You won't believe how easy it is to make a whole chicken in a crock pot. This Slow Cooker Whole Chicken recipe comes together in only a few simple steps and is always flavourful and juicy. Prep this rotisserie-style seasoned chicken and vegetables in the morning in the slow cooker for an easy, hands-free dinner!
I'm truly obsessed with this slow cooker whole chicken and vegetables recipe. It's tender, flavourful, juicy, and only requires a few minutes of hands-on work and then the slow cooker does the rest! Chicken is a household staple and this crockpot whole chicken is one of the best ways to enjoy it.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Slow Cooker Roast Chicken Recipe
- Ingredients You'll For Cooking a Whole Chicken in a Crock-Pot
- How To Make This Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Recipe, Step by Step Photos
- Recipes Variations
- How to Avoid Dry or Mushy Chicken
- Recipe Tips and Notes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Recipe
- More Recipes You May Like
Why You'll Love This Slow Cooker Roast Chicken Recipe
- While this blog is called one pot only, I do use a second pan for this recipe because the homemade gravy that you can make with the drippings from the slow cooker chicken is so flavourful and delicious that it's worth washing an extra skillet. Not a fan of gravy? Skip it entirely, no biggie 🙂
- You can take your pick on how you want to enjoy this chicken. After slow cooking, the chicken is beyond tender and is perfect for shredding for soups, salads, pasta, etc. But if you're a fan of crispy skin on your chicken, just like the rotisserie-style chicken you get from the store, all you need to do is to pop the chicken under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
- All you have to do is spend a couple of minutes prepping this recipe and then you can come home to a finished dinner. Winner winner, chicken dinner!
Ingredients You'll For Cooking a Whole Chicken in a Crock-Pot
onion — feel free to use any type of onions you have on hand.
carrots and potatoes — these root veggies are sturdy enough that they'll hold up in the slow cooker. I love using Yukon gold potatoes, but you can use russet potatoes too.
seasoning — I season the chicken with paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dried rosemary, dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
chicken — make sure the chicken you buy fits into your slow cooker! 4 pounds usually fits perfectly in a 5QT slow cooker so if you have a larger or smaller slow cooker, adjust the size of your chicken accordingly.
butter — I recommend using unsalted butter.
oil — use your favourite. I usually just go with olive oil.
lemon — this adds a nice bright flavour to the chicken.
garlic — the more garlic, the better 😉
rosemary — fresh rosemary just adds a little something something to the whole slow cooker chicken.
flour — to make the gravy with.
How To Make This Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Recipe, Step by Step Photos
- In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried rosemary, dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Remove and discard any innards of the chicken. Place the chicken in a baking dish or sheet pan to make seasoning it easier and pat dry with paper towels.
- Loosen the skin around the breasts, you can use a long spoon or chopstick to help loosen the skin without ripping it. Rub the olive oil on the chicken. Rub the softened butter under the skin of the chicken breast.
- Spread the spice rub over the chicken and under the skin on the breasts if possible.
- Place the lemon pieces, garlic cloves, and fresh rosemary in the cavity of the chicken.
- Place the onion, carrots, and potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker in a single-ish layer. Some overlap is fine.
- Transfer the chicken on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker, breast side up.
- Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the thickest part of the chicken thigh is at least 165F/75C to tell when the chicken is ready.
- When done, for crispy skin, you can place the chicken on a sheet pan under the oven broiler. Keep a close eye on it to ensure it does not burn. You can also add the vegetables to the sheet pan to broil as well.
- Optional: Strain the liquid left in the slow cooker through a fine-mesh strainer. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of butter until melted. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour until smooth, around 30 seconds.
- Slowly whisk in the strained liquid while whisking constantly.
- Cook while whisking until it has thickened to your liking, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve gravy with the chicken.
Recipes Variations
- If you like your chicken sweeter, you can add brown sugar to the seasoning mix.
- If you'd like some heat, you can add cayenne powder to the seasoning mix.
- Other seasoning options include Italian seasoning, Cajun, dried oregano, dried basil, and chili powder.
- You can swap the root vegetables for other ones, such as sweet potatoes, yams, parsnips, and more!
- For more flavor, you can use herb butter instead of regular unsalted butter. You can also try using garlic butter. I have a homemade roasted garlic butter recipe, if you want to really take this recipe up a notch!
- Make a whole chicken in an Instant Pot.
- Make a whole chicken in an air fryer.
- Make a whole chicken in a Dutch oven.
How to Avoid Dry or Mushy Chicken
The best way to avoid dry chicken is to avoid overcooking it. When you cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker, the steam stays in the pot, keeping the chicken moist, so it is one of the best ways to prevent it from becoming dry. It's very forgiving, as the chicken doesn't dry out if you accidentally overcook it in the slow cooker.
To avoid mushy chicken, do not add extra liquid to the pot. The chicken will release enough juices on its own. Also, do not skip the vegetables at the bottom of the slow cooker. The juices will cook the vegetables and make them flavorful, and it will keep the chicken from sitting in the liquid and becoming mushy.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Since we are keeping the skins on the potatoes, make sure you are cleaning them thoroughly before putting them into the slow cooker.
- I don't recommend using frozen chicken for this whole chicken slow cooker recipe. Be sure to thaw your chicken out fully first.
- Avoid lifting the lid while the chicken cooks, as it'll release all the built-up steam and heat and affect the cooking time of your slow cooker chicken.
- It's easier to lift the chicken out of the slow cooker with two large spatulas. Be careful as it'll be fall off the bone tender!
- Don't throw out the bones! You can remove the meat from the bones, then use the bones to make homemade chicken stock.
- Use a meat thermometer to make sure the thickest part of the chicken thigh is at least 165°F/75°C to tell when the chicken is ready.
- When crisping up the skin in the oven, make sure you keep a close eye on it! You don't want to accidentally burn the chicken skin or dry it out. Make sure you broil quickly so the skin crisps up as quickly as possible. Having the chicken in the oven for too long after it has already been cooked will dry it out.
- I am using a large slow cooker. Make sure the chicken you use is not too large for your slow cooker for the best results. You want some space around the chicken so the hot air can circulate. The chicken will shrink a bit as it cooks, so it's okay if it just fits, but you don't want the chicken so large that you have to force it in. The chicken may cook unevenly if you have to wedge it in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! The chicken will release liquid as it cooks in the slow cooker. Adding liquid will cause the chicken to sit in it, making it soggy.
Place cooked leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
After slow cooking a whole chicken, I sometimes just shred the meat and freeze it for later. Then I can thaw what I need to add to salads, pasta, and soups.
Since this is a slow cooker recipe, you don't have to increase the time if your chicken is larger than 5 pounds.
If you have the time, I highly recommend cooking the chicken low and slow! Cooking on low usually gives me the best consistent results: tender, juicy chicken that is flavorful. However, if you're in a rush, you can cook on high. The chicken might not be as tender, but it will still be delicious!
It depends on what you want! For extra juicy breasts, cook the chicken breasts facing down. However, if you want to crisp the chicken up after slow cooker, placing the breasts upright will prevent the majority of the skin of cooking in its juices and making it harder to crisp up.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 2 to 3 Yukon gold potatoes, washed and roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 to 5 pound whole chicken
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, soften
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ to 1 lemon, cut in half
- 4 to 5 cloves garlic
- 4 to 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
For the Gravy, optional
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Place the onion, carrots, and potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker in a single-ish layer.
- In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried rosemary, dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Remove and discard any innards of the chicken. Place the chicken in a baking dish or sheet pan to make seasoning it easier and pat dry with paper towels.
- Loosen the skin around the breasts, you can use a long spoon or chopstick to help loosen the skin without ripping it.
- Rub the olive oil on the chicken. Rub the softened butter under the skin of the chicken breast. Then the spice rub over the chicken and under the skin on the breasts if possible.
- Place the lemon pieces, garlic cloves, and fresh rosemary in the cavity of the chicken.
- Transfer the chicken on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker, breast side up. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the thickest part of the chicken thigh is at least 165F/75C to tell when the chicken is ready.
- When done, place the chicken on a sheet pan under the oven broiler to crisp up the skin. Keep a close eye on it to ensure it does not burn. You can also add the vegetables to the sheet pan to broil as well.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before carving. Serve the chicken with the vegetables and homemade gravy, if desired.
Optional Homemade Gravy
- Strain the liquid left in the slow cooker through a fine-mesh strainer.
- Heat a small saucepan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of butter until melted. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour until smooth, around 30 seconds.
- Slowly whisk in the strained liquid while whisking constantly. Cook while whisking until it has thickened to your liking, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve gravy with the chicken.
Notes
- If the chicken was frozen, it must be fully thawed before slow cooking.
Nutrition
More Recipes You May Like
- Slow Cooker Honey Chipotle Chicken
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Potatoes with Green Beans
- Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Salsa Shredded Chicken
- Crock Pot Pineapple Chicken
More places to find me: @onepotonlyrecipes on Instagram and One Pot Only on Pinterest.
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