{"id":3767,"date":"2016-01-23T10:21:24","date_gmt":"2016-01-23T16:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bowlofdelicious.com\/?p=3767"},"modified":"2019-10-19T13:43:27","modified_gmt":"2019-10-19T18:43:27","slug":"slow-cooker-greek-style-green-beans-and-chicken-thighs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bowlofdelicious.com\/slow-cooker-greek-style-green-beans-and-chicken-thighs\/","title":{"rendered":"Slow Cooker Greek-Style Green Beans and Chicken Thighs"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am SO excited about this new recipe. You are going to LOVE these Greek-Style Green Beans and Chicken Thighs!<\/p>\n

\"Slow<\/p>\n

Why? I’ll tell you why.<\/p>\n

Because it’s an ENTIRE meal cooked in your slow cooker<\/a>. The ULTIMATE one-pot meal (and it’s budget-friendly!)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Greek-style green beans- flavored with dill, lemon, tomatoes, garlic, and onion- simmer underneath the chicken thighs for hours, and the delicious juices from the chicken slowly seep into the veggies to make them melt-in-your-mouth tender.<\/p>\n

And the chicken- oh, the chicken- is fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy.<\/p>\n

Have you ever had Greek-style green beans? If not, you’re in for a treat! You can certainly make this recipe sans chicken for your next crowd-pleasing side dish.<\/p>\n

Greek green beans are packed full of flavor and super tender because they are cooked for a very long time, similarly to Southern-Style Green Beans<\/a>. Mixed with fresh diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, fresh dill (or other herbs)<\/em>, lemon juice, and PLENTY of salt and pepper, they are definitely an impressive dish on their own.<\/p>\n

I love this recipe because it’s a great way to use your slow cooker<\/a> for veggies.<\/p>\n

Usually, crockpot recipes are very meat-heavy. There are soups… but you can only have so many soups. Green beans are the perfect vegetable to slow cook since they hold up and don’t turn to mush.<\/p>\n

\"Slow<\/p>\n

A note on the chicken: when you assemble this meal in your slow cooker<\/a>, you will mix together all ingredients for the green beans and then lay the chicken on top, skin side up, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.<\/p>\n

After it’s done cooking, the chicken will be perfectly tender, but the skin won’t be crispy (since the slow cooker is covered, the steam keeps the skin from getting crispy)<\/em>. I am a huge fan of crispy chicken skin, so I for one could NOT let this stand.<\/p>\n

I recommend putting the chicken under the broiler on a foil-covered sturdy baking sheet<\/a> for a few minutes to crisp it up before serving.<\/p>\n

And another note on the chicken: I’ve been obsessed with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for a while now, and ESPECIALLY now that I’m doing a Whole30<\/a> challenge. Here’s why.<\/p>\n

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  1. They are about the cheapest cut of chicken you can buy (which gives you more wiggle room to buy the good, pasture-raised meat)<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  2. They are, in my opinion, the tastiest part of the chicken since they are also the fattiest (dark meat rules!).<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n
  3. On the Whole30 (or for a Paleo or low-carb diet)<\/em>, they are much more satisfying than leaner cuts of chicken, since you train your body to get energy from fats instead of from carbs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Over the years, fat has received a bad reputation, but recent research<\/a> shows that fat is not a health concern so much as refined grains and sugar.<\/p>\n

    The Whole30 is not designed to be a low-carb diet (and in fact includes high-carb foods like potatoes, fruits, and other starchy vegetables)<\/em> but ends up being lower carb by nature, since you eliminate grains and legumes.<\/p>\n

    This means you get most of your energy from fats, and over the 30 day challenge you train your body to respond to fat better.<\/p>\n

    Therefore, I feel infinitely more satisfied and energized by small changes such as eating skin-on chicken thighs instead of boneless skinless breasts.<\/p>\n

    If you want to use boneless skinless breasts for this recipe, I would recommend cooking it for a shorter time and checking the doneness of your chicken along the way- the leaner cuts of chicken tend to overcook more easily, especially in the slow cooker<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    \"Slow<\/p>\n

    Before I go, I’ll give you a brief Whole30 update. I’m now on day 23 of the Whole30 challenge. Seven more to go! It’s right around this time that the program explains food boredom can become a problem.<\/p>\n

    I’ve felt this just a wee bit, especially because I love cooking with whole grains and legumes.<\/p>\n

    But as I explained in my last post<\/a>, I’m seeing SO many benefits from the program, that food boredom isn’t as much of an issue for me.<\/p>\n

    Or maybe it’s because of the fact that I could NEVER get sick of these Greek green beans and chicken thighs!<\/p>\n

    Recipe below! Enjoy :-)<\/p>\n

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    Slow Cooker Greek-Style Green Beans and Chicken Thighs<\/h2>\n\t\t
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    Slow Cooker Greek-Style Green Beans and Chicken thighs is the ULTIMATE one-pot meal: everything cooks in your crockpot at once! Plus, it's cheap, whole30\/paleo, low carb, and healthy.<\/div>\n\t\t
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