Basil Chicken With Feta (Slow Cooker)

duonyte's Note:

Another great recipe by Stephanie O'Dea of the Year of Slow Cooking blog. I made some changes to the recipe based on my own experience and preferences. This is a delicious recipe with so many wonderful flavors. For a 4 quart slow cooker. I did not include the freezing time (my modification) in the preparation time.

• Total Time: 6 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 6 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 lbs chicken thighs (I used drumsticks and thighs)
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chickpeas
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaf, tightly packed
• 4 -8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• cooked rice or couscous

Directions:

1. I use skin-on, bone-in chicken. I browned the chicken and froze it, and put it in a 4 quart slow cooker frozen. Stephanie used skinless boneless and just put it in the slow cooker.
2. Add the entire can of tomatoes, the chickpeas (rinse and drain if using canned - I cook from dried), green olives, basil leaves, and feta cheese. (I found 4 ounces to be enough, she used 8 ounces).
3. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Mine was done without falling apart at 7 hours and I would test at 5 hours if using not-frozen chicken. Serve chicken and the copious juices over rice or couscous.