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by Robyn Conley Downs on Aug 2, 2016 (last updated May 24, 2022) 41 comments »
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4.88 stars (8 ratings)
Slow Cooker Citrus Chicken yields bright citrus flavors and tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone chicken. A super easy recipe perfect for bone-in chicken legs and thighs!
You guys. It’s August. How did this happen?
Every year I think summer is going to be this amazing, relaxing time to slow down and enjoy the long days and warm weather.
Instead it turns into a whirlwind of entertaining and guests and projects and trips and work and driving an energetic four year-old around to a million different camps.
It’s fun. I love it. I do. But it’s a lot.
One thing that is saving us this summer is the slow cooker.
I know people often think of the slow cooker for hearty fall and winter soups and stews, but it’s also a game changer for the warmer months when routines get wonky and there’s less time to cook.
This recipe is really perfect any time of year, but the bright citrus flavors just feel like summer.
I’ll definitely be making this one in the cold months to lighten up the dark days.
My inspiration for this recipe came from The Pioneer Woman’s Pollo Asado, which she marinates and grills.
I wanted a crockpot shortcut, and I think it works really well with the low, slow cooking time.
Especially with a blast under the broiler to crisp up the skin. So yummy!
You can serve these bone-in chicken legs with warm tortillas, beans, and pico de gallo.
Or serve the chicken with rice or cauliflower rice, a big salad and maybe some roasted veggies.
The flavors are so versatile they work well with just about anything.
The ingredient list is short, too, making it the perfect standby for late in the week when you’re low on ingredients and on time.
I hope you all enjoy.
Now, let’s make some Slow Cooker Citrus Chicken!
recipe & kid-friendly adaptations
1 | If you don’t have lemons and limes, just use 4 lemons or 4 limes.
2 | Serve the chicken on the bone, or shred the meat and serve in rice bowls or in tacos with beans, pico de gallo, guacamole or sliced avocado, and plenty of hot sauce.
this recipe is…
Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreePaleoWhole30
4.88 stars (8 ratings)
Slow Cooker Citrus Chicken (Pollo Asado)
Servings: 6
Slow Cooker Citrus Chicken (Pollo Asado) yields bright citrus flavors and tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone chicken. A super easy recipe with delicious results!
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Ingredients
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey, omit for whole30
- 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 pound bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 pound bone-in chicken legs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
Equipment
Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk together the orange, lemon, lime juice, and honey along with ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside ¼ cup of the citrus mixture.
Place the chicken thighs and legs into the base of a 6-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt, then pour over the remaining citrus mixture. Nestle in the onion pieces and garlic cloves. Note: You may also add the citrus rinds at this point (as pictured). Some readers have found the addition of the rinds bitter, so if in doubt, discard them out and just use the juice.
Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6, or until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone.
Remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Place the legs and thighs onto a metal baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons citrus mixture, then broil on high 5-10 minutes or until the skin is crispy.
Serve the remaining citrus mixture for dipping and serve the chicken immediately. Alternatively, if you prefer to skip the broiler, simply remove the skin and serve the chicken shredded off the bone with the citrus mixture on the side for dipping.
Notes
If you don’t have lemons and limes, just use 4 lemons or 4 limes.
Serve the chicken on the bone, or shred the meat and serve in rice bowls or in tacos with beans, pico de gallo, guacamole or sliced avocado, and plenty of hot sauce.
If you are very sensitive to the bitter side of citrus, leave the citrus rinds out, and can skip the lime juice. You can also discard the juice remaining in the slow cooker.
Recipe inspired by The Pioneer Woman’s Pollo Asado
Author: Robyn Conley Downs
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition disclaimer
Did you make this recipe?If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!
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DinnersSlow CookerDairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreePaleoWhole30
originally published on Aug 2, 2016 (last updated May 24, 2022)
41 comments Leave a comment »
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41 comments on “Slow Cooker Citrus Chicken”
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Anne — Reply
This looks amazing! Citrus and chicken sound amazing together 😀
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Robyn Downs — Reply
It’s a great combo! I hope you enjoy Anne. 🙂
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Nastacia — Reply
Eek! I just made this and it turned out PERFECT! I can’t wait to eat the rest this week, and make it for years to come!
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Yay, so happy you enjoyed Nastacia! 🙂
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KATIE — Reply
Can I use boneless/skinless chicken breasts?
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Katie, I haven’t tried this recipe with boneless/skinless chicken breasts, but I imagine the flavors would still be good. I usually cook 1-2 pounds of chicken breasts for 4 hours on low or 6 on high. Skip the broiling step, since the chicken breasts won’t really brown without skin. Let us know how it turns out!
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Karen — Reply
I have all the ingredients in the fridge, but it looks like I have more than enough leftovers for a meal. Do you think I could put all the ingredients into a Ziploc and freeze for use next week when we have family visiting?
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Karen — Reply
Upon a bit further thinking, I could cook it and freeze it and finish it on the grill with some fresh citrus.
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Sounds like a fantastic plan, Karen!
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Stephanie — Reply
This looks great! Would a whole chicken work instead of thighs and legs? I get a whole chicken from our local organic farm each month and I’m picking it up today! I would love to try this recipe on Sunday! 🙂
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Stephanie, I do think it would work. You’ll probably need to add additional time (you can modify using the instructions in this recipe: https://realfoodwholelife.com/blog/slow-cooker-garlic-balsamic-whole-chicken). Let us know how it turns out!
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Stephanie — Reply
Great, thank you Robyn!
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Aniss — Reply
I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a few weeks and just made it tonight. It looks amazing but it was incredibly bitter, I’m assuming from the lime. It was cloyingly bitter to the point where it got tossed out. Did anyone else experience this issue?
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Aniss, so far there have been nothing but good reviews for this recipe, so I’m not sure what happened. You could definitely omit the lime and just use orange in the future.
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Else — Reply
Mine came out really bitter too!
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Else, hmm, not sure what’s going on with that. Mine still comes out well. I can go back and retest to see if I can figure out what’s going on.
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Robyn Downs — Reply
I did test this recipe again and it came out just fine. I did add a note regarding the lime juice (with some options to reduce any potential bitterness).
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Laura Meyerhoff — Reply
Mine also came out really bitter the first time I made this, but I tried it again and didn’t cook it with any of the citrus rinds and it turned out wonderful! There was none of the bitterness and I’ve made it a bunch of times since then. Thanks for the recipe it’s a family favorite!
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Laura, thanks so much for sharing, this is a great tip for people. So glad you’re enjoying this one!
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tina carlone — Reply
It’s definitely the rinds. Mine is horribly bitter. I remembered too late I had this same experience with rinds in another recipe. The chicken is inedible. Such a bummer.
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Sorry this one didn’t work out for you, Tina. I’ve had people make it with the rinds and have no problem. I will go back and add a note regarding the rinds for folks.
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Janice — Reply
I’m making this for the first time today. I’m confused. Picture shows citrus rinds in slow cooker but directions don’t mention rinds.
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Hey Janice, photos are always an inspiration. Please refer to the recipe for specific instructions. Hope you enjoy!
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Amy — Reply
I re-read all comments to digest the tips a few times. Sounds like no rinds is the suggestion. I hope you can update photo to reflect that, too.
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Amy, many people still enjoy the rinds, so it’s definitely personal preference. As noted in the recipe, if you’re concerned at all or sensitive to bitter then best to leave them out.
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Joni — Reply
I am anxious to make this when we go camping but I won’t have a broiler or grill. Do you think it will be good without the crisping step?
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Hi Joni, if you don’t have anything to crisp up the skin you might want to just discard it–it gets pretty mushy during the long cooking process. The meat should still be flavorful and tender even without the skin. I hope you enjoy!
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Joni — Reply
Gotcha! I will remove the skin then. I have a feeling this will be delicious even without the crisp skin. Thank you!
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Robyn Downs — Reply
You’re welcome, Joni. Enjoy your trip!
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Charlotte — Reply
The chicken was delicious, I don’t have a broiler so popped it under the grill (UK) on full, for 5 minutes and the skin crisped up perfectly.
I served with rice and poured some sauce on top.
I did add extra lemon juice in at the end as it wasn’t as flavour packed as I expected. I did wish it had thickened, but I might tweak that somehow for next time.-
Robyn Downs — Reply
Charlotte, so glad you enjoyed this one! Thanks for your review. 🙂
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Shaun — Reply
What is the point of slow cooking if you have to broil it anyway?
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Shaun, you don’t have to broil it if you don’t want to. However, you’re not going to have crispy skin when you slow cook chicken. Sounds like this recipe isn’t for you.
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Marion Ciecirski — Reply
Delicious! I used all thighs and doubled the recipe. We ate the chicken over salad and my family of 4 enjoyed it. My daughter and I used the leftover citrus mix as a salad dressing and it was refreshingly delicious.
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Ohhhh, love the idea of using chicken thighs in this one! Thanks for the tip and for leaving a review!
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Jasmine — Reply
Step 2 is missing a lot. No mention of onions or garlic steps, etc.
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Robyn Downs — Reply
Hi Jasmine, per the recipe, the onion and garlic added in step two. Hope you enjoy!
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Brenda — Reply
I made this for a casual lunch when hosting a group of girlfriends…. and it got rave reviews! From my perspective, it was soooo easy – a bit of chopping, a bit of squeezing was all it took. A few minutes under the broiler out of the crockpot, and voila! I will definitely make it again.
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Robyn Conley Downs — Reply
So happy to hear this one was a hit for you, Brenda! Such a great option for an easy and casual lunch. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
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Stephanie Myers — Reply
So I decided to make this recipe into tacos with a corn tortilla. I shredded the chicken, added citrus cilantro coleslaw on top with a side of Cilantro Lime Jasmine Rice. My husband LOVED IT!
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Robyn Conley Downs — Reply
Stephanie, oh yum, this combo sounds amazing. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and notes!
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