Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

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A rotisserie style seasoned chicken that is all cooked in the slow cooker. Only 2 minutes of prep as you just rub with the seasoned oil and then put it in the slow cooker for 4 hours. A Slow Cooker Whole Chicken makes a roast dinner so much easier and leaves your oven free for those crispy roasted veggies. Shred this chicken up and use in meals throughout the week.

We always used to buy a whole rotisserie chicken when we went shopping, and shredded it up for meals throughout the week, because we couldn't be bothered to roast a chicken in the oven. But there is literally no effort required here. Just a glug of oil, a raid of your spice rack and let the slow cooker do the work. Perfectly cooked, juicy chicken that has so many ways to use it.

Why should you try it?

How To Make Slow Cooker Whole Chicken - step by step:

One: Roll up three pieces of aluminium foil into balls and place them at the bottom of the slow cooker pot.

Two: Place the whole chicken on top of the foil balls.

Three: Mix together the dressing ingredients.

Four: Cover the chicken with the dressing.

Five: Cook for 7-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

What size chicken to use?

We used a 1.6kg (3.5lb) chicken which will provide around eight servings. Of course you can use a larger chicken, but it depends on the size of your slow cooker. The slow cooker we used is a 4.5lt Crockpot DuraCeramic^(aff), which is perfect for this size chicken.

Why do you add balls of foil?

You might think you can skip this step, and whilst you technically could, you won't get the same results. The balls of foil act as a rack, and when the chicken releases all the juices when cooking, the foil stops it from steaming in the juices.

What to serve with this?

This chicken can be served with pretty much anything you like! Serve it with roast vegetables and potatoes for a great Sunday lunch, or just slice the chicken up for sandwiches. You could add it to a salad, tacos or a curry - the options are only restricted by your imagination.

We love using it in our Chicken and Pea Risotto, Chicken and Mango Salad or Chicken Korma.

What other dressing can I use?

You can adapt this to have a totally different flavoured chicken. Add your favourite spice blends like Fajita or Cajun and mix it with the oil and use in the same way. You could even use Chinese five spice for an Asian twist, or even curry powder.

How to get a crispy skin?

Whilst this slow cooker whole chicken is totally fuss free, it doesn't give you that crispy skin that you would get from roasting it. If you want that after slow cooking, then transfer the whole chicken to a baking tray and then put it under the grill (broiler) for 5 minutes, or until golden.

Chicken Juices

Don't waste the juices that come out of the chicken when cooking - save them to make a gravy. Add a little stock and then a cornflour slurry to thicken it up. You could use some gravy granules too to make it easier.

How To Store

Once you have allowed the chicken to fully cool down, you can portion it out and put it in the fridge in an air tight containers and it will be good for up to 2 days. You can reheat it on the hob in other dishes (like pasta sauces or a curry) or on its own in the microwave, until piping hot throughout.

To freeze, allow it to cool fully and then put it in a freezable container and it will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once it is defrosted, you can reheat it on the hob or in the microwave as above.

Extra Tips:

• Make different flavoured chicken with your favourite spice blend, like fajita of Cajun.
• This recipe is for a medium sized chicken, however that might be too big for your slow cooker, so check the size.
• Shred the chicken up and us it in meals for the rest of the week.
• Don't skip the foil ball step, as it stops the chicken from steaming in its juices
• If you want crispy skin, put the whole chicken under the grill for 5 minutes after it has finished cooking.
• Save the juices to make a gravy with.

Want to try some other slow cooker recipes? How about these:

Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken
Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken
Crockpot Spanish Chicken
Slow Cooker Bolognese
Slow Cooker Beef Curry

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!

Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - we love sharing photos when people make our recipes. You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

DON’T FORGET TO RATE THE RECIPE ↓

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

A Slow Cooker Whole Chicken makes a roast dinner so much easier and leaves your oven free for those crispy roasted veggies. Shred this chicken up and use in meals throughout the week.

4.89 from 17 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 232kcal

Ingredients

UK measures - US measures

• ▢ 1.6 kg whole chicken
• ▢ 3 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
• ▢ 0.5 tsp garlic granules
• ▢ 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ 1 tsp dried oregano
• ▢ 0.5 tsp dried basil
• ▢ 0.5 lemon (juice only)

Instructions

• Roll up three pieces of aluminium foil into balls and place them at the bottom of the slow cooker pot.
• Place the whole chicken on top of the foil balls.
• Mix together the dressing ingredients.
• Cover the chicken with the dressing.
• Cook for 7-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

Notes

• Make different flavoured chicken with your favourite spice blend, like fajita of Cajun.
• This recipe is for a medium sized chicken, however that might be too big for your slow cooker, so check the size.
• Shred the chicken up and us it in meals for the rest of the week.
• Don't skip the foil ball step, as it stops the chicken from steaming in its juices
• If you want crispy skin, put the whole chicken under the grill for 5 minutes after it has finished cooking.
• Save the juices to make a gravy with.

Nutritional Information

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 258IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

Have you tried this recipe?Mention @hungryhealthyhappy on Instagram and tag #hungryhealthyhappy!

DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

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