Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken

4.43 from 54 votes

This dish is perfect for lunch or dinner.

This slow cooker Greek lemon chicken dinner is chock-full of delicious, citrusy flavor!

It’s impossible to have too many slow cooker chicken recipes on hand! Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are one of our favorite lean proteins because they’re very low in saturated fat. Chicken is also relatively inexpensive at the grocery store, especially if you buy it in bulk—and chicken breasts are so versatile, too! You can use them to make everything from Mexican-spiced enchiladas to this Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken.

Wonderful Flavor and Super Healthy!

Our slow cooker greek lemon chicken is loaded with flavor but not calories!

This dish gets its flavor from freshly squeezed lemons. We’ll talk about why buying whole lemons is important in a minute, but first, we want to celebrate how healthy each serving of this dish is. It’s not only low in calories and fits nicely on our list of dinners under 300 calories, but it’s also low-carb and high-protein. A measly 5 grams of carbohydrates is balanced by a whopping 40 grams of protein. How great is that?

The Importance of Buying Whole Lemons

Fresh lemon juice and zest elevate this meal to the next level!

I have a bottle of lemon juice in my refrigerator, which is convenient when I only need a tablespoon of juice for a recipe. If you can, we’d recommend skipping the bottle for this recipe, though. We call for a whole 1/4 cup of lemon juice, which is quite a bit! Using freshly squeezed lemons will guarantee the brightest, most flavorful sauce for the Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken.

Not only that, but you’ll want to use the zest of the lemon, too. While lemon juice is sour and acidic, the rind can be bitter. But, if you only use the outside of the rind and skip the pith (the white layer that separates the rind from the flesh), you’ll be left with a bright, citrusy flavor. It also adds essential oils to your sauce. By combining both the zest and the juice, you’ll create an explosion of lemon-forward flavor.

So, how many lemons do you need to buy for this recipe? As a general rule of thumb, each lemon should produce anywhere from 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Each one of those lemons will create a tablespoon of zest, too. If your fruits are super juicy, you won’t quite need two full lemons, but it’s good to have them on hand, just in case. You can freeze the leftover juice in ice cube trays to use for later or use them to make our Lemon Ginger Detox Drink.

Serving Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken

Keep this healthy dinner low-carb by serving it with a side of veggies, or make it more filling with a side of pasta or rice.

This recipe is perfect for a quick-and-easy dinner, and the leftovers make a fantastic lunch, too. Don’t be afraid to make a large batch of this recipe on the weekend and use the chicken all week long. You can serve it up over a green leaf salad to keep things low-carb. Or, if you have some room in your diet for complex carbohydrates, whip up a batch of fluffy quinoa or brown rice.

We’ve even used this Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken recipe as a topping for whole-wheat pasta or as the filling for pita sandwiches. The flavors go well with almost any kind of side, so have some fun serving it up. Let us know how you ate it in the comments to inspire others!

Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken

4.43 from 54 votes

Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken

This super healthy chicken is bursting with citrus flavors the whole family will enjoy.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Yield 4 people
Serving Size 1 chicken breast
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American

Ingredients

  • 24 to 32 ounces boneless and skinless chicken breast 4 pieces
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 teaspoons dried oregano (optional rosemary)
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons parsley fresh, chopped

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients, except parsley, together in the slow cooker.
  • Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1chicken breast | Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 589mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g |
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 4
Keywords Budget-Friendly, dairy-free, Keto, Kid-Friendly, Low-Carb, Slow Cooker

Have you made this recipe?
Tag @skinnyms on Instagram or hashtag it #skinnyms

We love slow cooker recipes! They’re so easy to make, and clean-up is a breeze, too. Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram and sign up for our eNewsletter to find more slow cooker favorites and other quick meals along with health tips, new workouts, and more.

Enjoyed this post? Discover more:

Have you made this slow cooker Greek lemon chicken recipe? Let us know in the comments!

You can also pick up our collection of 99 Slow Cooker Recipes in the SkinnyMs store.

This post may include affiliate links.

Chef Nichole

Nichole has a culinary degree from Great Lakes Culinary Institute and has worked in the culinary industry for 10 years. She also has the knowledge to write recipes using the most nutritious, fresh, and balanced ingredients. Nichole enjoys creating healthy and tasty recipes anyone can prepare, no matter their cooking skill level.

More by Chef Nichole

18 Comments

  1. I always follow your post as both me and my husband (both in our late seventies) e joy eating healthy. My problem is that I do not have a slow cooker. Is it possible to cook such recipes on traditional cooker.
    Thanks,
    Regards,
    Josephine.

    1. Hi Josephine, yes – you could cook any of our slow cooker recipes in a traditional pot. Similar to how you would simmer a pot of soup on the stove all day. The instructions would remain the same, just check and stir a little more often.

  2. Hi. If I were to make a lot for a party (14 people) can I pile as much chicken (and other ingredients) as I can fit in my large crock pot?

    1. It is best not to “pile” in as much as the crock pot will hold. We would recommend using two crock pots. If the pot is stuffed the chicken will not cook evenly.

  3. I followed this recipe to a “T” but we just did not care for it. In our case, it was very sour, lip puckering sour. It just had a weird twang and I did do the lemon zest to help minimize the bitterness but it just didn’t turn out for us. The only person who really cared for it was our autistic son but he loves sour foods haha. I’ve made greek lemon chicken in the skillet before with no problems so I think it was just cooking it in the crockpot.

    1. We’re sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work out for you. Glad you have a skillet version to prepare that your family enjoys!

  4. This is absolutely delicious. Once it finished cooking, I added a cup of heavy whipping cream to make a gravy.

    The whole family loved it. I served it over rice.

    1. Lemon, rosemary, and garlic are traditional Greek spices. This is a “basic” Mediterranean type dish using these flavors.

  5. Very easy, very tasty dish! At the end, I thickened the sauce with a little flour and cold water for a rich tastng finish.5 stars

    1. Amy, I wouldn’t recommend placing uncooked chicken in with the other ingredients. It’s best to cook first, cool down, then freeze. Be sure to defrost in the fridge prior to reheating. 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating