Slow-Cooked Greek Chicken Dinner — The Lemon-Oregano Sunday

Cody is on day six hundred and thirty-four. Thirty-six days remaining. Slow-cooked Greek chicken Sunday from the Mel’s Kitchen Cafe recipe. The yogurt in the marinade does the velveting for the chicken — the lactic acid tenderizes the meat over the slow cook. Lemon, oregano, garlic, olive oil round out the marinade. Served over rice with a quick tzatziki (yogurt, cucumber, dill, garlic, lemon).

The math: chicken thighs $2.79, plain Greek yogurt $1.49, lemon, oregano, garlic, cucumber, dill, olive oil. Total: about $5.40 for two dinners.

The technique is the yogurt marinade and the slow cook. Marinate the chicken in the yogurt mixture for at least an hour. Slow cooker on low four hours. Serve over rice with tzatziki. The chicken comes out tender and lemon-bright with the herbs throughout.

Mama said, eating, baby, the kitchen has crossed Greece now.

The recipe is below. The trick is the yogurt marinade for at least an hour.

Slow-Cooked Greek Chicken Dinner

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 4 hrs | Total Time: 4 hrs 15 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lbs)
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
• 1 medium onion, sliced into rings
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

1. Season the chicken. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Rub all over with olive oil, oregano, thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
2. Layer the base. Spread uncooked rice evenly across the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour in the chicken broth and diced tomatoes with their juices, then scatter the sliced onion and minced garlic over the top.
3. Add the chicken. Nestle the seasoned chicken thighs on top of the rice mixture, skin side up. Tuck lemon slices and Kalamata olives around and between the pieces.
4. Slow cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice has absorbed the liquid. Avoid lifting the lid during cooking to preserve moisture.
5. Check for doneness. Chicken should register 165°F internally and rice should be tender. If rice seems underdone, recover and cook an additional 20 to 30 minutes on LOW.
6. Serve. Spoon rice onto plates and top each serving with a chicken thigh. Garnish with fresh parsley and a squeeze of the softened lemon slices if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 610mg