Name: Slow-Cooker Lemony Chicken and Rice With Spinach and Feta
Total time: 5 h
Ingredients: 1 onion , chopped fine; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 3 garlic cloves , minced; 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried; Salt and pepper; 1/2 cup chicken broth; 8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs , skin removed, trimmed; 1½ cups instant white rice; 4 ounces (4 cups) baby spinach; 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice; 2 ounces feta cheese , crumbled (½ cup); 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Why This Recipe Works

We included feta in this dish for its briny tang, lemon for its brightness, and baby spinach for freshness and color. To start, we microwaved simple aromatics to bloom and develop their flavor before adding them to the slow cooker. We then added meaty bone-in chicken thighs for their deep flavor and cooked them on low to tender perfection. Once the chicken was cooked, we removed the thighs and stirred in instant rice, then nestled the chicken on top and continued to cook until the rice was just cooked through.

Before You Begin

Be sure to use instant rice (sometimes labeled minute rice); traditional rice takes much longer to cook and won't work here.

Instructions

1. Microwave onion, oil, garlic, oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in broth. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 5 hours on low.

Transfer chicken to plate. Stir rice into slow cooker. Arrange chicken on top of rice, adding any accumulated juices. Cover and cook on high until rice is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Transfer chicken to serving dish and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Gently stir spinach into slow cooker, 1 handful at a time, and let sit until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon zest and juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer rice to dish with chicken and sprinkle with feta and parsley. Serve.