Slow Cooked Chicken Italian
Today I’m sharing my updated and improved Slow Cooked Chicken Italian that I first shared back in July 2014. Having made this so often since I posted it, I thought I’d take some better photographs and add in the olives which I’d mentioned before but weren’t officially part of the recipe! Not only is this recipe so easy, just dump and go but it’s also extremely low in fat so great for those following a Weight Watchers or Slimming World diet. So back to the original post and note that where I say my daughter’s view of chicken thighs is a work in progress, well she’s now a vegetarian (the writing was on the wall really)!
The longer you own a piece of equipment the better your understanding of it grows and that is very true of my slow cooker. For a long time I took it as gospel that I had to follow the manufacturer’s instructions about only ever putting hot liquids and foods in my slow cooker and then as I started to read other blogs on the internet I realised that this was not a fact set in stone! Indeed all the preparation I was doing heating everything up beforehand was really taking away the whole idea of it being a labour saving gadget.
So last week I threw away my slow cooker instruction manual and decided to go cold turkey, well cold chicken to be precise! I had to seriously stop myself from browning the chicken thighs and the thought of the added washing up was enough to stop me in my tracks. “It’ll be fine” I told myself, “everyone else is doing this, you’re just a bit slow to realise” and with that thought I merrily chucked, I mean placed carefully, all my ingredients in the slow cooker and switched it on.
Six hours later I was being asked by my family what the lovely smell was, to which I replied “Slow Cooked Chicken Italian”! I would say that if you don’t have any of the particular vegetables that I used just improvise with a suitable alternative eg courgettes, aubergine, green olives etc you could even add another coloured pepper. I have to say that we all really enjoyed this dump and go meal (with the exception of my daughter who doesn’t do chicken thighs – a work in progress) and I think it’s one you can play around with to ring the changes (thinking chillies now)!
Everyone reading this is probably having a good old laugh that I’ve been such a stickler for my instruction manual but I realise that the manufacturers probably didn’t want to be responsible for giving anyone food poisoning so played it ultra safe – so safe that it was taking the fun out of slow cooking if you ask me! Dump and go recipes are the way to go!
I do hope you try my Slow Cooked Chicken Italian and do let me know what your favourite dump and go slow cooker dishes are in the comments below!
For more dump and go slow cooker recipes you might like:
2 Ingredient Slow Cooker Roast Lamb
Crock-pot Honey Garlic Pork Freezer Meal
Ultra Easy Honey Garlic Chicken & Veggies
3 Ingredient Crock-pot Italian Beef – Weightwatchers Friendly
Why not pin for later?
Slow Cooked Chicken Italian
Ingredients
- 600 g skinless & boneless chicken thighs 750g with skin & bone, but remove skin
- 5 Chestnut mushrooms sliced
- 2 red onions cut into 6 segments each
- 1 yellow or red bell pepper chopped
- 16 Kalamata olives, pitted
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 150 mls chicken stock made up with 1 stock cube
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 5 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 heaped tsp dried Italian mixed herbs
- freshly ground salt & pepper
Instructions
Place the skinned chicken thighs (bone in or out) in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Scatter the chopped vegetables and olives over the top.
Mix the chicken stock, chopped tomatoes, garlic, herbs and seasoning together in a measuring bowl/jug.
Then pour over the chicken.
Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours or until meat is falling off the bone.
Serve as whole chicken thighs or remove and de-bone (if using bone in thighs) then break up thigh meat in the sauce with a spoon.
Serve on a bed of rice or spaghetti.
I like your daughter don’t like chicken thighs….(i am indeed vegetarian 90% of the time). If I was to swap in Chicken breast insrtead would the timings need changing? I’m totally new to a slow cooker, our has just arrived and is still box fresh hence the asking what is probably a very simple question….
Hi Alison, I have to say I have never (I don’t think) put chicken breasts in the slow cooker, unless part of a whole chicken. Breast meat is easily cooked quickly and doesn’t need the long slow cooking to make it succulent. You can buy skinless & boneless thighs and the thigh meat is far more flavoursome than the breast meat. But if you really can’t face thighs then you could try using breasts and the cooking time would be the same. Let me know how you get on as I would be interested to know!
Lovely easy recipe, added white wine with stock and olives 20 minutes.before end
Fab Myra, wine sounds like a great addition!
Just made this and I’ve got empty bowl from my two children. Great recipe for a busy mum. Thank you
Excellent Lisa, so glad you and your kids liked it:-)
THIS looks amazing, can almost taste and smell it from your photos, can I ask do the olive sauce stay firm adding them early, Ives always added olives last thing don’t know no way why really, I’ve just checked the fridge and we are having this for dinner tomorrw I’ll let you know how it’s goes
Hi Teresa, thank you for your kind words. I’ve never given the olives any thought but after several hours of cooking they will be softer than straight out of the jar. If you prefer you olives firmer then you could always add them towards the end:-)
oooh, love the sound of this. I used to do a lovely irish stew in the slow cooker but my son has gone off it so I’ve fallen out of the habit. This could be just the ticket to get me back in to slow cooking 🙂
I haven’t made Irish Stew since I was at school, it couldn’t have been a very good recipe as I never made it again:-) I do hope you give this a try as it’s so good and with so little effort!
This looks amazing, just the type of food for dark nights drawing in!
Thanks, it really is:-)