Slow Cooker Whole Chicken – a completely easy meal with tender juicy chicken on a bed of flavorful drippings and vegetables all cooked in a crockpot. Way better than any store bought rotisserie chicken you’d ever have!
Chicken has always been our go-to dinner at home. It makes an effortless family weeknight dinner and most notably this Slow Cooker Whole Chicken is certainly as tasty as this Cajun Whole Roast Chicken and this Beer Can Chicken.
Oh how I wish I could exactly tell you in words how amazing this bird is!
Can you put a whole chicken in a slow cooker?
Yes, you sure can! I prefer to use an organic chicken which I’d freshly pick from a local market nearby. Anyways, for a larger oval slow cooker like the one I’m using right now, it can house almost any sized of chicken. On the other hand, for smaller round slow cooker, opt for a smaller bird so it’d fit in.
Is it safe to cook a whole chicken in slow cooker?
It is safe to cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker. I’ve done it many times and it always turns out exactly as I want it to be. But I don’t want to take any chances even after countless of cooking; I’d still double check the bird using a cooking thermometer. You can buy them online or at a big store in your area in the kitchen gadgets section.
How long to cook chicken in a crock pot?
The exact cooking time will actually depend on the size of your chicken and your slow cooker. For a 5-6 pound chicken, you have to set the slow cooker to HIGH and cook for 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 hours.
Or set it to LOW and cook for 4-5 hours. You could tell when the chicken is done if it registers 165°F in the breast or 175°F-180°F in the thickest part of the thigh and when the juices run clear.
Aside being the perfect family meal on regular days, this Slow Cooker Whole Chicken is also a great main course for special occasions and holidays. It taste sooo darn good without slaving in the kitchen!
Well, as for the taste, I’ll have to give full credits to my trusted homemade creole seasoning. All it takes is a simple rub to create a majestic drool-worthy main dish. Even the bed of vegetable chunks benefit all from those flavorful juice drippings coming off from the chicken.
You can actually serve this slow cooker whole chicken from there or spare another 5-8 minutes of your time to broil the chicken for that touch of crispy skin and beautiful brown color. Now dust off your slow cooker and start hoarding easy and delicious slow cooker recipes for the colder season. Don’t forget to add this on your recipe box. 😉
Enjoy!
Tips and Notes:
- Use kosher salt, if available it’s easier to distribute the larger grains evenly; about ¾ teaspoons per pound.
- Dry rub the chicken and let it sit in the fridge preferably 24 hours or the night before cooking OR at least 2 hours.
- Rest the chicken for 15 minutes before you transfer it to a cutting board.
Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 5-6 pounds whole chicken, giblets removed
- Salt to taste
- ½ lemon, sliced
- 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
- 1-2 stalks celery, cut in chunks
- 5-6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thick chunks
- 1 sprig thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 5-6 medium red potatoes, cut in half
- ½ tablespoon bouillon powder (optional)
Instructions
- Remove any giblets from chicken then rinse chicken with water, inside and out, then pat dry with paper towels.
- Rub inside and out the chicken with salt, pepper, and bouillon powder. Generously rub the chicken with homemade Creole seasoning, stuff it with 3 garlic cloves and lemon, then refrigerate until ready to cook. If time permits, do it the night before (up to 24 hours is best).
- Remove chicken from the fridge when ready to cook, add sliced onions in the bottom of the slow cookers insert 4 smashed garlic cloves.
- When ready to cook, add chopped onion, remaining garlic, and bay leaf to the bottom of a crock pot.
- Place chicken over onions in the slow cooker, breast side up.
- Tuck the potatoes, celery stalks, and carrots (optional) into available spaces all around the chicken. Add the thyme sprig.
- Cover and cook chicken: Set the slow cooker to HIGH, and cook for 2½ to 3½ hours, or set it to LOW and cook for 4-5 hours. The exact cooking time will depend on the size and type of your chicken.
- Chicken is well done when the internal temperature registers 165°F in the breast or 175°F-180°F in the thickest part of the thigh.
- If desired, set the oven to broil, then carefully transfer the chicken from the slow cooker and place it in a roasting pan.
- Broil for 5-8 minutes, until the skin is crispy and brown.
- Remove from oven; let chicken stand 10 minutes before carving so the juices settle back into the meat.
- Discard bay leaves, smashed garlic, and lemon.
Nutrition Information:
How to Cook a Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Remove any giblets from chicken then rinse chicken with water, inside and out, then pat dry with paper towels.
Rub inside and out chicken with salt, pepper and bouillon powder. Stuff with smashed garlic and lemon .Generously rub the chicken with homemade creole seasoning, then refrigerate until ready to cook. If time permits do it the night before (up to 24 hours is best).
When ready to cook, add chopped onion, remaining garlic, bay leaf, in bottom of crock pot.
Place chicken over onions,in slow cooker, breast side up. Add potatoes, celery stalks, and carrots (optional) in any available space all around the chicken. Throw in thyme sprig
Cover and cook chicken: Set the slow cooker to HIGH, and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours; or set to LOW and cook 4 to 5 hours. The exact cooking time will depend on the size and type of your chicken. Chicken is well done when meat temperature registers 165°F in the breast or 175°F-180°F in the thickest part of the thigh.
If desired, set oven to broil then carefully transfer chicken from slow cooker and place in a roasting pan. Broil for 5 to 8 minutes, until the skin is crispy and brown. Remove from oven; let chicken stand 10 minutes before carving. So the juices settle back into the meat. Discard bay leaves, smashed garlic and lemon.
Jen Delacruz says
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.
Gail says
In the instructions, item#2 says ‘stuff with 3 cloves and lemon’. Are the 3 cloves of garlic?
Imma says
Yes, it is. Thanks for catching that. I’ve fixed it.
richard Nutley says
a fall meal without the heat in summer deliciously simple
imma africanbites says
I could enjoy this whole year-round. 😉 Happy weekend!
Kay says
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
ImmaculateBites says
No it’s not. There is plenty of juice that comes from the chicken.
Chekera says
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.
ImmaculateBites says
You really don’t have to . While cooking the chicken releases liquid.
Trish Moore says
You listed celery for ingredients, but you don’t mention them in recipe. Am I missing something?
Imma says
Hi Trish. The celery goes in with the carrots and the potatoes.
Lisa says
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!!
Darryll Brown says
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
Muna Kenny says
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!