Mediterranean Chicken Thighs Slow Cooker

two image of chicken thighs, top pic piece of thigh above the crock pot, bottom pic plated thighs on top of rice

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!

chicken thighs over rice on a diner plate with crumbled feta cheese, olives, and fresh oregano

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.

skin-on chicken thighs in a skillet after being browned. bowl sof olives, crushed tomatoes, olive oil, and onion around the skillet.

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!

ingredients for mediterranean crock pot chicken thighs in a slow cooker before cooking

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!

serving spoon lifting a chicken thigh covered in tomato sauce and olives out of a crock pot

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!

Mediterranean crock pot chciken thighs on a plate with rice and extra tomato sauce

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

chicken thighs with tomato sauce, kalamata olives, feta cheese, fresh oregano served over rice on a plate

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.

close up of chicken thighs in red sauce over rice

Mediterranean Crock Pot Chicken Thighs

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!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours 20 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 25 minutes

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: chicken thighs, crock pot, crock pot chicken thighs

Servings: 4

Calories: 528 kcal

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

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.

Snap a pic and upload to your pin and let me know what you thought!

square image of close up of thigh with crock pot view behind

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