meal prep tips is to cook up some protein for the week that can be used in a number of ways for both lunch and dinner.
And this high protein slow cooker recipe fits the bill since it’s flavorful on its own, but versatile enough to be used in a variety of ways. Serve it shredded on rice or quinoa one night (or replace the chicken in my easy Greek inspired chicken bowls). The next night or for lunch the next day, serve it gyro-style in pita bread with veggies. The possibilities are truly endless with this crockpot Greek-inspired lemon chicken!
Visual Guide: How to Make Slow-Cooker Greek Chicken
Process & Tips
The star of this recipe is the marinade! Inspired by my Greek chicken marinade, this marinade pulls triple duty in this recipe, including as a marinade while the chicken cooks, as a sauce to toss the cooked chicken in, and as a dipping or drizzle sauce when serving. Simply mix up the marinade ingredients, add some to the chicken, and cook the chicken in the crockpot. Once the chicken is cooked, slice or shred the chicken and toss with leftover marinade. And then serve however you’d like with extra sauce. If you’re willing to take a few extra steps, whip up some yogurt tahini sauce to serve on top of the chicken, it’s just a few simple ingredients and will elevate this simple recipe to the next level!
Make it Gluten Free + Dairy Free
This recipe is naturally gluten free. For a dairy free option, replace the Greek yogurt with an unsweetened, plant-based Greek yogurt.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Greek yogurt: Be sure to use plain, unflavored Greek yogurt for this recipe. Do not substitute regular yogurt, as the result will be too runny. Whole, low fat, and nonfat Greek yogurt will work. Whole Greek yogurt will lend the most flavor. Nutrition information calculated with nonfat Greek yogurt. For a dairy-free option you can also use an unsweetened, plant-based Greek yogurt.
- Garlic: Since we’re using so few ingredients here, I like to use fresh minced or grated garlic to really infuse that garlic flavor into the marinade. But you could also use garlic powder if that’s all you have on hand.
- Lemon juice: The fresh lemon juice, together with the Greek yogurt, really helps to tenderize and infuse the chicken with lots of flavor.
- Lemon zest: The lemon zest really helps punch up the lemony flavor from the lemon juice and just adds a little something extra to this recipe.
- Kosher salt: Look for kosher salt with the regular iodized salt at the grocery store. It has a subtler flavor. Use less iodized salt if that’s what you have on hand.
What to Do with Greek Chicken
As I’ve mentioned, there are so many ways you can use this Greek chicken! Stuffing the chicken into pitas with cucumber, tomato, red onion, fresh parsley, and yogurt tahini sauce is one of my favorite ways and perfect to take on the go for busy nights. I also love anything in a bowl, so try this easy Greek-inspired chicken bowl recipe with any leftover chicken you might have. Or, you add the chicken and toppings to a bed of salad greens for a light and refreshing meal.
How to Store & Freeze
Slow Cooker Greek Chicken keeps well in the fridge for up to [3-4 days], in a sealed container.This recipe also freezes well, stored in a sealed freezer friendly container for up to [2-3 months].
Follow my step-by-step video:
This Recipe is…
Slow Cooker Greek Chicken
Ingredients
For the Lemon Greek Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (whole, 2%, or lowfat)
- 2-4 garlic cloves minced or finely grated
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
For the Greek Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
Equipment
Instructions
- Whisk the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt together in a medium bowl.
- Place the chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle evenly with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt. Pour over ⅓ cup Greek yogurt sauce over the chicken, tossing to coat. Cover the remaining yogurt marinade and refrigerate while the chicken cooks.
- Cover the chicken and cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for 4-6 until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Time will depend on your specific slow cooker, so check early the first time you make this to avoid dry chicken.
- Once cooked, remove the chicken from the cooking liquid. Slice into strips or shred with two forks. Strain the cooking liquid, and add ¼ cup cooking liquid back to the slow cooker. Note: Depending on the yogurt used, the sauce may separate during cooking. This is fine, and the reason we are draining and straining the liquid, and the reason we are adding in fresh yogurt sauce at the end.
- Add the chicken back to the slow cooker, then pour over ⅓ cup of the reserved Greek sauce marinade, tossing to coat. Gently warm though on high for 5 minutes.
- Serve with the remaining ⅓ cup Greek sauce marinade on the side for dipping or drizzled on top.
Notes
- If you notice the yogurt separating a bit during the cooking process don’t worry. This is common, especially if you use low-fat or nonfat yogurt, and does not mean it’s curdled. Simply discard the cooking liquid after cooking, and toss with the fresh yogurt sauce and you’ll be good to go.
- Serve with rice, pita, sliced cucumber, chopped tomato, sliced red onions, fresh parsley with an extra drizzle of Yogurt Tahini sauce, if desired.
- Nutrition information calculated with non-fat yogurt and chicken breasts.
- See blog post, above, for substitution suggestions including dairy free, storage, and more.
This was a big hit at my house! My 7 and 9 year old boys both loved it, and often ate it on its own with some of the fixings (tomato, parsley, etc). Very easy to make, flavourful. If you’re a singleton, you might want to halve the recipe as it yields a lot.
Yay, so happy to hear this was a hit with your family, Claire! Great tip on the yield, too. Sometimes I even meal prep this one for myself and then freeze what’s left in individual servings for that reason. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Loved this simple chicken prep! I’ve been using it all week to top salads, along with a simple tahini lemon dressing. Flavorful enough to stand as a main protein for a meal, but subtle enough to repurpose in whatever way serves you best.
Yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one Jenny. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
This is probably one of my favorite recipes right now! So easy, so versatile, and a huge hit with my entire family. I can’t recommend this recipe enough!
Woohoo, so happy to hear this one with a hit with you and your family, Emilia! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
Can you use any plant based dairy free unsweetened yogurt? Does it have to be Greek? So hard to find.
You can use a plain, unsweetened plant based yogurt in place of traditional yogurt. If you can find a Greek-style version that’s preferred, since you want that thicker consistency. However, if you can’t find Greek-style plant-based yogurt, regular will work. Just make sure you like the flavor of the yogurt on its own, since the flavor will come through quite strongly in the finished dish. I hope you enjoy!
Absolutely delicious!! Ive not long finished making it….and keep going back for more wee taste tests!! Im not on instagram so cant share a picture, but omg its beautiful!!!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for leaving a review.:)
Super easy to make and really tasty! I’m in the UK so didn’t use “cups”, I used 500ml Greek yoghurt and a bit more garlic and lemon than stated. Had it with mini roast potatoes and a diced salad of mixed bell peppers, cucumber, tomatoes and yoghurt tahini sauce.
The only thing I found was in the instructions, I wasn’t too sure if I was to add the chicken back to the slow cooker with the reserved liquid so I just added the reserved Greek yoghurt to the chicken, mixed and served straight away.
So glad you enjoyed this one, Stephanie! thanks for your notes!
We love our local Greek restaurant but the only thing my 10 year old ate was their lemon chicken. I knew I needed to find a recipe for Greek Lemon Chicken and this is it! He (we all) love it! This feeds our family of 4 with plenty of leftovers. While he’ll eat it plain and on crackers, the rest of us enjoy it on naan with various toppings. I’m making it for the 3rd time tonight!
Tina, yay, I love that this is a hit with the whole family including your 10 year old! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Excellent recipe. Made it in the instant pot and cooked for 15 minutes and did a natural pressure release. Great flavor.
Evie, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one. Thanks so much for the note on cooking in the Instant Pot–I’m sure others will find that tip super helpful. Cheers!
Very good recipe 👌
Sabrina, so glad you enjoyed this one–thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
Hi! Can the Greek sauce be made ahead of time? If so, would a day or two ahead of time be fine? Thank you.
Rachel, yes, the sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead, refrigerated! I hope you enjoy!
This was very good! The only chnages I made were seasoning the chicken with a greek chicken seasoning before the yogurt mixture went on. I then made a tzaziki sauce by adding more yogurt, garlic and lemon juice to the leftover mixture and served on the side. My chicken-averse husband said it was a keeper!
Laurie, fantastic, so happy to hear this one was a hit, and great idea to turn the yogurt sauce into tzaziki. Yum! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Very easy to make and delicious. My entire family went for seconds.
So happy to hear this one was a hit with the family and easy to make, Adrienne. Thanks so much for leaving a reivew!
The recipes you post all sound delicious. My issue is that I am generally gone for at least 10 hours a day for work and all the crickpot recipes say 5 to 6 hrs. On low. Any suggestions?
Hi Shannon, I’ve been there! I used to work out of the house for the same amount of time and found that the best option was investing in a programmable slow cooker (one that cooks on low and/or high for a set amount of time and then turns to warm) to be a game-changer. There are lots of brands and models out there with a range of prices – search “programmable slow cooker” and tons will pop up. I found this small investment more than paid for itself by allowing us to eat home cooked meals at home. Hope that helps!
The nutritional info lists the calories per serving (1 of 6) at 188 kcal. Is that the correct measurement instead of cal?
Heather, I don’t see kcal in the nutrition info, but either way kcal means the same thing as cal so you should be good. The nutrition info is just an estimate, and exact numbers will depend on how much sauce you serve with your chicken. I hope you enjoy!
We were amazingly surprised at how much flavor this simple recipe has!! Very delicious and so many ways to eat and serve. Definitely adding this to our go-to recipes.
Kristen, yay, happy to hear this recipe was a hit for you and that you’re adding it to your regular rotation. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
I made this and was disappointed. Won’t make again.
Liz, I’m so sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work out for you, I know how frustrating that can be! Is there something specific you didn’t like about it? Happy to help troubleshoot, since this is typically a recipe enjoyed by readers.
If you meal prep this for the week, do you still add the reserved greek sauce on top of it all after its cooked? Or do you add it to inidivual portions each day (after warming the chicken?) I wasnt sure how rewarming the greek sauce would turn out…
Liz, great question! If I’m prepping this chicken ahead I do like to hold the yogurt sauce aside and store separately – then add it on top after reheating the chicken. Hope that helps!
Hi – I doubt my cooking skills – if serving 13 people – am I legit doubling each ingredient?
Thank you and look forward to enjoying it.
Tara, yes, you can double the chicken and double the sauce. You might need to add a bit of time to the cook time since the slow cooker will be fuller with the extra chicken, but you do not need to double the cook time. Check for the chicken to be done at the time given in the recipe, and then add 30 minutes at a time if necessary.
I made this tonight and served it DIY bowl style with rice pilaf and a variety of fresh toppings (cucumber, red onion, feta, etc.). As I was preparing, I felt it was missing something, and decided to add some dried herbs to enhance the greek flavors. I added dried oregano when seasoning the chicken before cooking. Then, I added some dried dill to the remaining yogurt sauce. With the addition of the herbs to the original recipe, I would give it 4.5 stars!
Hi Gretchen, thanks for your notes and for sharing your tips on adding dried herbs – my goal with this recipe was to keep the ingredient list as short as possible, but I’m glad you were able to spice things up with what you had on hand. Cheers!
So good. Great SOS recipe that makes for a versatile dinner during the crazy busy week. We enjoyed it in pitas with arugula and whipped feta red pepper dip. SO GOOD. Leftovers made for the best quick salad the next day.
Oh my gosh, your serving suggestions sound amazing! Whipped feta red pepper dip – yes please! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review, I so appreciate it!
Can I freeze this? I don’t see why not but wanted to know you’re opinion 🙂
Alyssa, the cooked chicken freezes well, but not so much the extra yogurt sauce. So just freeze the chicken – and if you want to make a fresh batch of the yogurt sauce when you defrost the chicken later that will give you the best flavor and texture.
Just a note to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for including what SIZE slow cooker you’re using in this recipe! I am usually cooking just for myself and so I only have a 3-quart cooker, and everywhere else they just say to use “a slow cooker” and I never know if I need to scale their recipe down or not. Here I do – but at least I KNOW I do. That is SUCH a big help, thank you!
So happy to hear it’s helpful, and I hope you enjoy the recipe!