This slow cooker chicken thighs recipe is easy, outrageously flavorful, and guarantees soft and tender chicken.
When cooked in a slow cooker, chicken thighs become melt-in-your-mouth tender. It’s actually my favorite way to use a crockpot.
Our family loves this dish, especially the bright and flavorful lemon gravy. It’s inspired by our popular stovetop lemon chicken. We keep all the flavor, but thanks to a slow cooker, this version makes things even easier.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: For this slow cooker recipe, I prefer using skin-on chicken thighs. The skin helps protect the chicken from drying out, but you can definitely use skinless thighs if that’s your preference. Both bone-in and boneless thighs work well here. If you’d rather use chicken breast, just remember that it won’t be quite as tender.
- Mustard: This adds a zesty kick to the chicken. Feel free to use either Dijon or whole-grain mustard.
- Lemon: Both lemon zest and juice are key in this recipe. The zest goes into the spice rub for the chicken and the gravy, while the juice adds fresh lemon flavor to the gravy.
- Herbs: I like using oregano and thyme in my mustard spice rub. Dried herbs are perfect for this.
- Chicken stock: This forms the base of our delicious lemon gravy. You can use store-bought or homemade stock.
- Flour: Just 2 tablespoons of flour will help thicken the gravy nicely.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Thighs
Tip 1: Use skin-on thighs. I prefer using skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe. I find they stay juicier in the slow cooker since they self-baste in their own juices. I also use them to make this slow cooker shredded chicken.
Tip 2: Sear in a skillet. To incorporate lots of flavor, I make a quick rub with mustard, lemon zest, oregano, thyme, and salt. Then, rub it all over the chicken thighs before searing them in a skillet for a few minutes. The chicken won’t pick up any color in the slow cooker, so this step guarantees that gorgeous golden-brown color you see in our photos.
Tip 3: Cook low and slow. The seared chicken goes right into the slow cooker (no extra liquid is needed). As it cooks on low for 4 to 5 hours, the fat renders, and the chicken basically cooks in its own delicious juices. There is no need to add extra liquid like many other slow cooker chicken recipes.
Tip 4: Make our delicious lemon gravy. As the chicken cooks, I make the lemon gravy. It’s super easy, and I use the same skillet used for browning the chicken. I add a bit of flour and then a mixture of lemon juice and chicken stock. Then, I set it aside in the fridge to finish when the chicken is ready.
Serving Suggestions
When serving these slow cooker chicken thighs, choose a side that will help soak up all that delicious lemon gravy. I especially love this chicken and the gravy served over a bowl of grits, creamy mashed potatoes, or creamy mashed cauliflower. Some bread to soak up the sauce is nice, too. Try our homemade focaccia or these no-yeast flatbreads.
I love some vegetables on the side, too. Try roasted carrots, crispy broccolini, sautéed vegetables, or roasted cabbage.
More Cozy Chicken Recipes
- Roasted Chicken – classic and simple!
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie
- Chicken Alfredo
- Easy Chimichurri Chicken
- Crispy Chicken Milanese
- 16 Easy Chicken Thigh Recipes For Dinner
Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Thighs
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
These slow cooker chicken thighs are so easy and delicious. The chicken comes out incredibly tender and flavorful. We call for 8 thighs, but feel free to fit as many pieces (thighs or breasts) as you can in a single layer in your slow cooker (they’ll shrink while cooking). I always brown my chicken first for extra flavor and beautiful color, then use the same skillet to make our quick lemon gravy.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
8 chicken thighs, skin-on and trimmed of excess fat, about 2 pounds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or whole-grain mustard
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice from 1 large lemon
1 ¼ cups (295ml) chicken stock
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Directions
- Cook the Chicken
1In a small bowl, combine mustard, 2 teaspoons olive oil, oregano, thyme, salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons of the lemon zest.
2Rub the mustard mixture evenly over both sides of your chicken thighs using your fingers or a brush.
3Whisk together the remaining lemon zest (1 ½ teaspoons), lemon juice, and chicken stock in a separate bowl or measuring jug. Set aside.
4Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the skin is golden brown.
5Transfer the chicken to a slow cooker, skin-side up. Cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or until tender.
6Remove excess fat from the skillet (leave about 2 tablespoons). If needed, add butter to reach 2 tablespoons total. Whisk in the flour over medium heat until smooth and golden (about 1 minute). Gradually whisk in the reserved lemon-stock mixture until smooth and thickened. Transfer to a jar or measuring jug and refrigerate until the chicken is ready.
- To Finish
1Once the chicken finishes cooking and is super tender, transfer it to a plate.
2Skim as much fat from the slow cooker as possible, but leave the rest of the liquid (there will be about 2 cups left).
3Warm the reserved sauce from earlier, pour it into the cooking liquid in the slow cooker, and stir to combine. Add the chicken to the slow cooker to keep warm, or serve with some lemony sauce.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Chicken breasts: Feel free to use chicken breasts. If you can find them, use skin-on chicken breasts since the skin keeps the chicken more tender and adds flavor while it cooks.
- Skip the lemon gravy: If you are short on time, skip the lemon sauce. The cooking liquid left in the slow cooker after cooking the chicken over 5 hours is delicious and works very nicely spooned over the chicken or any sides you plan to serve it with.
- Storing: Place the chicken and gravy in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Delicous dish, chicken very tender and the flavour is awesome. Would definately recommend this recipe.
This has become a family favorite even for my picky son!! He gets so excited when I make it. I do it a little different and add some lemon juice to brush on the chicken! It is soooo good!! Thank you!!
This is probably the 10th time I’ve made this recipe it’s absolutely delicious and it works really really well on a meal train!
Wow, that’s amazing! Thank you so much for sharing and I am so happy you found our recipe!
This was so delicious I will make it again for sure.
Thank you, really good, so tender with great gravy.
This chicken was absolutely delicious and easy to make. I didn’t make the gravy, but it was still good. I served it with the roasted cabbage, which was equally tasty. No leftovers. A real keeper.
I made this exactly as the recipe calls with the exception of changing up some of the spices I used. It was SO GOOD!! Even my picky eaters devoured it. Thanks for sharing!
This was so easy and so delicious – will definitely be on my weekly rotation. I added a bit of garlic to the rub also, which added to the flavour.
I don’t see any garlic in the recipe. Would you saute lightly and add it to the chicken in the crockpot?
That would be fine!
Can I use frozen chicken, or do I need to thaw first?
I’d thaw them first.
Absolutely delicious! Can I double it? Or, since its only supposed to be a single layer, will that mess it up? Thanks!
Hi Joy, I think you should be okay with doubling.
Wonderful — thanks!
Doubled it for a dinner party and it worked out very well. The layer below the top layer wasn’t quite crispy, but still delicious and big hit around the table. As with the last time I made it, they cook fast and were done in closer to 4 hours.
Great recipe thank you. Curious if anyone has tried batch cooking this and freezing it?
Do you think I can put both thighs and wings in this?
Yes, absolutely.
Im about to try this recipe with skin-off chicken thighs as thats all I could get at the store today. Will they turn out dry without the fat from the skin? Or any modifications for skin off thighs with this recipe? Thanks so much!
How did it come out? Considering doing this tonight. Did u brown the chicken thighs still ?
You should be okay, but consider a little drizzle of olive oil over the chicken thighs before turning on the slow cooker.
Im making this for the first time right now.instructions are very easy. i will comment after dinner.Thank you from Hammond in.
I have a slow cooker I can sear the meat in. Can I slow cook the chicken in the lemon gravy? Would it change the quality of the final result?
Have you ever added potatoes to it? I wanna!
Just curious if there is an instapot version of this?! Looks delicious!
Not yet, but that’s a great idea! We will add it to our list of recipes to work on.
Hi Chris, You can, but keep in mind that during the step where the chicken is cooking, quite a bit of fat will render in the slow cooker. We usually skim some of this before making the lemon gravy so the chicken isn’t too greasy.
This was amazing! First time I cooked chicken thighs without liquid in a slow cooker and it came out all melt in your mouth amazing. The lemon gravy was great, I added some more chicken stalk to tame it a bit, but I will definitely be making this again
An absolute winner! Easy to follow instructions. The chicken thighs were so tender and the lemon made the entire house smell fantastic. Served this with brown rice and a salad.
Can this be made one day, refrigerated and then reheated and eaten the next day?
Absolutely.
I’ve never left a comment before, but this recipe was terrific! I love making anything with lemon and chicken. this recipe didn’t fail. Easy to put together and the gravy is a must! Will definitely make again and again!
I made this on Wednesday to cook and add to a cabbage, vegetable soup, a basic mirepoix with extra garlic. The lemony zest was terrific and added a depth to my soup I hadn’t had before. Very easy to prepare. I didn’t brown because I was shredding and adding to the soup.
I took about 5 mins to get the ingredients in a bowl and stirred the thighs round in it. Another five mins to brown the thighs. Then straight into the crockpot and out the door to work! For me this was easy as a quick to throw together mid week meal for when we came in. The stock and zest took less than a minute and after making the gravy and taking out the cooked chicken, I dropped the whole lot back in the pot for another few minutes while I got changed and added some lemon pasta and peas. Superb. Very tasty. We loved it and will definitely be making it again. Highly recommend. Makes a change from most slow cooker meat and veg combos. Yummy!
So I didn’t read the directions fully and accidentally put the lemon-broth mix in the crockpot with the chicken to cook for 5 hours. Is my chicken going to come out weird!!?!?
Honestly, you should be just fine.
Yes.
I don’t usually leave comments, but this was a fantastic meal. A huge hit with the whole family. And the lemon zest and actual lemon juice made a huge difference. I wouldn’t substitute concentrate.
So, my oven isn’t heating well and I google chicken thighs And crockpot recipes and I got this recipe and I’m eating it right now and it’s delicious so I just wanted to tell you this is a hit! It’s a simple recipe you probably have most of the things in your pantry and the gravy is delicious. I added carrots because I like everything easy. Thanks! I will definitely make this again!
Wish I’d known about making chicken in a slow cooker without liquid before. It was so tender and juicy and the lemon gravey was lovely. I think this method would lend itself to all kinds of variations. Maybe a Mexican rub with with cilantro and lime. Thanks so much for sharing.
This was very yummy but not a normal slow cooker meal. This recipe is very time consuming. Great for weekend meal but not great for busy weeknight where you need recipe put in slow cooker in morning and meal ready went you get home before or after kids activities.
Excellent. I added a squeeze of lemon before serving with cilantro and fried parsley.
I made this today. Thanks for recipe which Worked very well. Rather tasty, good consistency too. I adapted it, inserting some cream cheese inside chicken thighs. And used the herbs fresh from my garden, finely chopped. I love using lemons, a most versatile fruit.
Oh my gosh. This meal is AMAZING!!! I made it tonight, the only substitution I made was to use gluten free plain flour. I assume it worked just as well because it was INCREDIBLE!! Thank you so much
I made this tonight. I used boneless skinless thighs and added garlic powder to the sauce. I cooked it 3 hours on high, perfect amount of time for 7 thighs. Next time I will use less lemon and add garlic to the rub. But we will definitely make this again.
Im not used to using the crock pot to cook meat without a liquid in it while cooking. Crossing my fingers it works!
How did yours turn out? I’m having the same thought right now!
I have made it with thighs and legs and about to make it again with thighs. need to cook legs for less time. Very good and my son also loved it. I like the suggestion for mashed cauliflower. My Herb potato salad also a big hit. Thank you Shirley