Easy Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

I used to be very intimidated by a whole chicken. The package of giblets inside of it, ew. How does one even cook this thing? I didn’t really have any interest in finding out. Until, well, I decided it was time I act like a woman in her thirties and learn how to cook one of those bad boys.

What I learnt: It’s ridiculously easy. Oh, who knew?

Now I make a whole chicken pretty often and it’s always delicious. My favorite part is that the prep time is about 10 minutes and then it’s in the slow cooker and I can get on with the rest of my day until dinner time. Spending as little time as possible cooking is usually my goal, unless I’m listening to a really good audiobook or podcast.

This recipe is super simple as far as ingredients go. It’s gluten free too. You can change up the seasoning to whatever your heart desires, but this simple version is really delicious if I do say so myself 🙂

This is the slow cooker I use and love. I know there are fancier ones out there but it works great for me!

Print Recipe

Easy Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

Course

Dinner

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

4-5 hours

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lb organic whole chicken
• 1 medium to large chopped onion
• 4-5 chopped carrots *optional. Or use baby carrots to avoid chopping
• 4 celery stalks * optional. Cut into thirds
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Course Dinner Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 4-5 hours Servings people Ingredients 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lb organic whole chicken 1 medium to large chopped onion 4-5 chopped carrots *optional. Or use baby carrots to avoid chopping 4 celery stalks * optional. Cut into thirds 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

1. Remove chicken from packaging and discard pouch with organs (or keep them if you have another recipe that calls for them). Give the chicken a good rinse in the sink and pat it dry with paper towels.
2. Now to be honest with you, this step I do about half the time, the other half I forget. I'm not sure if it makes a huge difference or not: Spray the crockpot with cooking spray, I use coconut oil spray.
3. After your veggies are prepped, place them in the slow cooker. (You can also put a few inside of the chicken). The important part here is that we don't want the chicken touching the bottom of the slow cooker otherwise it will steam in its own juices. So if you're using a bunch of veggies the chicken can sit on top of them. If you are not (sometimes I just use onion and not the carrots and celery) then roll up foil into a ring for the chicken to sit on top of, or make a few balls of foil for the chicken to rest on.
4. Now that you've got your veggies and/or foil in the slow cooker, put the chicken on top. Rub some garlic over the chicken and then sprinkle the minced garlic on top and put some inside of it. Rub the spices over the chicken.
5. Cover slow cooker and cook chicken on low for 4-8 hours. Cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken and the slow cooker you use. When I used a 4lb chicken it took about 5 1/2 hours. Cook until the thickest part of the leg reaches 165 degrees F.
6. *Note: I did this once when I forgot to put the chicken in earlier in the day. I cooked it on high for 3 1/2 hours (it was a 4lb chicken) and it came out fine.
7. Transfer the chicken to a sheet pan or baking dish and place in oven under broiler for 4-5 minutes until chicken is brown and crispy. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes then serve!