Greek- Inspired Slow Cooker Chicken
My darling friend Joy of Fearless Freezer Cooking is here on Oven Love to share some summer freezer tips with us as well as the recipe for this yummy Greek chicken. I’ve enjoyed this recipe twice (once while in Joy’s freezer co-op and once after Lucy was born) and it was so good that I had to ask Joy to share it with everyone. It’s as easy as ever- you freeze the chicken in the marinade and throw it into the slow cooker without even thawing. Joy is the best! Here’s a little introduction to the queen of freezer cooking:
Joy is a stay-at-home wife & mother to two wonderful children. She is a fourth generation freezer cook. Growing up with freezer cooking as a way of life made it hard for her to understand how folks could NOT use their freezers. After being asked again and again for help, she started her Facebook page to give her tips & insight so that others will be Fearless Freezer cooks, too!
(photo by Natalie.)
Hello Oven Lovers! I’m Joy, guest posting today for my sweet friend, Natalie! I enjoy freezer cooking, how about you? I’m here to give you some super simple summer ideas for freezer cooking.
One of the easiest ways to start freezer cooking it to use a marinade. When you freeze fresh meat with a marinade, it starts marinating as it freezes. Then, when you are ready to use it, toss in the fridge the day before and it marinates as it thaws. So simple!
I love that marinated meats are usually cooked on the grill or in the slow cooker. My house doesn’t get heated up this way. When preparing a meat and marinade recipe, I like to follow this plan:
- Mix up all the marinades I will be using.
- Label the freezer bags I will be using with name of recipe, date, and reheating instructions.
- Divide up the meat between the freezer bags.
- Divide up the marinade between freezer bags.
- Seal and freeze flat.
One of the benefits of this type of freezer cooking is that you can make up several meals in a short amount of time. Another benefit is that you can control the serving size. For instance, many marinade recipes call for four to six chicken breasts. While our kids are still young, we only need two or three chicken breasts per meal. So, for ONE marinade recipe, I divide it between TWO bags for two meals. That’s also saving me money!
A few of my favorite freezer marinades:
- Use a bottle of Italian dressing (I like Seven Seas Viva Italian by Kraft.) Grilled chicken tastes great in Italian dressing- it’s especially tasty on salads.
- We really enjoy the homemade Teriyaki marinade recipe in Mary Beth Lagerborg’s Once a Month Cooking, however it suggests baking, not grilling. I think Teriyaki flavors would also be good for pork kabobs or some cuts of beef. (Here is a similar Teriyaki recipe from Once A Month Mom.)
- This garlic balsamic marinade recipe comes from Once a Month Mom. It is delicious and the pork cooks so moist when grilled. The flavors would be great on chicken, too.
- We also like marinating steaks or London Broil in Worcestershire sauce. So simple and so tasty.
I hope these ideas inspire you! You’ll find the recipe for the Greek-inspired chicken below. I’d love to hear some of your favorite marinade recipes!
(Recipe by Mommie Cooks, via Joy and Once A Month Mom.)
Greek- Inspired Slow Cooker Chicken
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Joy from Fearless Freezer Cooking
Recipe type: Main Dish
Ingredients
- 1 Lemon, Juiced
- 4 Garlic Cloves, Minced
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- ½ Cup White Wine
- ¼ Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 tsp Dill
- 1 tsp Rosemary
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 Whole Chicken, Broken into it’s Respective Pieces (Or 4 chicken breasts or thighs. If you’re using chicken breasts, they will likely fall apart because they get so tender- that’s why the chicken above looks shredded and the one in Mommie Cooks’ post is not.)
- Egg noodles, black olives and Feta cheese for serving
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients with the exception of the chicken to the marinade.
- Mix up well.
- Add in the chicken and coat all the pieces completely.
- *If freezing, freeze now. You can put it directly from the freezer to the slow cooker, just add about 2 hours to the cooking time.*
- Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours.
- Serve over noodles with sauce from the slow cooker spooned over the noodles and a little feta and olives for good measure.
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