Easy Slow Cooker Spanish Chicken with Peppers

This slow cooker Spanish chicken is one of my really simple chicken dinners. There aren’t loads of ingredients to prepare and there’s no browning or frying first; everything goes straight into the slow cooker and cooks together.

I use chicken thigh fillets with plenty of red and green peppers, onion, passata, chopped tomatoes, garlic, chilli and mixed herbs. After around eight hours on LOW, you’ve got tender chicken and lots of vegetables in a rich tomato sauce.

Chicken thighs work particularly well here because they cope brilliantly with the long cooking time, and they’re often cheaper than chicken breast too. I know that’s increasingly important when you’re trying to plan family meals without spending a fortune.

There’s a little chilli in my recipe, but it isn’t supposed to be a ridiculously hot dish. You can easily adjust that depending on who you’re feeding.

I usually think of this as the sort of dinner that needs something simple alongside it rather than lots of extra faff. Rice works perfectly because it soaks up all that tomato and pepper sauce.

What goes into my slow cooker Spanish chicken?

I use 600g chicken thigh fillets, cut into chunks. You could use chicken breast if that’s what you already have, but I particularly like thighs in a slow cooker because they stay tender during the long cooking time.

Then there are the peppers – two red and two green.

It sounds like a lot of peppers, but they’re a major part of this recipe rather than something I’ve added just so I can claim dinner contains vegetables! They soften into the tomato sauce and give the finished dish plenty of flavour.

The sauce itself is made from passata and a tin of chopped tomatoes, along with onion, garlic, chilli and mixed herbs.

That’s basically it.

You don’t need stock or extra water because the chicken and vegetables release liquid as they cook and very little evaporates from a slow cooker.

Can I use frozen peppers?

Yes, although frozen peppers tend to release more water as they cook.

They’re a handy option if they’re cheaper or you already have a bag in the freezer, but don’t be surprised if your finished sauce is a little thinner.

If that happens, remove the lid towards the end and cook on HIGH for a while to help some of the excess liquid evaporate.

Can I use frozen chicken?

If your chicken is frozen, defrost it safely before making this recipe rather than putting frozen chicken straight into the slow cooker.

I’ve got a separate guide to defrosting chicken safely if you’ve forgotten to take yours out of the freezer – something I think most of us have done at least once!

Once it’s fully defrosted, cut it into chunks and use it in exactly the same way as fresh chicken.

Keeping this recipe affordable

One reason I like using chicken thigh fillets for this recipe is that they’re often cheaper than chicken breast, while also being really well suited to slow cooking.

Peppers can vary wildly in price too. Sometimes buying a mixed multipack works out much cheaper than choosing individual red and green peppers, and I’m certainly not going to tell you that dinner will be ruined because you’ve used a yellow pepper instead!

Frozen sliced peppers can be a good budget option too. Just remember that they may make the sauce slightly more watery.

Passata and tinned tomatoes are both ingredients I tend to have in the cupboard anyway, so there isn’t anything particularly obscure that you’ll buy for this recipe and never use again.

What about Slimming World?

I originally shared this recipe when Just Average Jen was much more heavily focused on Slimming World, which is why older versions of this page described it as an unofficial Slimming World Spanish chicken recipe.

Plans and product values change over time, so I’d rather not give you old Syn calculations that may no longer be useful.

If you’re currently following Slimming World or another particular eating plan, check the ingredients you’re using against the latest information for that plan.

Otherwise, enjoy it for what it is: a simple homemade chicken dinner with plenty of peppers and tomato sauce.

How to make Spanish chicken in the slow cooker

Start by cutting the chicken thigh fillets into chunks and putting them into the slow cooker.

Slice the onion and peppers, then add those on top.

Pour in the passata and chopped tomatoes, then add the garlic, mixed herbs and finely chopped chilli. Give everything a gentle stir so the chicken and vegetables are coated in the tomato sauce.

Put the lid on and cook for around 8 hours on LOW.

Before serving, check that the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

If the sauce is thinner than you’d like, remove the lid and switch the slow cooker to HIGH for a little while to help it reduce.

Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?

My recipe card uses chicken thigh fillets, and they’re my preference for this particular recipe.

Chicken thighs generally stay more succulent during long slow cooking, which works nicely with an eight-hour recipe like this.

If you prefer chicken breast, you can use it, but be aware that breast is leaner and can become drier when it’s cooked for a long time.

If you’re making it for the first time and don’t have a particular preference, I’d stick with the chicken thighs I’ve used in the recipe.

Is Spanish chicken spicy?

There’s one fresh chilli in the recipe, but I remove the seeds before chopping it, so this isn’t intended to be a particularly hot dinner.

Of course, chillies have an annoying habit of refusing to follow instructions and some are much hotter than others!

If you’re cooking for children or someone who really doesn’t like heat, use less chilli or leave it out.

If you like things hotter, keep some of the seeds or add a little extra chilli. I’d always rather make the main meal reasonably family-friendly and let people add more heat to their own portion than watch someone struggle through a dinner that’s far too spicy for them.

What should I serve with Spanish chicken?

Rice is probably my first choice because there’s plenty of tomato and pepper sauce for it to soak up.

You could keep things simple with plain rice or choose something a little more interesting from my rice recipes if you fancy it.

Crusty bread would work too, especially if you don’t want to cook another pan of anything when dinner is almost ready.

You could also serve it with potatoes or extra vegetables, although with four peppers already in the slow cooker I don’t think you need to start adding vegetables to the plate just for appearances!

However you serve it, make sure you spoon plenty of the sauce over everything. That’s half the point of this recipe.

Can I freeze slow cooker Spanish chicken?

Yes, this is a useful one for batch cooking because the chicken and tomato sauce freeze well.

Once any leftovers have cooled appropriately, portion them into containers and store them in the fridge or freezer.

I prefer freezing the Spanish chicken on its own rather than with rice. That gives you more choice when you use it later and means you can make fresh rice while the chicken reheats.

When reheating, make sure the chicken and sauce are thoroughly heated all the way through.

For current advice about cooling, freezing and reheating cooked food safely, check the Food Standards Agency guidance.

More slow cooker chicken recipes

If you enjoyed this, my Moroccan chicken casserole is another tomato-based slow cooker chicken dinner but with a completely different combination of flavours.

For something creamy and spiced, try my slow cooker chicken tikka masala, or have a look at my BBQ chicken if you fancy something sweeter and smokier.

You can find all of those in my slow cooker recipes collection.

I’ve also got a huge collection of chicken recipes if you’re looking for ideas beyond the slow cooker.

And if it was the Spanish flavours that brought you here, my Spanish chickpeas and mixed meat paella are worth a look too.

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