Dinner doesn’t really get any easier than putting a whole chicken in a Crock-Pot then turning the power on. But this slow cooker chicken recipe is beyond delicious. It is so easy that it will become one of your favorite stand-alone, easy dinner recipes.
Crock-Pot Whole Chicken
But Crock-Pot Whole Chicken is also easy enough that when you need chicken for a recipe, (like chicken tacos or soup) it is easy to toss in the crockpot in the morning, and you have a super flavorful chicken ready when you need it.
How to Cook Whole Chicken In a Crock Pot
Brace yourself for this recipe… It is so easy I almost feel guilty. Everything is loaded into the slow cooker and ready to go in less than 5 minutes and finished cooking in about 4 1/2 hours.
We like to serve it with this family-style grilled cheese sandwich!
Turn the Leftover Chicken into Chicken Stock
Since the chicken tasted so good, I turned the leftover bones and cooking liquid into chicken stock by leaving it all in the same slow cooker, adding in a few veggies and herbs and cooking it overnight. The chicken stock was very flavorful!
The chicken stock soon became Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup. So my chicken dinner made stock from the leftovers, that made soup. Two dinners without ever washing the crockpot. Excellent! Now that is thrifty planning!
Freeze the Extra Slow Cooker Chicken
If you have a large family, like we do – you may find that you need more than one chicken. I have two slow cookers – I am not ashamed! The extra slow cooker is one of the best $40 I have ever spent! This is the one I have – it is huge and I love it! Hamilton Beach 8 Quart Slow Cooker.
One chicken is never enough and two is too much, so I have learned firsthand that the leftovers freeze great for later meals!
While this recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner, we are crazy about this Smoked Whole Chicken when we are hanging by the grill on the weekends!
Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 onion
- 1 whole chicken
Instructions
- Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
- Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
- Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add extra liquid.
- Cook for 4 – 5 hours on high (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Don't forget to make your homemade stock with the leftover bones!
Leave a Reply