Cooking a whole chicken in a crock pot is an easy way to have dinner ready in no time at all. Juicy tender chicken with little prep to be done and the crock pot does the rest. This slow cooker recipe is so simple and easy.
Video – Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tsp Granulated garlic
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 White onion
- 2 Carrots (peeled)
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Chef Knife
- Crock Pot
7 Simple steps to cook a whole chicken in a crock pot
Follow these 7 steps to get a whole chicken that you will really enjoy. The bird comes out tender with crispy skin if you choose to do the browing in the boiler.
I love this recipe for a weekday meal!
Trim the bird
Get the chicken prepped for seasoning and cooking. You want to trim off any excess fat, look inside and remove the gizzards if there are any, and sometimes there are a few feathers to be plucked.
Dry the chicken
Take a paper towel and dry off the bird. This is going give the oil an opportunity to stick to the bird.
Oil and season
Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil over the chicken and rub it all over so that the entire bird is coated. This is going to help keep it moist and crisp the skin a little.
If you dont have olive oil I prefer to use avocado oil.
Combine all the seasoning together and sprinkle your seasoning liberally all over the chicken.
The seasoning I used in this recipe was 1 tsp granulated garlic, 1 tsp of onion powder, 1 tsp of paprika and 1/2 tsp of black pepper.
I dont add the salt to my seasoning because it is to big for the shaker. If your using kosher salt like I do then sprinkle it on at this time.
Rough cut vegetables
I add a whole white onion chopped into large pieces and 2 peeled carrots cut up into roughly 2-inch pieces. This will add even more flavor to the chicken.
As the onions and carrots cook and the juices from the chicken drip to the bottom all of those favors soak back into chicken.
The main reason is to keep the chicken from sitting in strait liquid for the entire cook.
Slow Cook the whole chicken
Spread the rough chopped veggies in the bottom of the crockpot and then lay your whole chicken, breast side up, into the crockpot. Set it to high, cover and walk away.
Check back in a few hours and your dinner should be ready to go! Make sure that you check the internal temperature which should read at least 165 degrees. It’s typcally going to be between 2.5 to 3 hrs of cook time.
Now you could cook it on low and it will just take longer. If you do it this way I suggest cooking it on high for at least an hour to help with any possibility concerns of chicken holding bacteria until the end.
I find it best to cook it on high.
Optional broil
If you want crisp skin on your bird then go ahead and place in under the broiler in your oven for 5-10 minutes. Make sure to keep a close on it because it can go from brown to burnt very fast.
I prefer to do this and you can see this step in the video.
Serve and enjoy
Carefully remove the chicken from the crock pot. Tip the bird to the side to strain out any of the juices that are inside. Set it on a plate and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
Now is the best part, carve the meat off the bones and serve with your favorite side.
Just like that dinner is served!
More Great Chicken Recipes
FAQ
How long does it take to cook a whole chicken in a crock pot?
If you are cooking a whole chicken on a high setting it should take about 2.5 to 3 hours. It is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
If you keep removing the lid this can significantly change the cook time.
Do you need to put water in a slower cooker with chicken?
No, you do not need to add water to the crock pot. As the chicken is cooking it will create a broth in the bottom of the crock pot.
The onions and carrots will also breakdown. You will be surprised to see how much water is in the bird.
How do I keep chicken from drying out in the crockpot?
Thighs are great options for the crock pot when slow cooking chicken. They are more forgiving and don’t dry out as fast.
If you are using chicken breast cook them until the internal temp is 165 degrees, you don’t want to overcook them.
Whole Chicken In A Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tsp Granulated garlic
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 White onion
- 2 Carrots (peeled)
Instructions
- Trim the chicken by removing any extra fat and make sure to look inside and take out the gizzards if there are any.
- Pat the chicken dry and pour olive oil over the chicken rubbing it all over the entire chicken.
- Mix your seasoning together and sprinkle salt all over the top on the bird and then coat the whole bird generously with the seasoning.
- Prepare your onion and carrots by rough chopping them and placing at the bottom of the crock pot.
- Place the whole chicken on top of the veggies, put the crock pot on the high setting, cover and cook.After about 3 1/2 – 4 hours check the temperature inside the chicken. You want the internal temp to be at least 165 degrees.
- For crispier skin on the chicken put it in the oven under the broiler for 5-10 minutes. Watch it very carefully because it can burn QUICKLY!
- Pull the bird and let it rest for 10 minutes or so and then serve and enjoy.