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Overhead view of chicken with tongs.
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Slow Cooker Chicken with Orzo and Kalamata Olives

Delicious family style meal from Publix grocery, Aprons recipe with a few tweaks.
Course Chicken, Main Course
Cuisine American, Mediterranean
Keyword slow cooker chicken with orzo
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 582kcal
Author Joe Boyle

Ingredients

  • 3 chicken leg and thigh quarters
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp Greek seasoning , like Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning
  • 1 sweet onion , diced
  • 8 oz . mini pepper rings or red and yellow bell peppers sliced 1/4" thick
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 8 oz . can tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup greek yogurt ranch dressing , like Litehouse Opa tzatziki ranch or Hidden Valley
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 30 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
  • 3/4 cup orzo
  • 3 cups packed spinach leaves , coarse stems removed

Instructions

  • Separate the chicken legs and thighs and place in a large bowl
  • Add the olive oil and Greek seasoning and toss to coat
  • Heat a large heavy skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium high heat and place the chicken pieces skin side down until the skin is nicely brown, turn and repeat on the second side, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Place the browned chicken into a slow cooker.
  • Using the same skillet, on medium heat, add the onion and peppers to soften, 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the chicken broth, tomato sauce, yogurt dressing and the pepper flakes and bring to a boil then pour this over the chicken in the slow cooker.
  • Cook on high heat for 2 hours.
  • Next, add the orzo and kalamata olives, stir in and cook for 35 to 40 minutes more until the orzo is done.
  • Remove the chicken parts and place on a large platter or shallow serving bowl, then stir in the spinach leaves to wilt, about 2 minutes.
  • Pour the orzo/spinach/kalamata olive mixture into the serving dish with the chicken.
  • Serve right away.

Notes

  1. You can substitute long grain white rice for the orzo. The cooking time may vary, so check the rice for softness occasionally.
  2. Leftovers can be re-heated but the orzo may have absorbed a lot of the broth. Add more broth as you see fit.
  3. I used the small bell peppers because they were on sale. Normal sized red, orange or yellow can be substituted.

Nutrition

Calories: 582kcal