Tender Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
This slow cooker whole chicken is dedicated to all of my favorite friends that claim that they can’t cook. I bet you a million dollars that this tender slow cooker whole chicken will turn out perfect for you.
This tender slow cooker whole chicken was so moist that I could not even lift it out of the crock. Can you see where I tried and the chicken totally fell apart? I’m serious, I finally lifted it out and all that was left was a pile of bones. The bones were no longer in the carcass shape either.
Tender Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
There’s nothing like cooking a whole chicken in a crock pot. It’s the easiest way to do it as there’s no tying of kitchen twine, no roasting pan, no watching the oven and the internal temperature. You just set it and forget it.
The chicken is delicious and you could add whatever spices or sauce suits your fancy. I reaaaaaaaally wanted a rotisserie, but this recipe is seriously just as good. Cross my heart.
How Long to Defrost a Whole Chicken
I only want to remind you of two things,
1. Defrost your whole chicken the day before. It will take at least all day in the fridge to defrost. You can buy a fresh one if you are too nervous that you wont defrost it all the way.
How to Pronounce Giblets
Just really quick can we correct one thing? It’s “JIB-LITS” not “GIB-LETS”. Sorry but we should all know how to pronounce giblets because it may not be what you would think.
What are Giblets
The giblets (now that we are all pronouncing it correctly) are the heart, neck, liver, and gizzards that are packaged and stored in the cavity of a chicken or turkey. So if you ever wondered, what are giblets, now you know, it’s the inside stuff.
Why Remove Giblets from Chicken
2. Remove the giblets. These are great for making a really fantastic gravy but you don’t need them otherwise. Don’t be scared. Just reach in there and pull it out. You don’t want those baked in there.
If you do not have fresh garlic or thyme, don’t run to the store, just use dry thyme and garlic powder. Probably 1 Teaspoon powder.
Ham in a Slow Cooker
Did you know you can make a whole ham in the slow cooker?!
Tender Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Tender Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
This is the easiest way to enjoy a juicy, rotisserie like chicken by only using a crockpot. Slow cooker whole chicken that anyone can make!
Ingredients:
- 1 Whole 4-6 lb chicken, giblets removed
- 1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Thyme (or 1 Ts Dried)
- 1 Clove of Garlic, minced
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 2 Teaspoon Paprika
- 2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Directions:
- Take the whole chicken and rinse it inside and out with water.
- Pat dry and set aside.
- Mix together all of the seasonings in a small dish.
- Using your fingers, gently lift the skin over the breasts by sliding your fingers up towards the neck to separate the skin and meat.
- Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken, over the skin and underneath right onto the breast meat.
- Place the chicken in a crock pot on low for 8 hours.
- Once the chicken is done, remove from the crock pot and serve with potatoes, and veggies.
There is plenty of liquid if you wish to make a gravy.
- Just heat the liquid in a pot and mix a little cornstarch and cold water.
- Once the liquid is boiling add a little to the cornstarch so it heats it up a bit, and slowly add it to the liquid, whisking vigorously.
- Season as needed.
Nutrition Information
Yield: whole chicken, Serving Size: 6 ounces
- Amount Per Serving:
- Calories: 167 Calories
- Total Fat: 11.5g
- Cholesterol: 56mg
- Fiber: 0.4g
- Sugar: 0.1g
- Protein: 14.3g
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Made this recipe and it turned out AMAZING! However, I made a few additions— I added a pack of Souza seasoning, some garlic & herb seasoning, & some chicken seasoning. I sprinkled seasoning under the breast skin and stuffed a small lemon wedge & a pat of butter. & inside, and stuffed 2 lemons inside with a little butter. I ( cut in quarters)
That sounds amazinG!
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Hi,
Do you add water to the pot to cook the chicken?
Hi, no we don’t add any water
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Have you tried this in the InsantPot?
We haven’t but we definitely plan to!
Holy moly! When you said juicy, you weren’t lying! It literally fell off the bone in my crockpot. All that was left was a pile of bones in juice (and like you said, not in the form of a carcass)! So good and so easy! Thank you!
Yes, it really does fall apart! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a great review!
I went through all the comments and reread the recipe and did not see what the suggested cooking temperature should be, I just saw cook on low. What is the suggested temp to bake this on?
Hi Riri,
If you’re cooking it in the oven it’s generally 190-200 degrees, but make sure you cover the chicken as it cooks like you would in a slow cooker.
Ok great thanks.
Wow, perfect timing! I just came into a giant box of frozen cornish game hens that need to be cooked up. I’m definitely going to use this recipe. Your pictures are fantastic!Thank you so much…
Oh lucky!! Those will be so good!
Wow, perfect timing! I just came into a giant box of frozen cornish game hens that need to be cooked up. I’m definitely going to use this recipe. Your pictures are fantastic!Thank you so much…
Thank you for your wonderful recipe …
Can I add pineapple slices on the sides?
I love cooking with my crockpot too! I have not broken down and tried an instant pot yet, though.
Does the skin on the chicken actually brown in the Crock-Pot? If there is not much juice in the bottom of the Crock-Pot when it’s done cooking, it seems like the skin maybe halfway down would be soggy.
My crock pot came with a little rack that goes in the bottom. Should I use the rack if the chicken will fit in the pot with the rack in the bottom?
You could definitely use the rack. The skin does not get crispy but you can always put it under the broiler. There will be a lot of juice in the slow cooker.
Can I add potatoes, carrots and celery in with the chicken?
Oh definitely!
Super late to this thread, but for serving size, it just reads “1”… 1 what?
Oh dear! Fixing that now! A serving size would be 6 ounces of meat
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Thank you so much for a great recipe! Simple enough that my toddler helped put it together and so yummy!
So happy to hear that you did it together! Thanks Tiffany
Can i leave the giblets in the crock pot?
Hi, we definitely think it’s best to remove the giblets.
This was good but breast meat was soooo dry. Maybe my bird was too small and should have only done 4 hours?
Hi Heather,
That definitely could have been the case. As you can see in the video the bird ends up with a lot of juices and is incredibly tender. It was probably just too small of a bird.
If you have a pot with a temp sensor, stick it in the thickest part of the breast before starting to cook. If not, cook the bird upside down so all the juices drain to the breast, and just use a cooking thermometer to check the breast and thigh every now and then. I had a smaller bird and it cooked in just under 4 hours — delicious recipe! 🙂
Am I use a Cornish hen ? If so how many hours on low?
Can you do this with just chicken breast?
Hi lisa,
You definitely can, but they will only need 3-4 hours in the slow cooker. 🙂
I made this on Sunday and it was delicious. I never made a whole chicken in the crock pot before but this was a HUGE success. Even my 5 and 8 year old who almost never have seconds of meat had thirds. Thanks for this wonderful recipe. It’s a keeper.
Oh don’t you just love when even the kids devour something? We are so thrilled everyone liked it. Thank you!
Can I put the potatoes and carrots on the bottom while cooking this chicken?
I would put them around the sides as quite a bit of juice will collect and you wont want to boil the veggies. Nestling them around the sides will help them to roast versus boil. 🙂
Yes wrap your sweet ? potatoes in Reynolds wrap or white potatoes wrapped and place the chicken on top. Awesome!
Great idea!
Can I cook this on high…. if so, what is the cooking time?
Hi D,
We don’t recommend cooking it on high as it wont be as tender and juicy, but if you do it’s usually about 5 hours.
Looks delish,is it OK if I season the chicken with the rub and leave it overnight before cooking
Hi Sue,
Absolutely. In fact, it flavors the chicken more. 🙂 Just make sure you leave it in the fridge.
This looks amazing.
How spicy is this? I love spicy but one child can’t tolerate anything too spicy
Hi Suzanne,
I am secretly a big whimp with spicy so I can tell you this definitely is not at all. It tastes more like a well seasoned rotisserie chicken than actually tasting the spices. It’s flavorful but not any spice to it. 🙂 You could definitely add a little chiptole and make it spicy though!
Going to try this today. Just put the bird in the crockpot. Can’t wait. I added lemon wedges to the bottom of the crockpot 🙂
I will NEVER buy rotisserie chicken from the grocery ever again! This was amazing. Really amazing. I sure wish I found this recipe years ago. SO tender, juicy and tasty. With the leftover juice from the chicken you can make soup or save it for chicken stock.
Ahhhh!!! I’m so, so glad!!
Do you have to add water?
Nope! No water needed. 🙂
I am going to give this a go today but using my simmering oven of my AGA as I don’t have a slow cooker / crock pot anymore! I’ll let you know what happens.
Oh I hope it turns out!
I just made this! My husband who is a self proclaimed “crockpot food hater” gobbled it up! I followed the instructions exactly and it was perfect!!
Do you put a cover on it while it cooking?
Yup!
Yes, you just pud the lid on like normal.
I have put my chicken in frozen and has come out fine. I lift mine out and put it under the broiler for a bit to brown. So moist.
Place a long piece of foil in your crockpot to make a sling that you can use to lift out the tender chicken and place in a 9×13 baking dish. Then place in a low broil oven to brown. Works every time for me!
I want to do this but I have a round crockpot, it doesn’t look like a chicken would fit. 🙁
Oh, shoot. Hmmm, would it fit standing up? My mom used to do that.
I just put a 5 lb chicken in my round crock and it came out great.
Great to hear! Thanks Greg!
I like the looks of this recipe! I’ve never done a whole chicken in the crock pot before — has anyone encountered issues with cooking whole birds in their crock pots? I read it’s not recommended, but everyone seems to have positive feedback here (?)
This recipe looks delicious! I’m going to thaw my turkey today!
My husband has made this and it is yummy. He did not add any liquid at all but he did roll up aluminum foil about the size of 1 inch meatballs on the bottom of the slow cooker
Did you pour any liquid in?
T usually means Tablespoon, t usually means teaspoon 🙂
haha, yes I know. It was posted a while ago before I realized not everyone grew up saying Ts and Tb for teaspoon and tablespoon. Seems to ridiculous to say out loud now. aghh, the shame
Was looking for a crockpot recipe like this and found yours. Heading to the kitchen right now to get started! Also looking foward to looking over the rest of the blog.
Another online recipe for crockpot roasted chicken says to place the finished bird under the broiler for a few minutes because the “flabby white skin” is otherwise unappetizing. Do you find this is true? The finished product in your photo looks pretty appetizing . . . . Thanks!
Linda, nope! I mean, I can totally see how that could happen to some birds depending on cooking time, temp and ingredients, but because it cooks for so long on low and the salt in the rub helps dry out the skin ours was crispy perfection. If all else fails, stick it under the broiler but we truly didn’t need to at all. Thanks for stopping by!!!
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I can't wait to try this! Is that teaspoons or tablespoons of the spices? Trying your honey roasted chicken tomorrow!
I tried this recipe- it was delicious! Even though I warned my boyfriend that it would be tender, he used tongs to lift the breast and the whole body separated itself from the legs. Great flavor, easy to prepare and the right amount of spiciness- can't wait to try more of your recipes!
This sounds great! I like roasting my chicken but this is def a good substitute to get a moist chicken! Thanks!
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I do a similar crock pot roasted chicken. My family LOVES it. I <3 my crock pot!
This looks delicious! I bet it was super moist, too! Crock pots are so awesome.
Looks delicious! And what an easy idea for dinner.