Braised Mediterranean Chicken is one slow cooker dish that doesn’t take long to cook.  Why, you ask, would THAT be a good idea.  Well, I like to have a couple of slow cooker items in my freezer stash that I can pull out in the morning, thaw, then pop in the slow cooker after lunch for an easy dinner on the weekend with minimal prep on my part (not to mention no extra dishes to wash).  Love it!  If you need to cook it longer, switch the cut up whole chicken to all dark meat pieces (such as leg quarters) as they can handle a longer slow cooker cooking time.

I would love to have you join me!

If you have a gluten free freezer friendly dish to share, email me or leave a comment below and I will link it up for you.  I can’t wait to see what everybody comes up with! 🙂

To participate in Gluten Free-zer Friday:

1. If you would like to participate in Gluten Free-zer Friday, simply email your post link to your gluten free freezer recipe (angelaATangelaskitchenDOTcom) or leave a comment below and I will add you to the roundup.

2. Link back to this post on the post with the recipe you have linked.

 

The Recipe: Braised Mediterranean Chicken

You could skip the browning step of the chicken, however I recommend you give it a try. Browning the chicken adds another layer of flavor and helps make the completed dish look delicious!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4to 5 pound chicken, cut up, skin removed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup white wine, non-alcoholic white wine or cider
  • 1 cup gluten free chicken broth or stock
  • 6 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence or Italian Seasoning
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced
  • 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen or canned artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
  • 3/4 cup green olives

Instructions 

  • In a skillet heat half the oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown half the chicken, 4 to 6 minutes on a side then place in a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker. Repeat with remaining oil and chicken.
  • Add wine to skillet. Heat wine to simmering, scraping the browned bits from pan. Turn off heat. Stir in chicken stock, Herbes de Provence and garlic. Pour over chicken in slow cooker. Lay lemon slices on chicken, then top with onion. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Add artichokes and olives. Cook for 1/2 hour longer. Serve over rice or quinoa, if desired, with a side salad.
  • To freeze: Brown chicken as directed. Set in refrigerator to cool. Add wine to skillet. Heat wine to simmering, scraping the browned bits from pan. Turn off heat. Stir in chicken stock, Herbes de Provence and garlic. Cool in refrigerator. Put cooled chicken, stock mixture, lemon and onions into a gallon sized freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible, seal. Put artichoke hearts and olives into a quart sized freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible then seal. Package both bags together, label and freeze.
  • To serve: Thaw. Put contents of larger bag with chicken into a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 4 hours. Add contents of artichoke bag. Cover and cook for a half hour longer.