Name: Crockpot Lemon Garlic Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 15 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 30 garlic cloves, peeled; 3 celery ribs - sliced; 1 whole chicken or 4 or 5 chicken breasts; 1/2 teaspoon salt ( I use sea salt); 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1/4 cup chicken broth; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 3 tablespoons grated lemon peel; 2 tablespoons parsley (I used diced fresh); 2 teaspoons dried basil; 1 teaspoon oregano; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

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Crockpot Lemon Garlic Chicken is a great take on many popular Lemon Chicken recipes. With over 30 cloves of garlic and lots of lemon zest, this slow cooker chicken recipe is juicy and bursting with flavor every time!

Crockpot Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe

I make up a slow cooker chicken recipe almost every week.

It’s easy to use during the week for a variety of meals, like salads for lunch, burritos for dinner, or a quick chicken and rice burrito bowl.

It sure makes meal planning easier and it’s something we all like. I have a few slow cooker chicken recipes that I use over and over.

This chicken uses a LOT of garlic cloves. Don’t let it scare you away. Many are shocked when they see 30 cloves of garlic on the recipe… yep, 30! It’s not a typo. But trust me. You’ll love it. It’s not overpowering, I promise.

How to Peel Garlic Easily

This tool is a must-have if you work with garlic a lot! Here’s my referral link.

Now peeling all that garlic can be a chore. I smash my heads of garlic to separate the cloves, then I use this handy garlic tool to easily remove the garlic skin. You place your garlic clove inside the tube and simply roll on your countertop. The garlic clove magically peels itself, making the job much easier.

Do you use the Whole Chicken, Chicken Breasts, or Chicken Thighs?

I’ve made this recipe using a whole chicken, chicken breasts or thighs. All work great, making it one of those easy dump it in recipes.

I’ve never tried the recipe with frozen chicken, but I’m sure it would work. I would set the slow cooker on low and cook it a little longer.

Once the chicken is done, I remove it from the slow cooker to be shred. Depending on the cut of chicken, remove the skin, bones and any fatty portions if needed before shredding. Shredded chicken can be stored in either a ziplock plastic bag or Snapware glass food storage containers with the tight-fitting lids.

Then it’s ready for use all week long.

How to Make Shredded Lemon Garlic Chicken

Crockpot Lemon Garlic Chicken

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

I know it seems like a lot of garlic, but trust me, this recipe for Lemon Garlic Chicken is delicious!

Ingredients

30 garlic cloves, peeled
3 celery ribs - sliced
1 whole chicken or 4 or 5 chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon salt ( I use sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons parsley (I used diced fresh)
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

I'm not one who likes a lot of prep when I make a slow cooker meal, but if you have extra time, you may consider browning the chicken in a skillet before placing in the slow cooker. I've done it both ways and both turn out great It's harder to brown a whole chicken, unless you cut it up first.
Place your garlic and celery in your slow cooker.
Place your chicken on top of the celery and garlic.
In a small bowl, mix the salt, pepper, parsley, basil, oregano, paprika, lemon peel with the broth and olive oil. Pour over the chicken.
Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, or until it's done.
Remove the chicken into a casserole dish or large plate and shred using 2 forks. Feel free to return it to the juices if you'd like or store as is.
Store in a tightly sealed container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 545Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 208mgSodium: 470mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 72g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

How to Shred Chicken

I usually separate a large piece of meat and use 2 forks to shred and pull apart. I know many people who use an electric mixer. You separate all meat from the bones, place it into a large mixing bowl and turn on your mixer to low.