Slow Cooker Lemon Herb Chicken Thighs Recipe

What You Need

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed and trimmed*
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 4 tablespoons juice (from 2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

*Bone-in thighs work way better than boneless here – they don’t dry out. Removing the skin is worth it – it gets rubbery in the slow cooker anyway. Save the zest for the end so it stays bright and fresh.

Season and Cook

Put chicken thighs in your slow cooker with the oil, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, and granulated garlic.

Mix until everything’s coated. The oil helps the spices stick.

Tuck thyme sprigs between the chicken. Drizzle lemon juice over – pour gently so you don’t wash off the seasoning.

Cover and cook on LOW ~4-6 hours. It’s done when the meat pulls apart easily with a fork.

Make It a Sauce

Pull out the thyme sprigs and toss them.

Move the chicken to a serving platter.

Stir the cilantro and lemon zest into the cooking liquid left in the pot. That’s your sauce.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Slow Cooker Lemon Herb Chicken Thighs

Dark meat in the slow cooker stays juicy no matter what. The cooking liquid turns into a bright lemony sauce at the end – no extra work required.

Pin Recipe Print Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 hours hrs

Total Time: 5 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

• ▢ 8 bone-in chicken thighs skin removed and trimmed*
• ▢ 1/4 cup canola oil
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• ▢ 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• ▢ 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest plus 4 tablespoons juice (from 2 lemons)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

• Mix canola oil, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano and granulated garlic in slow cooker.
• Add chicken thighs and coat with seasoning mixture.
• Place thyme sprigs between chicken pieces and drizzle with lemon juice.
• Cook on LOW 4-6 hours until meat shreds easily.
• Remove thyme sprigs and transfer chicken to serving platter.
• Stir cilantro and lemon zest into remaining liquid.
• Pour sauce over chicken and serve.