Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Slow-cooking a whole chicken delivers an effortless one-pot meal with fall-off-the-bone, juicy chicken, flavorful gravy, and healthy vegetables. Break out the slow cooker for the best meal on your rotation. Show your love with tender homemade chicken that’s better than anything from the store.
Chicken has always been our go-to dinner, not only because it’s economical but because it’s delicious and nutritious. Plus, slow cooking intensifies the flavor and doesn’t take a lot of MY time.
It was one of those days I knew was going to get crazy, so I loaded my slow cooker with all the goodness I could and took off. Getting everything ready in the morning (or the night before) and letting the Crock-Pot do its job was a simple way to cook good food for my family. Coming home to the wonderful aroma of a home-cooked meal was priceless.
You Can Cook a Whole Chicken in a Crock-Pot
Of course, it depends on the size of your slow cooker, but a 6-quart oval cooker is ideal. If you have a round one or smaller Crock-Pot, then you may want to do half a chicken or cut it into serving-size pieces. Another option for smaller slow cookers is a Cornish hen. Either way, it’s a convenient alternative to roast chicken without heating the oven.
How to Slow Cook a Whole Chicken
- Clean – Remove the giblets (save for another recipe) from the chicken, rinse it inside and out with water, and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Season the whole chicken inside and out with salt, pepper, and bouillon powder. Cover it generously with homemade Creole seasoning. Add garlic and lemon slices, then let the mixture marinate in the fridge. You can do this up to 24 hours ahead. (Photos 1-2)
- Load Cooker – Remove chicken from the fridge when ready to cook. Put the sliced onions, the rest of the garlic, and the bay leaves at the bottom of the slow cooker. Put the chicken on top.
- Assemble – Tuck the potatoes, celery, and carrots into the available space around the chicken. Then add the thyme. (Photo 3)
- Cook – Cover the slow cooker, set it to high, and cook the chicken for 2½-3½ hours. Or cook it for 4-5 hours on low. The exact cooking time will depend on the size and type of chicken you are using. The internal temperature should register 165℉ (75℃) in the thickest part of the breast or 175-180℉ (80-85℃) in the thickest part of the thigh. (Photo 4)
- Optional – To crisp up the skin, carefully transfer the chicken to a roasting pan and broil it in the oven for 5-8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before carving so the juices redistribute throughout the meat.
- Serve – Discard the bay leaves, smashed garlic, and lemon, and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- If you want crispy chicken skin and can spare 5-8 minutes, drizzle it with a little olive oil and broil it for a beautiful brown color.
- Check the internal temperature with a cooking thermometer to make sure the chicken cooks through. The internal temperature should register 165℉ (75℃) in the thickest part of the breast or 175-180℉ (80-85℃) in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Adjust the cooking time to your schedule. A 5-6 pound chicken set on HIGH takes 2½-3½ hours and 4-5 hours on LOW. The actual cooking time depends on your slow cooker, the size of the chicken, and your altitude.
What to Pair With Slow Cooker Chicken
Aside from being the perfect meal on weekdays, it’s a great main course for special occasions and holidays. Green bean casserole and a Greek salad turn it into a healthy holiday meal. More roasted vegetables on a chilly fall evening are also a fantastic way to enjoy that tasty gravy.
More Easy and Economical Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Shepherds Pie
- Brown Stew Chicken
- Grilled Peri Peri Chicken
- Chicken Fricassee
- Smothered Chicken
This blog post was originally published in August 2018 and has been updated with additional tips and beautiful photos
Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 5-6 pound (2-3k) whole chicken, giblets removed
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ tablespoon (5g) bouillon powder (optional)
- 2 tablespoons (25g) Creole seasoning
- 5-6 cloves garlic, smashed
- ½ lemon, sliced
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1-2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 sprig thyme
- 5-6 medium red potatoes, cut in half
Instructions
- Remove the giblets from the chicken, rinse it inside and out with water, and pat dry with paper towels.
- Rub the chicken inside and out with salt, pepper, and bouillon powder. Generously season the chicken with homemade Creole seasoning. Stuff it with 3 garlic cloves and the lemon slices, and then refrigerate until ready to cook. You can do this up to 24 hours ahead.
- Remove chicken from the fridge when ready to cook. Put the sliced onions, the rest of the garlic, and bay leaves at the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Set the chicken on top of the onions, breast side up.
- Tuck the potatoes, celery, and carrots into the available space around the chicken. Then add the thyme.
- Cover the slow cooker, set it to high, and cook the chicken for 2½-3½ hours. Or cook it for 4-5 hours on low. The exact cooking time will depend on the size and type of chicken you are using. The internal temperature should register 165℉ (75℃) in the thickest part of the breast or 175-180℉ (80-85℃) in the thickest part of the thigh.
- To crisp up the skin, if desired, carefully transfer the chicken to a roasting pan and broil it in the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before carving, allowing the juices to settle back into the meat.
- Discard the bay leaves, smashed garlic, and lemon, and enjoy.
Tips & Notes:
- Fine-grain kosher salt is easier to distribute than larger grains, but larger grains work fine, too. Adjust the amount because the smaller grains give you more salt per teaspoon than the larger grains
- Dry rub the chicken and let it sit in the fridge (up to 24 hours or overnight is ideal, but at least 2 hours helps)
- Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before transferring it to a cutting board so it firms up and the juices reabsorb
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe
Could you stuff the chicken? Any idea how much longer it would take to cook?
Hi Erin. Sorry, I haven’t tried stuffing the chicken for this recipe.
Sorry friend. Major malfunction of my trusty years old slow cooker. Duh. Glad you moderate your comments. Def delete my previous one – as I am sure you were going to LOL. Thank you for your recipe.
a fall meal without the heat in summer deliciously simple
Yes, it’s great for not heating up the kitchen, but I could enjoy this whole year-round. 😉 Happy weekend!
Just quick question , I’ve never cooked a chicken thus way, but is all that liquid
in the cooker grease & fat cause I can’t see where any liquid I see added
No it’s not. There is plenty of juice that comes from the chicken.
Hi, I just have a quick question before doing this recipe. Do we add liquid to the crockpot while cooking the chicken? I always thought when cooking in the crockpot we had to add liquid , even if it’s a little bit.
You really don’t have to . While cooking the chicken releases liquid.
You listed celery for ingredients, but you don’t mention them in recipe. Am I missing something?
Hi Trish. The celery goes in with the carrots and the potatoes.
Made this twice so far. Have another in The slow cooker as I am writing this. This is my go to recipe for whole chicken. It is easy and absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing this with us. Definitely five stars!!
Thank you, Lisa. So glad you loved it!
This looks fantastic for a roast on Sunday but I may have to leave out the bouillon due to my wife being coeliac but it is on for Sunday this week. Many thanks Darryll
Thanks for your feedback, Darryll. Feel free to replace the bouillon with a gluten-free version.
I never cooked a whole chicken in a slow cooker before. I like how it came out looking all perfectly golden and juicy. When cooking a whole chicken, I’d pick organic chicken too!
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it. And yes, I definitely get free-range chicken when I can.