Slow Cooker Provencal Lemon and Olive Chicken

     I'm always leery of slow cooker recipes with fancy names. The word "Provencal" in this recipe stood out like a flashing warning sign. I have a very hard time imagining rustic French chefs plugging in their Crock-Pots and loading them up for the day. That's what is commonly referred to as "juxtaposition." However, this recipe included green olives and lemon, which The Wife loves dearly. Happy Wife, Happy Life. I gave the recipe a try. I have to admit, it was pretty good. It certainly had a nice tang and plenty of flavor. The chicken was remarkably tender and moist. We served it up with some potatoes and had a very nice dinner. We'll call this one a winner. As always, any notes or changes are in blue.

Slow Cooker
Provencal Lemon and Olive Chicken
via Crock Pot Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped onion
• 8 skinless chicken thighs (about 2.5 pounds) (None on hand. Went with an equal amount of boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed
• 1 cup pitted green olives (I hope they meant those pimiento stuffed green olives from the jar, because that's what I used)
• 1 tablespoon olive brine from jar or 1 tablespoon white vinegar (I went with the olive brine)
• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence (I'll be damned. I actually had a jar of herbes de Provence on hand!)
• 1 bay leaf (please remember to remove it when done cooking or someone will choke to death. Every bay leaf is a fatality waiting to happen. Or at least that's what my mother always said.)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used pink Himalayan salt because that's what badasses do.)
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley (None on hand. I used 2 teaspoons dried)

Directions

1. Place onion in slow cooker. Arrange chicken over onion. Place lemon slice on chicken. Add olives, brine, herbes de Provence, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the chicken broth.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3-3.5 hours or until chicken is tender. Stir in parsley before serving.

Good times!