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    Home » Recipes » Slow Cooking Recipes » How to slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot

    How to slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot

    Published: Dec 17, 2018 · Modified: Sep 20, 2022 by Jenna Passaro · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    How to slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot with garlic red onion and carrots
    How to slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot

    Slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot for a filling, yet healthy meal. This easy easy weeknight dinner takes just a few minutes to prepare. Eat leftover crock pot chicken leftovers in salads for lunch or in chicken tacos the next night. Once you learn how to slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot, you’ll be able to utilize this inexpensive ingredient in endless ways.

    How to slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot

    This is one of the most delicious and healthy crock pot chicken recipes to get you acquainted with cooking a whole chicken. In this recipe video, you’ll learn how to transform a raw whole chicken to a hearty meal in the crock pot or slow cooker.

    Cooking a roast chicken in a slow cooker is an easy way to get tender, fall off the bone chicken breast, thighs and wings with minimal effort. It’s one of my best chicken slow cooker recipes ever. And one of the most easy chicken crockpot recipes for two or four people.

    Check out these other tasty slow cooker recipes.

    How to slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot

    Buying a whole chicken is much less expensive than buying pre-sliced chicken breast or thighs. 

    Once you learn how to cook a whole chicken in the crock pot, you can start making it in batches. Use slow cooked chicken in chicken pot pies, tacos, enchiladas, chicken wraps, protein-packed salads, or on top of homemade pizza with store bought dough.

    How to slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot

    Can you put raw chicken breast in a slow cooker?

    Yes, it is OK to put raw chicken in slow cooker. But I suggest you take a few minutes to sear the raw chicken in a pan on the stove before putting it in the crock pot. This will add maximum flavor and help the whole chicken stay together while slow cooking.

    a whole chicken searing on the stove

    How to sear a whole chicken on the stove

    To sear a whole chicken on the stove before slow cooking it, marinade or season the chicken first. Add olive oil to a medium-hot pan that will fit the size of the whole raw chicken. Sear each side a few minutes until golden brown. Before turning each side, add another drizzle of olive oil.

    How to slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot with garlic red onion and carrots

    How many hours does it take to slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot?

    Cooking a whole chicken in the slow cooker turns out well on both the high setting for 4-6 hours, or the low setting for 6-8 hours. See the recipe for tips on how to make slow cooker roast chicken with crispy skin for just 20 extra minutes in the oven.

    How to season a slow cooker whole chicken

    This recipe calls for a marinade made with cilantro, garlic, lemon juice and spices. Alternatively, here are a few easy ideas to season a whole chicken before slow cooking it:

    • Old Bay
    • Salt Lick BBQ dry rub
    • Season under the chicken skin with butter and garlic, then add salt and pepper outside the skin
    • Italian dressing or seasoning
    • Onion powder and garlic powder
    • Sliced lemons and garlic
    • Montreal steak seasoning
    • Farm dust seasoning

    For tender, fall of the bone chicken, add one cup (about 1”) chicken or vegetable broth to the slow cooker. If you don’t have broth, add water seasoned with herbs (rosemary, thyme, and/or two bay leafs) or salad dressing (try Italian or balsamic).

    Save the tasty stock left over from the crock pot chicken for future recipes.

    slow cooker with a whole chicken in the crock pot with carrots red onion and chicken broth

    Making roasted or rotisserie chicken in the crock pot

    Someone recently asked, “Can I roast a chicken in a slow cooker?”. The answer is yes. But cooking a roast chicken in a slow cooker requires one more step. If you’re craving a roasted or rotisserie chicken, first cook the whole chicken in the crock pot. Once it’s done, add butter to the outside and pop the whole chicken in the oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. This will crisp the skin.

    Have you heard of sous vide cooking? That’s another way I like to cook chicken. See the recipe for sous vide whole roast chicken.

    Vegetables to cook with a whole chicken in the crock pot

    Any vegetables added to the bottom of a whole chicken cooked in the crock pot will absorb delicious chicken droppings and double as a side. In this recipe for whole chicken cooked in the slow cooker, I use carrots, red onion and garlic. Potatoes, celery, and peppers are also great vegetables to cook with raw whole chicken in the crock pot.

    Here’s a delicious idea: make baked potatoes while you slow cook whole chickens. Wrap seasoned potatoes in foil and place them below the chicken in the slow cooker.

    Cooking chicken in the crock pot without vegetables

    Don’t have vegetables to hold the chicken in the crock pot? Place four rolled up foil balls at the bottom of the crock pot to suspend the chicken over the stock while it cooks.

    roasted whole chicken in the crock pot

    One of my favorite sides to serve with slow cooked chicken is twice baked sweet potatoes with bleu cheese.

    Tasty whole chicken recipes from Sip Bite Go

    • Pellet smoker beer can chicken
    • Smoked whole chicken
    • Smoked spatchcock chicken
    • Air fry whole chicken
    • Sous vide whole chicken
    • Crock pot whole chicken
    • Vacuum seal whole chicken
    • How to spatchcock chicken

    Slow cooked whole chicken in the crock pot is a meal that’s constantly revisited in my house, especially during the Fall and Winter months.

    If I’m just cooking for us two, I’ll sometimes have the butcher cut a whole chicken in half, and I’ll season and freeze the other half for a future meal. Otherwise, I’m usually happy to cook the whole chicken and eat the leftovers in tacos or in a hearty salad the next night.

    Readers also love these chicken recipes

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    How to slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot

    Slow cooked whole chicken in the crock pot (Sip Bite Go)

    Cook a whole chicken in the crock pot to feed up to four people. If you’re cooking a crock pot chicken for two, you’ll probably have delicious leftovers you can use for a variety of other meals. This roast chicken in a slow cooker recipe creates tender, fall off the bone chicken with minimal effort.
    5 from 14 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Main Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 8 hours hours
    Oven Roasting Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 8 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 438kcal
    Author: Jenna Passaro

    Ingredients

    Chicken marinade

    • ⅔ cup cilantro chopped
    • 2 tbsp garlic diced
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 2 tbsp lemon juice
    • ½ tsp cumin
    • ½ tsp chili powder
    • ½ tsp salt

    Chicken

    • 1 whole chicken
    • 1.5 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 red onion cut in half
    • 3 carrots
    • 1 tbsp garlic diced
    • 1 cup chicken broth

    Instructions

    • Ideally, marinade the chicken for one hour up to one day ahead. Alternatively, season chicken with recommendations in recipe post.
    • Add olive oil to a large medium-hot pan. Sear the whole chicken for a few minutes on each side until golden brown, adding a drizzle of olive oil with each turn.
    • Add vegetables and one cup (about 1”) chicken or vegetable broth to the slow cooker. If you don’t have broth, add water seasoned with herbs (rosemary, thyme, two bay leafs) or salad dressing (try Italian or balsamic).
    • Slow cook the whole chicken on the high setting for 4-6 hours, or the low setting for 6-8 hours.
    • Serve straight from the crock pot. Or, for crisp skin, once the chicken is done cooking in the crock pot, add butter to the outside of the chicken and roast the whole chicken in the oven 425 degrees for 20 minutes.
    • Save any stock left over from the crock pot for future recipes.

    Video

    Notes

    I’d love to see what you make with your whole chicken in the crock pot! Find me @sipbitego on Instagram and #sipbitego so I can see your meal!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 438kcal
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SipBiteGo or tag #sipbitego!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. amy says

      June 12, 2019 at 6:57 am

      always wanted to try cooking this recipe, now I think is the right time haha, this looks mouth watering

      Reply
    2. Elizabeth O says

      June 12, 2019 at 2:03 am

      It’s a perfect dish for a festive family dinner..Even the kids can help making this chicken recipe.5 stars

      Reply
    3. Annabel O says

      June 12, 2019 at 1:58 am

      This looks so yummy! Adding lemon juice to my chicken was a game changer!

      Reply
    4. Elizabeth O says

      June 12, 2019 at 1:26 am

      A perfect recipe for a festive family dinner ..Even kids can help in the cooking process..

      Reply
    5. Djebe Laws says

      June 12, 2019 at 1:03 am

      Love my crockpot and I loved it when i finally was able to roast a chicken in there…makes life so much easier

      Reply
    6. twinspirationalparties says

      June 12, 2019 at 12:26 am

      Wow, this looks so delicious.. Yummy.. Been craving for chicken nowadays this would be so perfect.. 😊5 stars

      Reply
    7. Wren says

      June 11, 2019 at 9:41 pm

      That looks so easy to do! I have just been learning how to use my crockpot and this is certainly going on my list of things to try! looks delicious!

      Reply
    8. Bibimbea says

      June 11, 2019 at 8:08 pm

      Amazing! I never really knew how to cook chicken properly, so thank you for this!

      Reply
    9. Fran Jorgensen says

      June 11, 2019 at 8:04 pm

      Slow cooking is perfect for us over winter! This recipe looks all kind of amazing and I have no doubt it will be a big hit with my family! Thanks for sharing!5 stars

      Reply
    10. Miriam says

      June 11, 2019 at 7:53 pm

      Growing up in a Chinese household, we always cook some form of chicken crockpot dish! Definitely forwarding this to my mother and trying it out during the weekends!

      Reply
    11. Monidipa Dutta says

      June 11, 2019 at 10:25 am

      I love chicken. I would love to try it out..5 stars

      Reply
    12. Michael says

      June 11, 2019 at 3:38 am

      Hmmm. Honestly, it does not look appealing but I think it may taste great. A compliment to think of. Can be better in many ways but I appreciate the post really!

      Reply
    13. minimalistmiri says

      June 11, 2019 at 12:16 am

      Looks great! I love how much you can do with a crock pot!5 stars

      Reply
    14. Handmade Jewelry Haven says

      December 22, 2018 at 12:22 pm

      Wow. This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it!!

      Lisa5 stars

      Reply
    15. Natalie says

      December 18, 2018 at 12:56 am

      Looks so delicious and perfect for hosting and dinner parties!5 stars

      Reply
    16. Neli Howard says

      December 18, 2018 at 12:14 am

      This looks delicious and like something I could absolutely wow my family with. My daughters really like chicken and I really like using the slow cooker!5 stars

      Reply
    17. Jacque Hastert says

      December 17, 2018 at 10:53 pm

      Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! I will be pulling out the slow cooker to make this easy and delicious dinner.5 stars

      Reply
    18. Candiss says

      December 17, 2018 at 8:35 pm

      I love having pre cooked chicken on hand for inclusion in other recipes. This sounds like an interesting way to cook the chicken instead of just roasting.

      Reply
    19. Lisa Bynum says

      December 17, 2018 at 6:18 pm

      I have never tried cooking an entire chicken in my crock pot, but I like the idea. Set it and forget it!5 stars

      Reply
    20. Amanda says

      December 17, 2018 at 5:35 pm

      I love a good roast chicken! The skin looks great here. Thanks for all the helpful tips!5 stars

      Reply
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    jenna passaro food blogger from Portland Oregon

    Hey, I’m Jenna Passaro.

    I develop easy recipes that can transform your kitchen into a restaurant – and you into a true home chef.

      

    Where to start?

    Learn the secrets to smoking tasty Traeger recipes and making pizza at home. And cook amazing tri tip steak dinners.

    Or, fall in love with something new to cook with your air fryer, pellet smoker, BBQ grill, sous vide cooker, and more…

    You’ll notice, I kind of geek out over new cooking trends and tools!

    Instagram me @sipbitego & chef hubs @handmodelpatrick

    My story. Growing up, I didn’t learn to cook.

    (I was actually banned from cooking for years)

    And then in my 20’s I didn’t have to cook because my job as an event planner involved a lot of travel and it was easier to eat out. At the time, I was 100% positive that restaurant food would always taste better than cooking at home, and there was nothing I could do about it.

    Until I fell in love with a chef. He would come over and cook me delicious meals right in my own kitchen. My mind was blown.

    Since then, I’ve been on a mission to figure out easy ways to make restaurant style food at home and share it here on Sip Bite Go.

    Love to eat out and travel? I can totally relate. See my guide on where to eat in Portland, OR.

    jenna passaro the home chef's sous vide cookbook

    Never in a million years did I imagine I’d ditch the 9-5 lifestyle in my late 20’s, move across the country on a whim, start a new life, start a food blog, and write a book.

    But here I am!

    See my book on Amazon: The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

     

       

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