By popular demand (okay, maybe not ‘popular’ but definitely by demand) here is my recipe for Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken.

  • Prep:  30 minutes
  • Cook:  Low 7 hours, High 3 1/2 hours
  • Makes: 4 to 6 servings
  • Slow Cooker:  3 1/2- to 4-quart

Mediterranean Chicken

  • 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 1 14 1/2-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and cut up
  • 1 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts
  • 1 2 1/2-ounce can sliced, pitted ripe olives, drained
  • 3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
  • 2 to 2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs and/or drumsticks, skinned
  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
  • 6 ounces linguine, cooked and drained
Instructions:
  1. In a 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker combine the mushrooms, tomatoes, undrained artichoke hearts (cut up large pieces), and olives.  Sprinkle with tapioca.  Place the chicken pieces over the vegetables.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and salt.  Add chicken broth and white wine.
  2. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 7-8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.  Serve with hot cooked linguine.

Changes I Made

I have a large 6.5 ounce oval slow cooker so I needed to make a few changes to make this recipe work for me.  You might want to try a few of these as well.

  • To cover the base of my slow cooker I used 4-5 cups of sliced fresh mushrooms.
  • I used a 28 fl oz can of diced tomatoes, drained to save on slicing and dicing time.
  • I couldn’t find any cans/jars of olives in the required size and since I love olives I picked up a can that looks to be about 14 fl oz.  (Sorry, the can I bought only provides the metric measurement.)
  • I ended up buying a package of chicken thighs that weighed about 3 pounds.
  • Cooking time:  3 and 1/2 hours.
  • I added crumbled feta on top of the pasta and sauce for extra flavour.

Things I Might Change Next Time

  • I would cut back on the amount of salt added to this recipe.
  • The recipe calls for you to sprinkle the Italian seasoning on top of the chicken then pour the chicken broth and white wine in.  I would take some of the Italian seasoning and sprinkle it over the vegetable mixture, add the chicken, then the chicken broth and white wine, and finish by sprinkling the remaining Italian seasoning (and salt if you wish) on top of the chicken.
  • I would also try to cook this for 3 hours and check – my large slow cooker seems to cook much faster than my mom’s smaller round one.