Slow Cooker Greek Chicken
Slow cooker Greek chicken combines ingredients you likely have on hand to create a fresh, delicious meal you can use in a number of ways. This is a Greek-inspired slow cooker recipe that you will find yourself making week after week!
About this Slow Cooker Greek Chicken
This slow cooker Greek chicken is one of the most delicious, versatile, and easy meal prep recipes you can make.
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.
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].
This Recipe is…
Slow Cooker Greek Chicken
Ingredients
For the Greek Yogurt Chicken Marinade
- ⅔ cup Greek yogurt
- 2-4 garlic cloves minced or finely grated
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Greek Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
Optional Serving Suggestions
- Yogurt Tahini Sauce
- Pita, sliced cucumber, chopped tomato, sliced red onions, fresh parsley
Equipment
Instructions
- Whisk the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Place the chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour over ⅓ cup Greek yogurt marinade 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 3-4 hours or on low for 5-6 until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid. Slice into strips or shred with two forks. Drain all but ¼ cup cooking liquid. Pour over ⅓ cup of the Greek yogurt marinade, tossing to coat. Gently warm though on high for 5 minutes.
- Serve with the remaining ⅓ cup Greek yogurt marinade on the side for dipping or drizzled on top.
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!