This Slow Cooker Lemon and Rosemary Chicken is full of flavour and fall off the bone tender. Made with fresh lemon zest, fresh rosemary sprigs and a few herbs and spices. A great mid week family dinner the whole family will love.
It’s officially spring friends! And I’m ready to dive in head first. The flowers are starting to bloom, the days are getting a little longer and the cravings for lighter food is in overdrive. And with my quest to head into spring but keeping a hold on a little bit of comfort, I’m bringing you this Slow Cooker Lemon and Rosemary Chicken. With all the flavours of spring but the comfort of a slow cooker meal.
Oh and before I forget, you NEED to check out my Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs. Perfect for spring and summer as well! And if you’re thinking of something quick, check out the Roasted Spatchcock Chicken.
Why YOu’ll Love This Lemon Rosemary Chicken
- Flavour -It’s full of flavour
- Easy – This is a super easy recipe and put together in just minutes
- Budget friendly – Chicken is budget friendly, which is great for families
- You can have it in the slow cooker all day while you are away at work and come home to a hot dinner
Star Ingredients to Make The Slow Cooker Lemon and Rosemary Chicken
- Chicken – I used bone in chicken thighs
- Fresh ingredients – lemon zest, garlic and rosemary sprigs
- Seasonings – thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and olive oil
REMEMBER, the full recipe and ingredient list is always found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Instructions for This Lemon Rosemary Chicken
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil with the thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Place the chicken in the slow cooker and coat with the spice rub.
- Sprinkle over lemon zest. Tuck the garlic cloves and the rosemary springs between the chicken thighs.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours. Check chicken at the half way point and baste with pan juices.
- Serve with pan juices with your favourite sides.
Recipe Tips and Notes
Like all slow cookers, they are slightly different. I cooked this recipe three times on different temperatures each time and here are my results. Your crock pot cooking time may vary a little from mine.
- Low 6 – 8 hours
- Medium 4 – 6 hours
- High 3 – 4 hours
Can I use Chicken Breast in This Recipe instead of Thighs
The great thing about using a crock pot, is that it makes everything tender. So, yes you can chicken breasts if you prefer them. The only change I would recommend is to add about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of chicken stock to the crock pot as the breast doesn’t release as much juice.
Can I make This In Advance and Reheat Later
If your slow cooker switches to warm mode after cooking, that’s great. We ate this several hours after it was cooked and there were still plenty of juices. But what I noticed was that over time keeping it warm, the juices evaporate. The chicken will still be really tender, just not as much liquor to pour over the chicken.
What are Some Great Side Dishes To Serve With This Slow Cooker Dish
The sky really is the limit. But I would probably recommend these fantastic Mashed Potatoes, some Crispy Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes , the Sherry Sauteed Asparagus and Carrots, the Potato & Spinach Gratin or the Potato and Leek Cakes. All really great options. Or you can come up with your own great side dishes.
And do you know what? I think this slow cooker chicken would make a super easy lunch for Easter Sunday! It’s delicious enough and even fancy enough. Why not!
Frequently Asked Questions
While you can use dried rosemary for this recipe, fresh rosemary will deliver more flavour.
This chicken dish can also be cooked in the oven. Just preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken on a baking tray and cook for 45 minutes to one hour or until cooked through.
You don’t need to brown the chicken before, but you can sear it if you feel like it. Just sear it in a hot frying pan for about 2 minutes each side.
Here’s a Few More Recipes You Might Enjoy
Slow Cooker Lemon and Rosemary Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs bone in and skin removed
- zest of one lemon
- 6 sprigs rosemary
- 1 tsp thyme
- 8 cloves garlic peeled and left whole
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil with the thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Place the chicken in the slow cooker and coat with the spice rub.
- Sprinkle over lemon zest. Tuck the garlic cloves and the rosemary springs between the chicken thighs.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours. Check chicken at the half way point and baste with pan juices.
- Serve with pan juices with your favourite sides.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Notes
- Cook on low 6 – 8 hours
- Cook on medium 4 – 6 hours
- Cook on high 3 – 4 hours
Love all the flavours here! Perfect for Sunday dinner for sure!
Thanks Vanessa, it was a great dinner that we all really enjoyed. Great for busy days for sure.
I’ve been using my slow cooker all winter long. This looks like my kind of meal so bookmarking for later!
Thanks Wanda, it was so easy and delish!
Rosemary and lemon go so well together! This recipe is one that I could make over and over again, because I love ‘fix and forget’ dinners made in the slow cooker.
We really enjoyed it. I’ve got to be honest, I only started using a crockpot back last year….lol. I never had one before and love it. Thanks Bernice!
I need to dust off my slow cooker and make this lemon Rosemary chicken! Love all the flavours in this dish!
Thanks Marisa, it was so delicious and easy!
I’m always looking for slow cooker recipes. This sounds delicious. Pinning this for later!
Thanks so much Vijitha, we loved this dish. It was so easy and tasty!
This is awesome – always looking for new crockpot chicken recipes! And we recently started buying more thighs. Pinning to make VERY soon!
Thanks so much Terri, we really enjoyed it.
Can I put this together the night before and let it sit in the fridge? Will it be ok? I have no time in the morning to put it together unfortunately
Hi Jackie, yes no problem at all. Just make sure it’s completely covered in the fridge. Then it will be ready to go in the morning. Hope this helps.
I’m planning to try this tonight. It sounds delicious. Would it be ok to add some baby redskin potatoes?
Hi Loretta. Yes you absolutely can add potatoes!!🙂
This just went in my crockpot and at hour 1 my place already smells amazing! I Can hardly wait to devour!!!!
Sounds great Amelia!
Had some chicken legs I wanted to make with rosemary and found your recipe and it was fantastic. Set it before I went to work and was welcomed home by the aromas of lemon, rosemary, and garlic(I added lots of these). Was a big hit in my house, definitely will make it again.
That’s wonderful to hear Carlos. I’m really happy you all enjoyed the recipe and thanks for the kind words.