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Looking for a simple, hands-off way to make the best, juicy whole chicken? This Slow Cooker Whole Chicken recipe is one you’ll definitely want to keep in your back pocket for an easy make-ahead dinner!
Slow Cooker “Roast” Chicken
Fall is here and that means it’s definitely crock-pot time! And this “Roasted” Chicken is my newest favorite way to utilize the slow cooker. This chicken is so easy to throw together, and super flavorful! Who needs store-bought rotisserie chicken when you can set it and forget it!
The crockpot does all the work of cooking the chicken until it’s tender and juicy, and then at the very end, the chicken is transferred to the broiler to get that perfectly crispy skin! It’s the best of both worlds. Pair it with veggies, salad, or anything you’d like and you are ready to go for the easiest dinner ever.
Want to make a similar recipe, but using your Instant Pot? Check out this guide to Cooking A Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot!
Ingredients Needed
- Whole Chicken
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Onions
- Fresh Rosemary
- Olive Oil
- Salt + Pepper
- Spices
- Butter
Why Slow Cooker Chicken is Amazing
Hands down, a whole chicken cooked in the slow cooker tastes just like a rotisserie chicken you buy at the store in all the best ways. The rotisserie chickens you find in the grocery stores often have such tender juicy chicken, and they definitely are convenient, but we always love to be able to control the ingredients in our food. When you cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker, using our blend of spices, it comes out just as tender and juicy as a store-bought whole rotisserie chicken, only you get to control the ingredients! Plus, it’s largely hands-off cooking time and the chicken is so juicy! This chicken is perfect to serve as-is for dinner, or you can use it for meal prep or for other chicken recipes.
How to Serve It
It’s great to serve as-is with a few sides like Mashed Potatoes, Herbed Cucumber Salad or Honey Glazed Carrots or you can use it for meal prep for the week. You can turn it into Chicken Salad, Soup or Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Hummus Dip.
Watch the video here:
If you like this whole chicken recipe, check out these:
- How to Cook a Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot
- Orange Cranberry Roasted Chicken
- How to Make a Spatchcock Chicken
- One Pan Roast Chicken Dinner
Looking for more slow cooker chicken recipes? Check these out:
- Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Veggie Dinner
- Slow Cooker Classic Chicken Soup
Slow-Cooker Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 3-4 pound whole chicken cleaned, dried and giblets/neck removed
- 1 whole lemon quartered
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 onions sliced
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Salt + Pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons butter softened (see note for dairy-free)
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, if possible.
- Brush olive oil on the inside of the slow cooker. Place a slow cooker rack (or Instant Pot rack) in the bottom of your slow cooker. Alternatively, you can ball up 3 pieces of aluminum foil and place them on the edges of the slow cooker to create a rack for the chicken to sit on.
- Generously salt and pepper the outside and the inside cavity of your chicken.
- Place half of the lemons, garlic, onion and fresh rosemary in the bottom of your slow cooker. And place the remaining aromatics half inside the cavity of the chicken. Tie the chicken legs together with twine.
- Rub the softened butter on top of the chicken and (carefully) underneath the skin.
- In a bowl, combine paprika, garlic powder, rosemary and onion powder together.
- Rub the spices all over the chicken, and place inside of the slow cooker on top of the rack.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-7 hours until the chicken is fully cooked and tender and has reached a minimum internal temperature of above 165ºF when measured in the thickest part of the thigh. It will likely be much higher.
- Preheat broiler to 500ºF.
- Carefully transfer the chicken from the slow cooker to a broiler-safe dish. Broil for 4-5 minutes, or until the skin is crispy.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
I will only make whole chickens in the slow cooker from now on! It was so juicy and flavorful. The garlic under the skin really made it perfect. I strained and reduced the sauce to add even more flavor. Absolutely loved this! Thank you for the recipe.
This sounds like a great recipe and I’d love to try it! I’m just a bit confused.
I recently purchased a crock-pot slow-cooker and have always thought that water or liquid is needed during the cooking so that the pot doesn’t crack. Do you add any water or liquid to the pot, or is it actually cooked in a dry pot?
Also, I have a 6″ round stainless steel rack to put hot pots on, could that be used in place of aluminum foil in the stoneware pot?
I appreciate and thank you in advance for your help!
Best wishes, and Happy New Year to you and everyone visiting your site!
Kim
Kim- no water/liquid needed. A rack could work, or just load up veggies at the bottom. Enjoy!
roast chicken meals are my favorite, but I’ve never done it in a slow cooker before- that is so easy!
The recipe looks super easy and I already have the ingredients in my pantry. I’m sure it smells delightful while cooking. Its a perfect autumn dinner..
I’ve never put a WHOLE chicken in the slow cooker before, love this!
LOVE how easy this looks. I’ve never heard of adding tinfoil balls to the slow cooker. What do they do?
I don’t know why I never thought to do a whole chicken in the slow cooker. So easy!
Ah I think I will be busting out the slow-cooker this weekend 🙂 Great round up of recipes!
I seriously had no idea you could make a roast chicken in the slow cooker! I thought you had to actually “roast” it in the oven. This. Is. Brilliant. Pinned!