Skip to Content

Creamy Paleo Lemon Slowcooker Chicken

Please share:

January 1st marked Day 1 of our family Whole30. I know for a fact that we’re not alone in this, that many of you are also doing a Whole30 (or something similar) right now. While I’ve got a ton of recipe ideas and (literally) half-baked recipes planned out that are so very not Whole30-compliant, they will have to take a back seat for the month of January since I have no taste testers in my home for that type of food this month.

Instead, I’ll be focusing on more wholesome, Whole30-friendly meals. In case you haven’t seen it yet, go check out my Whole30 meal plan. It’s written out to make life easy for you and minimize cooking by utilizing leftovers for lunch so you don’t have to think as hard and can be just as healthy.

Creamy Lemon Artichoke Chicken {by Our Paleo Life}

Paleo Lemon Chicken Recipe

I’m a sucker for easy meals. I often overlook the all-powerful slow cooker, even though it can make my life eight million times easier. {Fun Fact: when I exaggerate, I always use the number 8} I recently bought a huge bag of lemons at Costco and by the time I got home, realized I had no idea what I wanted to use them for. So I tossed around a lot of ideas (some sweet, some savory) and tried to think of recipes to make using what I already had since I didn’t want to make any extra trips to the store.

Chicken thighs? Check. Lemons? Double check. Artichokes? Of course. Coconut milk, chicken stock, arrowroot? Duh. And if you don’t have these things, maybe you should check out our Paleo Food Staples, it’s a pretty thorough list of what we almost always have on hand and use on a regular basis.

Now that I had everything, it was time to get testing. The first time I made this, it was way too lemony. I also added white potatoes and really didn’t like the mushiness that they added. Maybe as a side dish, but not cooked in with the chicken, nope. So I made a few tweaks, changed the method a tad bit, and voila! Whole30 chicken perfection.

Creamy Lemon Artichoke Chicken {by Our Paleo Life}
Creamy Lemon Artichoke Chicken {by Our Paleo Life}
Creamy Lemon Artichoke Chicken {by Our Paleo Life}

And I love that because the chicken shreds up so easily due to the slow cooking, this is more of a stew, which just warms my heart (and toes, and fingers, and nose) during these cold winter months. Also, leftovers. Such good leftovers. If you’re not a leftover kind of person, you should start. So many recipes actually taste better the next day and it’s one less meal to prepare! How could you not love leftovers?!

Now, honestly, this meal would be really good with some gluten-free/paleo bread or rolls to sop up all the yummy sauce, but since I’m on this Whole30, and you probably are too, just pretend I didn’t say that. You can think of that later, like in 28 days, but not now. No bread, no bread, no bread….

Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe

Are you hungry yet? I am. Luckily, this isn’t an 8-hour slow cooker meal, and if I forget to put everything together first thing in the morning, I still have time to get it done by lunchtime and still have dinner ready before 6pm. Phew.

Creamy Lemon Artichoke Chicken {by Our Paleo Life}

Creamy Lemon Slowcooker Chicken

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Using ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen, this is a super easy meal that comes together quickly and tastes great as leftovers as well.The lemon isn't overpowering and the artichokes add great taste and texture.

Ingredients

  • 8 Chicken Thighs, boneless & skinless
  • Sea Salt, to taste
  • Ground Black Pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tbsp Avocado or Olive Oil
  • 1 Lemon, sliced
  • Approx 32 oz Artichoke Hearts, in water, not marinated - we get ours at Costco
  • 1 cup Chicken Broth, no added sugar
  • 1/2 cup Full-Fat Coconut Milk
  • 3 Tbsp Arrowroot Starch, divided

Instructions

Crockpot Method

  1. Trim chicken thighs of any excess fat. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken evenly with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the chicken. Cook a couple minutes per side, until browned. Set aside.
  3. Drain the artichoke hearts and cut into quarters (if they didn't already come cut). Place the artichokes in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add browned chicken to the slow cooker on top of the artichokes.
  4. With a whisk, mix 2 tablespoons of the starch into the chicken broth, then add in the coconut milk. Pour mixture evenly over the chicken in the slow cooker.
  5. Slice the lemon (not too thin, not too thick). Remove and discard any seeds. Place one lemon slice on top of each chicken thigh.
  6. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours. Remove the lemons and discard. With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken and set aside.
  7. Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon of starch with 1 tablespoon of water. Add to the crockpot and stir to thicken. Add the chicken back to the crockpot and stir to combine. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1 g
Amount Per Serving Calories 447Total Fat 35gSaturated Fat 9gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 110mgSodium 627mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 2gSugar 1gProtein 20g

Nutrition is calculated by a third party and may not be 100% accurate

Please share:

Nicole

Monday 21st of June 2021

I used your Whole 30 meal plan and followed it exactly. Now that our Whole 30 is over, I’m revisiting some of our favorite recipes. We liked the flavor of this one, but not the texture (my family is very anti-mushy). I’m thinking about trying this in the oven or air fryer to keep the chicken from falling apart so much. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Kate

Thursday 2nd of January 2020

I agree with Jen that this was bitter, but I think it’s the artichokes. I am not a fan of artichokes - though in spinach artichoke dip it’s okay, so I thought I’d give this a try. I made enough for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow, and with no one eating tonight we now have loads of leftovers :(. So heads up - unless you love artichokes, I would skip this dish. I might try the tip add red peppers to the leftovers to see if it’s bearable.

JESSICA L NIXON

Saturday 23rd of February 2019

Couple questions: 1) When you say "full fat coconut milk", do you mean you refrigerate it and then skim the solid stuff off the top? Or do you just take a can of liquid coconut milk and use that (non-refrigerated)? 2) Can you taste the coconut at all? I'm not a fan of coconut, so the taste really sticks out to me if there aren't enough other tastes to mask it completely.

Patricia Brandenburger

Thursday 27th of December 2018

Going to try this one out with pheasant! (Was gifted some but even wrapping it in bacon left it super dry.) My dad and uncle have both recommended cooking it in a cream sauce but I have tried to avoid dairy... maybe this will do the trick?!

Jessica

Wednesday 7th of March 2018

Can I use frozen chicken thighs or should I defrost before putting in slow cooker?

Kendra Benson

Wednesday 7th of March 2018

I have't tried this with frozen chicken yet, but you may want to add a couple hours to the cook time just to be safe.

Skip to Recipe