4 HOUR Juicy Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
4 HOUR JUICY Slow Cooker Meal for a 6 Pound Whole Chicken! This easy recipe makes the entire meal in the crock pot, including potatoes and other vegetables! You’ll love how simple it is to cook a HEALTHY Rotisserie Chicken meal! This is one of my favorite Crockpot dinners!
Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
I’ve been really big on Slow Cooker recipes lately. Just last week I shared with you my Slow Cooker Bread, and this week I’m sharing the main course to go with it – a whole chicken! This chicken is juicy, full of flavor and is so easy to make!
This recipe makes a 5-7 pound whole chicken in the slow cooker in about 4 hours on high. Alternatively you could set it to 7 hours on low.
How to Make a Juicy Chicken
The key to making a juicy chicken in the slow cooker is that you want to give it some liquid to become moist, but you don’t want it to sit in the liquid. The solution is that you cut up a bunch of vegetables so the chicken has a “bed” to be placed on, keeping it above the liquid for the majority of cooking time.
For the liquid I used chicken broth, to keep the flavor in the right pallet. You could however play around with it! Do you want a citrus zest? Add some orange juice. Apple juice will add some sweetness. Just remember your veggies are cooking in it as well.
What that also does is provide you a full meal, so you have your whole chicken and vegetables! I cut up potatoes, celery, carrots and onions to place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
It’s good to use thick, dense veggies so that they don’t get too soft and mushy sitting in the crockpot for hours. Thinking about a low-carb option? Use cauliflower instead of potatoes.
Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe
This Slow Cooker Whole Chicken recipe is going to give you a very tasty chicken but you need to help it out with some seasoning! Rub 1 teaspoon paprika and 1 tablespoon chicken poultry seasoning all over the chicken, top and bottom.
This seasoning includes sea salt, garlic, pepper, and spices and herbs. So there is no need to add any extra salt or pepper. This one-shot seasoning has everything you need for great flavor!
Cooking Vegetables in Slow Cooker
Place your chopped up vegetables in the slow cooker first. Try to place denser veggies, like carrots or potatoes, on the very bottom, where it will be the hottest and sitting in the liquid. They will better tolerate the longer cooking time without becoming mushy. and then place your seasoned whole chicken on top.
Close the lid and cook on high for 4 hours, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Now sit back and relax while your kitchen starts to smell amazing! This is one of the many bonuses to owning a slow cooker!
Alternatively you could set it to 7 hours on low if you want it to cook longer – sometimes this easier for work days!
At the end of the cooking time use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
After the chicken is finished cooking, remove it from the slow cooker and cut it up. This should be fairly easy as it will be very tender. This cooking method allows the chicken to stay nice and juicy too.
What’s your favorite, light or dark meat? Thankfully Matthew loves white meat and I love dark meat so there’s no kitchen table fights over the drumstick!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Potatoes
And remember those vegetables we cut up? They’re delicious too! The veggies catch all the run-off juices, sit in the added liquid, and even take some of the seasoning you applied to the chicken. This means they are tender and full of flavor.
The potatoes are perfectly cooked, that you can slide your fork right into!
Serve them as a side dish and you have an easy chicken meal for your family.
Hope you enjoy this 4 HOUR Juicy Slow Cooker Whole Chicken recipe! There will certainly be no need for knives for your plates with this chicken dinner. Let me know how you like it!
If you try this Slow Cooker Whole Chicken recipe, please leave a comment or share it on Instagram with tag #brooklynfarmgirl – I’m always looking for photos to feature and share!
More Chicken Recipes
Looking for more chicken recipes? Here’s some of my family’s favorites:
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken Schnitzel
Cast Iron Chicken with Mint Chutney
Chicken Dumpling Soup
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4 HOUR Juicy Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
4 HOUR Juicy Slow Cooker Meal for a 6 Pound Whole Chicken! This easy recipe makes the entire meal in the crock pot, including potatoes and other vegetables! You'll love how simple it is to cook a HEALTHY Rotisserie Chicken meal! This is one of my favorite crockpot dinners!
Ingredients
- 4 cups vegetables potatoes, carrots, celery, onions
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 6 pound whole chicken giblets removed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon chicken poultry rub
- salt and pepper
Instructions
This recipe calls for 4 cups of vegetables. It's up to you how you want to divide it up. I like to do 2 cups of potatoes and 2 cups of carrots, celery and onions. For the potatoes, peel and quarter. Fo the carrots, peel and chop up. For the celery and onions, chop. Place the vegetables in the bottom of your slow cooker.
Pour chicken broth on top of the vegetables.
Rinse your whole chicken under cold water. Make sure you take the giblets out of the cavity. Pat your chicken dry with paper towels. Rub paprika, poultry rub and salt and pepper to taste all over the chicken - top and bottom.
Place chicken on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker. Close lid.
Cook on high for 4 HOURS or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Recipe Video
I am all about slow cookers! I love this recipe and will be perfect to come home to on Tuesday. The veggies lifting the chicken up out of the broth is a really good idea.
I tried your crock pot bread last week and we loved it! As a new “cook” I am looking forward to trying this one this week! Thank you!
wow that looks great..
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What’s the texture of the skin like? I love a crispy skin, but as long as the skin isn’t rubbery this sounds like an amazingly easy meal (plus great for meal planning!)
I made this with 2 Cornish hens. I took them out of crock pot and put them in oven for ten minutes at 450 degrees. They were perfect! Love this recipe.
Hey Gwendolyn, thanks so much for commenting! I’m so happy you liked this recipe!
I was wondering if you ever tried & if you did, how did the skin turn out on the chicken?
Oh man, love how tender chicken is when cooked in a slow cooker. This is simply wonderful!! Aromatic and juicy and oh my.
this looks wonderful! Do you have a suggestion for a homemade seasoning rub?
Hey Sharon, I like this recipe for seasoning rub: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/17446/hughs-dry-rub/. Enjoy the chicken!
I would like to try this but one other time my crock pot was just full of grease from the chicken. Then my husband said it was like eating boiled meat . How did you prevent that?
Hey Colleen, I’ve never had that problem with this slow cooker chicken. If you see lots of grease coming out of the chicken remove liquid from the slow cooker with a turkey baster so there’s not excess. Hope this helps!
I can’t wait to try making a whole chicken this way. Sounds easy and delicious!
When you put bread dough in slow cooker, do you have to let it rise again before turning on cooker??
Hey Marion, here’s my recipe with full instructions for slow cooker bread: https://brooklynfarmgirl.com/2018/01/02/2-hour-slow-cooker-bread/
This looks fabulous and have saved to try ASAP 😉👍
I love my slow cooker but I’ve never cooked a whole chicken in it like this – It’s definitely something I’d love to try. It’s great that all the veggies and potatoes can get cooked at the same time too.
I’ve never cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot, but it looks simple and delicious! Thanks for sharing!
I just bought a whole chicken that I’m planning on cooking tomorrow. I’m going to try your way. Thanks for sharing.
That looks wonderful. I have raised my chicken up by placing balls of tin foil under it but I honestly never though to put a bunch of veggies in there and make a whole meal out of it. I’ll have to try that next time for sure. Pinned.
This looks so delicious! I love that it only takes 4 hours to cook! I love all the ingredients that go into this recipe, also! Thank you for sharing!
The slow cooker is so useful…especially on busy school nights. This recipe will definitely come in handy. Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
I love my slow cooker and usually make Beef Cheeks in Red Wine or Lamb Shanks. Now I’ll be adding Chicken to the list. Thanks for sharing with us at #BloggersPitStop.
I love to use my slow cooker(s) all year long – such a handy kitchen appliance to have. The chicken looks great – I have only tried breasts not a whole chicken. Thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday!
I’ve never tried roasting a chicken in a slow cooker before. Love that you can set it and forget it. And I’m with you, dark meat all the way! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday!
I pinned this so I could make it later. I love my slow cooker and this looks so delicious. I found you over at the Pit Stop. So glad I did. Yum!
This sounds so tasty!! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday party!
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OMG! This looks so yummy! thank you for sharing at Sweet Inspiration Link Party 🙂
Hi there! This sounds amazing and I’m super excited to try it out, as I LOVE crockpot recipes. One quick question first though. Would it be possible to keep this on low for 8 hours rather than high for 4? Thank you in advance!
What a neat idea! Pinned!
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Would adding butter to the crock pot be alright ?
Hello! Adding butter wouldn’t ruin the recipe, but I don’t think it’s necessary! Hope this helps!
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Lol. I could never fit one of my farm chickens in my slow cooker. I could put cut pieces on it. Would that work?
You’ll want to reduce the cooking time to about 4-5 hours on low, checking the temperature after 4 hours. Place thighs/legs on top of the breasts to prevent the breast meat from drying out and becoming stringy. Make sure to include the veggies on the bottom of your slow cooker.
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I was wondering if the skin on the chicken is crispy?
Hey Cindy, if you want it to be crispy, please see Gwendolyn’s comment above. Enjoy this recipe!
I love the recipe will become one of my hits. What type of slow cooker is best. Can I use an electric one?
Hey Maureen, here’s the slow cooker I have: https://amzn.to/2KVpm2e. I’ve been using this for years and love it! I also love the size of it!
Looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing on To Grandma’s House We Go!
I am making this meal today, sooo looking forward to it. It was so easy to put together in just 15 minutes.
I’ve made something similar but seasoned the chicken with basil, and for liquid I use white wine! 🙂
I’ve recently bought a slow cooker and today, I am initiating it by making your whole chicken recipe. It sounds interesting and easy. I am looking forward to the finished product. Thanks for sharing your recipe. If it comes out as pretty as yours, I’ll snap a photo.
Does the chicken need to be thawed?
Hey Rachel, yes, the chicken should be thawed before putting it in the slow cooker.
Do you have suggestions for non starch veggies? I am definitely going to try but eating low carb. Thank u
You could use cabbage, brussels sprouts, celery, or turnips – all would be good with this!
Has anyone used a large round crock pot ? Wondering if chicken is to big and I will need an oval crock pot.. ? thank you.
Hey Shea, how many quarts is your crock pot?
Just curious what everyone does with leftovers. Would chicken prepared this way do well in salads?
Hey Rebecca, you can definitely use it in salads! I also love making shredded chicken noodle soup with it! (PS. You can freeze it too!).
If I wanted to put this on low bc I won’t be home. How long would I cook it? I know it’s 4hrs on high but curious how long on low?
Hey Erin, you could cook it for 7 hours on low.
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Made this yesterday, and added red pepper flakes for some heat. We really liked it served with mashed potatoes.
I love that you added some red pepper flakes! Thanks for commenting and letting me know you liked the recipe!
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