I’ve been really big on Slow Cooker recipes lately. Just last week I shared with you my Slow Cooker Bread, and this week I’m sharing the main course to go with it – a whole chicken! This chicken is juicy, full of flavor and is so easy to make!
This recipe makes a 5-7 pound whole chicken in the slow cooker in about 4 hours on high. Alternatively you could set it to 7 hours on low.
The key to making a juicy chicken in the slow cooker is that you want to give it some liquid to become moist, but you don’t want it to sit in the liquid. The solution is that you cut up a bunch of vegetables so the chicken has a “bed” to be placed on, keeping it above the liquid for the majority of cooking time.
For the liquid I used chicken broth, to keep the flavor in the right pallet. You could however play around with it! Do you want a citrus zest? Add some orange juice. Apple juice will add some sweetness. Just remember your veggies are cooking in it as well.
What that also does is provide you a full meal, so you have your whole chicken and vegetables! I cut up potatoes, celery, carrots and onions to place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
It’s good to use thick, dense veggies so that they don’t get too soft and mushy sitting in the crockpot for hours. Thinking about a low-carb option? Use cauliflower instead of potatoes.
Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe
This Slow Cooker Whole Chicken recipe is going to give you a very tasty chicken but you need to help it out with some seasoning! Rub 1 teaspoon paprika and 1 tablespoon chicken poultry seasoning all over the chicken, top and bottom.
This seasoning includes sea salt, garlic, pepper, and spices and herbs. So there is no need to add any extra salt or pepper. This one-shot seasoning has everything you need for great flavor!
Cooking Vegetables in Slow Cooker
Place your chopped up vegetables in the slow cooker first. Try to place denser veggies, like carrots or potatoes, on the very bottom, where it will be the hottest and sitting in the liquid. They will better tolerate the longer cooking time without becoming mushy. and then place your seasoned whole chicken on top.
Close the lid and cook on high for 4 hours, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Now sit back and relax while your kitchen starts to smell amazing! This is one of the many bonuses to owning a slow cooker!
Alternatively you could set it to 7 hours on low if you want it to cook longer – sometimes this easier for work days!
At the end of the cooking time use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
After the chicken is finished cooking, remove it from the slow cooker and cut it up. This should be fairly easy as it will be very tender. This cooking method allows the chicken to stay nice and juicy too.
What’s your favorite, light or dark meat? Thankfully Matthew loves white meat and I love dark meat so there’s no kitchen table fights over the drumstick!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Potatoes
And remember those vegetables we cut up? They’re delicious too! The veggies catch all the run-off juices, sit in the added liquid, and even take some of the seasoning you applied to the chicken. This means they are tender and full of flavor.
The potatoes are perfectly cooked, that you can slide your fork right into!
Serve them as a side dish and you have an easy chicken meal for your family.
Hope you enjoy this 4 HOUR Juicy Slow Cooker Whole Chicken recipe! There will certainly be no need for knives for your plates with this chicken dinner. Let me know how you like it!
4 HOUR Juicy Slow Cooker Meal for a 6 Pound Whole Chicken! This easy recipe makes the entire meal in the crock pot, including potatoes and other vegetables! You'll love how simple it is to cook a HEALTHY Rotisserie Chicken meal! This is one of my favorite crockpot dinners!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Servings 6
Ingredients
4 cups vegetables potatoes, carrots, celery, onions
1 cup chicken broth
6 pound whole chicken giblets removed
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon chicken poultry rub
salt and pepper
Instructions
This recipe calls for 4 cups of vegetables. It's up to you how you want to divide it up. I like to do 2 cups of potatoes and 2 cups of carrots, celery and onions. For the potatoes, peel and quarter. Fo the carrots, peel and chop up. For the celery and onions, chop. Place the vegetables in the bottom of your slow cooker.
Pour chicken broth on top of the vegetables.
Rinse your whole chicken under cold water. Make sure you take the giblets out of the cavity. Pat your chicken dry with paper towels. Rub paprika, poultry rub and salt and pepper to taste all over the chicken - top and bottom.
Place chicken on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker. Close lid.
Cook on high for 4 HOURS or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Rinse your whole chicken under cold water. Make sure you take the giblets out of the cavity. Pat your chicken dry with paper towels. Rub paprika, poultry rub and salt and pepper to taste all over the chicken - top and bottom.
Place chicken on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker. Close lid.
Cook on high for 4 HOURS or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
link recipes from https://brooklynfarmgirl.com/4-hour-slow-cooker-whole-chicken/