Slow cooked lemon olive chicken

This recipe has long been a family favourite in my household. For me, it is the perfect alternative to a classic Sunday roast, (which I am not really a fan of, much to the horror and confusion of the rest of my family). While it does take a long time to cook, it is worth it at the end when you have beautifully soft and tender lemon olive chicken with plenty of flavour-packed juice – perfect for soaking up with a nice chunk of fresh bread!

The beauty of slow-cooked dishes is letting the oven do the work for you. I have given two options for this recipe – the slow cooker and the oven. Either works great, so if you don’t have a slow cooker, you can still make this dish! I used a tagine pot to cook the chicken as it was the perfect size and shape, but any oven-safe dish with a lid will work fine. The oven option takes slightly less time, so if you are in a hurry (although not too much of a hurry – it’s still 3 hours!) then you might want to go with that option. But, if you have a slow cooker, and want to go busy yourself with other activities, it might be more convenient to have the longer cooking time.

Despite the lengthy cooking time, it is actually very simple to prepare. While the ingredients are minimal, they combine perfectly, infusing the chicken with heaps of flavour. But all you need to do is chop a few things and rub it onto the chicken itself. Easy!

Pin

Slow cooked lemon olive chicken

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Keyword Chicken, lemon, olive, slow cook

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 15 g butter softened
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon zested
• 3 garlic cloves
• 30 g green olives (about 20 olives)
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley (or just a small bunch)
• 2 lemons to serve

Instructions

• Mix the softened butter, olive oil, lemon zest, olives and parsley in a bowl.
• Using the flat handle end of a regular butter knife, loosen the skin and create a gap between the skin and the breast of the chicken. Then using a spoon, push a quarter of the olive mixture under the skin on each side of the chicken. Now spread the remaining half of the mixture over the outside of the chicken skin and rub in.
• Stuff the chicken with the lemon quarters and place into the slow cooker. Set the heat to low, and cook for 6 hours. Alternatively, place in a tagine pot or covered oven dish and cook at 150° C for 3 hours.
• When cooked, garnish with lemon slices and fresh parsley, cut the chicken into quarters and serve with french bread or ciabatta.

Method in pictures

Slow Cooked Olive and Lemon Chicken-01-DSCF8876

Slow Cooked Olive and Lemon Chicken-03-DSCF8881

Slow Cooked Olive and Lemon Chicken-04-DSCF8882

Slow Cooked Olive and Lemon Chicken-05-DSCF8886

Slow Cooked Olive and Lemon Chicken-07-DSCF8889

Slow Cooked Olive and Lemon Chicken-02-DSCF8895

Slow Cooked Olive and Lemon Chicken-03-DSCF8902