Chicken Puttanesca is an Italian food staple. I wanted to find a way to make it at home in a super easy way.

This is a dump and go crockpot slow cooker meal that is packed with flavor and the sauce ingredients keeps the chicken super juicy and moist.





You'll really love how the bite from the kalamata olives flavors the chicken without being overpowering. This is a great easy dinner recipe!













SPRING BREAK is over. It was pretty anticlimactic and I'm still trying to figure out where I went wrong.





We were really looking forward to it, and had been quite excited the days and weeks leading up to this last one.





The kids and I had elaborate plans of staying in our jammies all day and playing board games and gardening and writing.





Instead we watched too much tv and argued.





But! I'm now caught up on all of Mad Men and watched the entire first season of the remake of Dallas. I liked it when the boys took their shirts off....





:-)





anyway.





I did cook, and I think you're going to like this one.





How to Make Chicken Puttanesca in the CrockPot Slow Cooker

The Ingredients.

serves 4





4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon dried oregano (2 tablespoons fresh, finely diced)

1/2 teaspoon dried red chile flakes

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup pitted kalamata olives (no juice)

4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (to add at the very end; not pictured)





cooked pasta for serving (I used gluten free angel hair)





The Directions.





Use a 4-quart slow cooker for best results.





If you only have a 6-quart, use more chicken, or don't cook it quite as long (I'd check after 4 hours on low, 3 hours on high).





Plop the chicken into the bottom of your slow cooker and add all of the other ingredients, except for the cheese.





Cover, and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for about 4 hours.





If you'd like, you can cook longer, but the chicken will probably fall apart and begin to shred. That's okay with me --- but if it's not with you, consider yourself forewarned!





Before serving, top with sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, and cook on high for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.





Serve over hot buttered pasta with a green salad.









The Verdict.





This is a fancy-pants chicken recipe that is super easy yet it tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen.





There is very little chopping required (only from garlic; you could always use jarred if you prefer) and you can throw it all in the pot before you even put on your contacts and drain the coffee.





I had Chicken Puttanesca last summer at an Italian restaurant and knew I needed to figure out how to make it at home.





I'm not, however, going to tell you what Puttanesca means because that's why they invented Google and this is a family-friendly website.





:-)





other great Italian Slow Cooker Food:























