This slow cooker whole chicken is juicy on the inside with delicious, herbed skin on the outside. Prep it in just 15 minutes in the morning and come home to a finished chicken dinner with very little effort!
Rotisserie chicken is a great idea for busy weeknights. It’s delicious and feeds a whole family. But instead of making a trip to Costco or the market, you can make a whole chicken right at home with today’s easy slow cooker recipe.
It’s similar to my roast chicken or air fryer whole chicken, but more “set it and forget it” thanks to the slow cooker. Just add some chopped vegetables below the chicken and sprinkle herbs and seasoning on top for an irresistible flavor.
Oh, and the best part is the versatility of this chicken. You can eat it as is, or shred it into small pieces as part of your meal prep. Just toss it into a salad or mix it into a soup – the options are endless! Now let’s get prepping.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tips
Before we begin, here’s a few tips and things to look out for when cooking.
Create a base for the chicken
The whole chicken will give off a lot of juice while it cooks, so you’ll want to raise it off the bottom of the slow cooker. The best way to do this? Add large chunks of vegetables to the bottom of the pot, such as carrots, potatoes, parsnip, onion, or sweet potato. Oh, and your side dish is now done too.
- Note: In this recipe, I am using a 4QT slow cooker. But if you have a bigger crock pot, I suggest adding a bit more vegetables. Just make sure your chicken doesn’t touch the lid.
Be careful when taking the chicken out of the pot
In fact, you might want to enlist help (if you’d like it to remain in one piece). Believe me when I say, your chicken will be JUICY! More juicy than any rotisserie chicken you’ve ever bought at the supermarket. It will break apart as soon as you attempt to remove it from the slow cooker. So I suggest using two large spatulas to carefully lift it out.
Is It Better To Slow Cook On Low Or High?
When it comes to using your crock pot, you can either cook the chicken on low or high. If you are cooking on low, it will take about 7 to 8 hours. If cooking on high, it will take between 3 to 4 hours.
But, I find that the “low and slow” method works best and prefer the 8 hour cook time. This means I can prepare the chicken in the morning and have it ready for dinner.
How To Get Crispy Skin
Slow cooking creates the juiciest interior because you’re using moist heat for cooking. The drawback is that skin may not get as crispy as my roast chicken or crispy baked chicken thighs. So, here are three optional steps you can take to get the ultimate browned, crispy skin.
- Rub the raw chicken with a teaspoon of salt and leave it uncovered on a plate in the fridge overnight. This will allow the chicken skin to dry up and get crispier in the slow cooker.
- Don’t add any liquid to the slow cooker. Don’t use olive oil on the chicken and don’t add lemon juice.
- Once the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a baking sheet and put it under the oven broiler for a minute or two to get super crispy skin.
How To Cook A Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker
With a few simple steps and some prep work, this recipe will be done in no time. Here’s what you’ll need to do.
- Prep the veggies. Dice up the carrots, parsnip, and onion into large pieces and layer them at the bottom of the crock pot.
- Prep the chicken. First, ensure the giblets have been removed from the cavity of the whole chicken.
- Sprinkle the herbs and spices onto the chicken. Feel free to add more or less depending on your preference.
- Slow cook the chicken. Place the chicken into the crock pot and cook the chicken on low for 7-8 hours (cook time will depend on the size of your chicken).
- Remove the chicken carefully, transfer to a large plate along with the veggies like sauteed spinach, steamed broccoli, roasted sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and more!
More Recipes To Make With Leftover Chicken
If you’ve got some leftover rotisserie chicken, tear it apart and save it for these delicious chicken recipes.
- Kale Salad With Apples And Chicken
- BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Chicken and Black Bean Wrap
- Zucchini Noodles With Chicken, Spinach, And Parmesan
- Cobb Salad
- Parsnip Noodle Chicken Alfredo
Want more slow cooker recipes? You’ll love my slow cooker pulled pork, slow cooker pot roast, or slow cooker kalua pork!
Description
Ingredients
- 2 large carrots, cut into large chunks
- 1 parsnip, cut into large chunks
- 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
- 1 whole chicken, (4-5 pounds)
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add the carrots, parsnip and onion to your slow cooker. If you have a large slow cooker, feel free to add more vegetables.
- Add the herbs and spices to a small bowl and mix together.
- Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken.
- Sprinkle the herbs and spices onto the chicken and rub them in and all around with your hands. Then place the chicken in the slow cooker on top of the vegetables.
- Add the lid to the slow cooker and cook the chicken on low for 7-8 hours, depending on the size of your chicken. When done, carefully remove and serve.
Nutrition
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Recipe originally posted September 2014, but updated to include new photos and information.
Best and easiest way to cook chicken. Especially on those hot summer days, this is a perfect way to cook a whole chicken without turning on the oven. It tastes great and has so many uses. Unlike store bought rotisserie chicken, I know my chicken is healthy. It is moist and the meat has many uses; like Downshift chicken salad.
Hint: The first time you cook your chicken, keep an eye on it. As the recipe says, the time depends on the size of your bird and your particular cooker. My slow cooker does a 4 pound chicken in 6 hours. Once I knew that, it was easy to estimate the time for any size bird.
Thrilled to hear you loved this way of cooking a whole chicken, Peg!