Slow Cooker Capers, Lemon and Chicken Pasta
Capers are a fantastic ingredient to slow cook with. Their tangy, salty punch blends perfectly in this recipe with lemon, garlic and parmesan – to create a tasty, velvety sauce. Couple that with slow cooked chicken thighs and freshly cooked tagliatelle, and you’re onto a winner. This dish takes inspiration from a Chicken Piccata pasta, but of course this is by no means cooked in the traditional way!
The ingredients in this recipe are really accessible, and will be available at all supermarkets. Begin by placing chopped chicken thighs in the slow cooker. Add the juice of two lemons along with capers, minced garlic, thyme and plenty of black pepper. Then add a chicken stock cube and only small amount of water. Give it all a stir and break up the stock cube a bit. Don’t worry if it doesn’t break down completely and is still in chunks – it will dissolve through the slow cook.
As your slow cook comes to an end, prepare some tagliatelle by cooking it separately and draining. Once the slow cook finishes, you’ll have incredibly tender chicken cooked in amazing smelling base for the sauce. The capers may have all but dissolved into the juices at this point – which is fine. The biggest transformation then happens with the addition of Parmesan. It melds with the slow cooker juices to create a creamy, velvety sauce. It’s the perfect consistency for clinging to pasta.
Throw in the freshly cooked tagliatelle and give it a good stir, so everything is combined.
Pro Tips
- The sauce thickens rapidly with the addition of Parmesan, so adding a touch of butter can help adjust the consistency if it becomes too thick.
- Opt for cooking the pasta al dente, so the dish has a little bit of bite.
- Garnish with a few extra whole capers, for visual appeal.
Watch the Embedded Video
Check out our step-by-step video below, for a visual guide from start to finish.
Slow Cooker Lemon and Capers Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Pan and hob to cook pasta separately
Ingredients
- 3 Chicken thighs chopped
- 2 Juice of lemons
- 2 tbsp Capers drained
- 1 Chicken stock cube just the cube
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 50 ml Water
- 1 tbsp Dried thyme
- pinch Black pepper
For later
- 50 g Parmesan grated
- 300 g Tagliatelle cooked
- handful Fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- In the slow cooker combine chopped chicken thighs, capers, lemon juice, a chicken stock cube, garlic, dried thyme, black pepper and water. Stir well. Don't worry if the stock cube isn't completely broken up.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8.
After the slow cook
- Prepare cooked tagliatelle ahead of time.
- Stir parmesan into the slow cooker mix. The sauce will start to thicken quickly. Add in the cooked tagliatelle and continue to stir.
- Serve in bowls and sprinkle over freshly chopped parsley.
