Whole Chicken In A Crock Pot
Cooking a whole chicken in a crockpot is an easy way to have dinner ready in no time at all. Juicy tender chicken with little prep to be done and the crockpot does the rest.
This slow cooker recipe is so simple and easy.
Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot Video
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
Whole chicken in a crock pot instructions
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 browning in the boiler.
I love this recipe for a weekday meal!
Trim the chicken
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 to give the oil an opportunity to stick to the bird. You could also use a clean dish towel.
Oil and season the whole chicken
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 don’t 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 don’t add salt to my seasoning because it is too 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 a 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 roughly 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 typically 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 possible 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 the chicken then go ahead and place it under the broiler in your oven for 5-10 minutes. Make sure to keep a close eye 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 crockpot. 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 it with your favorite side.
Just like that dinner is served!
How long does it take to cook raw chicken in a crock pot?
It is going to take 3-4 hours to cook a raw chicken in a slow cooker. This also depends on the size of the chicken. Typically the chicken that is going into a crock pot is typically around the 3-4lb range.
Is it better to cook chicken on high or low in crockpot?
If you are cooking a whole chicken it is safer to cook on high. This is because the danger zone for bacteria to grow can take too long in the cavity of the chicken.
If you are cooking chicken thighs or chicken breast then cooking on low could be safe as it takes lesser time to get the chicken out of the danger zone for bacteria.
More Great Chicken Recipes
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.
Love the crisp simplicity of this recipe, broiler @ end great idea too!
Ya, you need to do that step for sure!