Everyday dinner
Slow-cooker chicken, olive and potato pot
Tender chicken, potatoes and vegetables slowly cooked with tomatoes, herbs and green olives.
Free guide: thirty gluten-free dinners, with the shopping lists
Prepare this complete chicken dinner earlier in the day, then let the slow cooker turn chicken thighs, potatoes and vegetables tender in a tomato and herb sauce.
This recipe is in development. Slow cookers vary, so use the visible and temperature checks as well as the suggested cooking time.
The recipe
Slow-cooker chicken, olive and potato pot
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 380 min
- Total*
- 400 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
*Estimated development timings. No standing time is required. The total includes 20 minutes preparation and 380 minutes cooking, including frying. Allow longer if needed to reach the chicken temperature, tender vegetables and thickened sauce described in the steps.
Ingredients
Tick things off as you go.
Chicken and vegetables
Tomato and herb sauce
Equipment
- Use a 4.5-litre slow cooker, observing its manufacturer's recommended fill level.
- Use a large frying pan and a spoon for stirring.
- Use a knife and separate chopping boards for vegetables and raw chicken.
- Use a measuring jug and measuring spoons.
- Use a small bowl for the cornflour mixture.
- Use a clean food thermometer to check the chicken.
Let’s make it.
- 01
Prepare the slow cooker
Follow your slow cooker's instructions for preheating. Put the potatoes, carrots and leek in the pot. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and hot gluten-free chicken stock, then add the thyme, rosemary and half the lemon zest. Stir until the vegetables are evenly coated. Check that there is room for the chicken without exceeding the manufacturer's recommended fill level.
- 02
Brown the chicken
Use chilled, fully thawed chicken and do not wash it. After handling it, wash your hands with soap and warm water and thoroughly clean the board, knife and any surfaces it has touched. Allow about 10 minutes for this frying stage. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken lightly with salt and black pepper, then brown it for 6–8 minutes, turning until lightly golden on both sides. Add the garlic and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, until the garlic smells fragrant and the purée darkens slightly. The chicken will finish cooking in the slow cooker.
- 03
Start cooking
Immediately transfer the chicken and everything from the frying pan to the slow cooker, spreading the chicken over the vegetables. Check that the contents remain below the recommended fill level. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours 30 minutes. Keep the lid closed during cooking; afterwards, the potatoes should yield at their edges when pressed with a spoon.
- 04
Add the greens
Stir in the green beans and olives, keeping the chicken pieces mostly intact. Replace the lid and cook on low for a further 30 minutes, until the beans are tender, the potatoes and carrots are easily pierced with a knife, and the chicken is steaming hot throughout with no pink meat. Use a clean food thermometer to check that the centre of the thickest chicken pieces reaches 75°C for at least 30 seconds. Clean the probe after use. Continue cooking if the chicken or vegetables have not reached these checks.
- 05
Thicken the sauce
Mix the cornflour and cold water in a small bowl until completely smooth. Turn the slow cooker to high and stir the mixture into the hot sauce. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the sauce is gently bubbling and lightly coats the back of a spoon. If it remains thin or tastes chalky, continue cooking on high with the lid on, checking and stirring every 5 minutes until thickened.
- 06
Finish and serve
Switch off the slow cooker. Stir in the measured lemon juice and remaining lemon zest until evenly mixed, then taste and adjust the salt and black pepper. Check that the sauce lightly coats the chicken and vegetables, then divide everything evenly between four bowls and serve straight away.
Ingredient checks
Check the chicken stock, tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, olives, cornflour, dried herbs and seasoning for gluten-free suitability and declared allergens. Use clean equipment, uncontaminated preparation surfaces and a separate chopping board for raw chicken, and protect every ingredient from gluten cross-contact.
Allergens: The basic ingredients do not inherently require any of the 14 UK declarable allergens, but the finished dish's allergens depend on the packaged products used.; Check stock particularly for celery, milk, mustard and soya, and check olives for sulphites; gluten-free does not mean free from other allergens.; Check every packaged ingredient for celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya and sulphites.; For a gluten-free meal suitable for someone with coeliac disease, use suitable gluten-free ingredients and prevent gluten cross-contact during preparation and serving..
Make it work for you
Boneless chicken breast is not a direct substitute because it can dry out during the stated slow-cooking time.
Use the same drained weight of pitted black olives instead of green olives, checking their gluten-free suitability and allergen declaration.
Use the same prepared weight of parsnips instead of carrots, cutting them into the same-sized pieces and cooking until easily pierced with a knife.
For frozen green beans, follow the packet's cooking instructions separately, then stir the cooked beans into the pot towards the end and check they are steaming hot throughout.
For another day
Keep raw chicken refrigerated until needed, do not wash it, and wash hands, boards and utensils thoroughly after contact with it.
Divide leftovers into small, shallow containers to cool promptly, then cover and refrigerate within 1–2 hours.
Keep the fridge at 0–5°C and eat refrigerated leftovers within 48 hours, or freeze promptly after cooling.
Defrost frozen portions thoroughly in the fridge and use within 24 hours of full defrosting.
Reheat only once, using a saucepan or microwave, stirring until the chicken, vegetables and sauce are steaming hot throughout.
Freezing may soften the potatoes and green beans; a recipe-specific freezing trial has not been completed.
Exploding food
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The ingredients, seen a little differently. This image is an illustration of the main ingredients; use the written recipe for the full list and quantities.
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