Slow-Cooker Whole Chicken is an easy way to prepare a whole chicken for any recipe that calls for added cooked chicken, such as salads and soups. Added aromatics and herbs result in flavorful, succulent chicken meat.
A whole chicken cooked in a slow cooker can lead to all sorts of deliciousness. It’s not completely effortless. This recipe does need some prep work, before cooking and afterwards, but it doesn’t require heavy lifting. You season the chicken, chop some vegetables (no peeling required), put chicken and vegetables in a slow-cooker and let it cook away.
For recipes like Old Fashioned Chicken Salad , you’re not going to have good chicken salad without good chicken. After all, it is the key ingredient. Use the shredded chicken to make chicken enchilada casserole or chicken burritos .
While this recipe makes the best cooked chicken to add to other recipes, it’s perfectly fitting to carve it into pieces and eat on the bone. If you’re expecting crispy chicken skin, you won’t get that in a slow cooker. But the chicken meat is wonderful.
Can I use chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken?
Absolutely! Use five pounds worth of your favorite chicken pieces. We love thighs!
Why should I cook a whole chicken instead of buying a rotisserie chicken?
We’ve got nothing against rotisserie chickens and by them ourselves. By cooking your own chicken, you can choose the spices of your liking. But, the biggest reason is to make this Overnight Slow-Cooker Chicken Bone Broth .
Instruction for Slow-Cooker Whole Chicken Recipe
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- Add spice mixture to a bowl and stir together.
- Gather and wash carrot, celery, onion, bay leaves, thyme, and sage.
- Chop vegetables into large pieces. There’s no need to peel. I even love some of the onion skins on and only remove the ones that fall off as I’m chopping.
- Place chicken on a large tray. Remove giblet bag.
- Season all surfaces of the chicken with the spice rub. Be sure to season inside the cavity.
- Stuff the cavity with as many chopped vegetables and herbs as you can fit.
- Place the remainder of the vegetables and herbs in a seven quart slow-cooker that’s been prepare with non-stick cooking spray. Reserve a couple sprigs of thyme and sage.
- Place seasoned chicken atop the vegetables and herbs, breast side up. Add reserved herbs across the chicken breasts.
- Place lid on slow-cooker and cook on high for 5 hours or until internal temperature of the thighs reaches 165 degrees.
- Remove to a cutting board. Let rest for 15 minutes.
- Remove vegetables from the cavity. Remove skin and pull meat from bones. Don’t discard the vegetables, skin, or bones. Use them for Overnight Slow-Cooker Chicken Bone Broth.
Slow-Cooker Whole Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For spice rub:
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
For chicken:
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 large onion
- 5 pounds whole chicken
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 4 sprigs sage
- 4 bay leaves
Instructions
- for spice rub:
- Add all spice rub ingredients to a bowl and stir together.
- for chicken:
- Chop vegetables into large pieces
- Place chicken on a large tray. Remove giblet bag.
- Season all surfaces of the chicken with the spice rub, including the cavity.
- Stuff the cavity with as many chopped vegetables and herbs as you can fit.
- Place the remainder of the vegetables and herbs in a seven quart slow-cooker that's been prepare with non-stick cooking spray. Reserve a couple sprigs of thyme and sage.
- Place seasoned chicken atop the vegetables and herbs, breast side up. Add reserved herbs across the chicken breasts.
- Place lid on slow-cooker and cook on high for 5 hours or until internal temperature of the thighs reaches 165 degrees.
- Remove to a cutting board. Let rest for 15 minutes.
- Remove vegetables from the cavity. Remove skin and pull meat from bones. Don't discard the vegetables, skin, or bones. Use them for Overnight Slow-Cooker Chicken Bone Broth.
Belle Russell says
if it tastes good, your belly doesn’t care if it’s pretty or not,……..”SMILE”
Jackie Garvin says
Belle,
You are exactly right! Some folks eat with their eyes. I just wanted drive home the point that this chicken is delicious and don’t miss out on a good meal just because the chicken came up short in the looks department! 🙂
Tammy says
Jackie, if you don’t have a rack, you could ball up 3 or 4 balls of aluminum foil, depending on the size of your slow-cooker, and put them on the bottom of your slow-cooker and place the chicken on top. That is if you didn’t want the chicken to stew in its broth. 🙂
Jackie Garvin says
Tammy,
That is a great tip and I meant to include that in my post. My slow-cooker is so small that there’s not enough head room for the lid to fit back down over the chicken if I elevate it. I don’t mind it stewing at all. If I want to make sure the chicken will remain intact and not fall apart, I just roast it in the oven. This slow-cooker method is a great way to prepare chicken for casseroles, tacos, chicken salad, etc. Plus, we like to eat stewed chicken. Granny used to stew chickens a lot. 🙂