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Have you tried cooking a whole chicken in a crock pot before? The outcome is so much better (and better-for-you!) than the standard grocery store rotisserie chicken. And if you have a well-stocked spice rack, you’ll hardly have to buy anything to make this recipe.
Why Cook a Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot?
If you’ve only been using your slow cooker for soups and stews you’re seriously missing out! You can make just about anything in a Crock Pot; that includes a whole chicken.
Easy Meal Idea
We’re a busy family and there isn’t always time to make big meals, especially on weeknights. The slow cooker lets us “set it and forget it” and not have to worry about what’s for dinner. Just whip up a few sides, or even a salad, and serve!
Use the leftovers in many dishes, including this Creamy Pasta with Buffalo Chicken.
Healthier Alternative to Store Bought Rotisserie Chicken
Have you read the ingredients on your favorite rotisserie chicken? Between sugar and other additives, it’s definitely not real food approved. By making my own chicken from scratch I get to decide exactly what goes into the food we eat.
Cook Once, Eat Multiple Times
This is probably my favorite part of this recipe! A whole chicken can be divided up and used for several different recipes and meals. Don’t forget to use the bones to make your own homemade chicken stock so nothing goes to waste.
Ideas for Your Leftover Chicken
- Loaded Chicken Salad
- BLT Chicken Wraps
- Sour Cream and Onion Chicken Salad
- Chicken and Cheese Tostadas
- Curry Chicken Salad
- Grilled open-faced sandwich
How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot
Step 1: Chop and Add Onion
Cut a whole onion in half or quarters and add it to the bottom of your slow cooker.
Step 2: Mix Chicken Seasoning in a Small Bowl
Simply combine a few basic herbs and spices. I used paprika, salt, onion powder, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper to make a rotisserie style chicken. You could also season your chicken with butter and herbs, Italian spices, or your favorite blend of seasonings.
Step 3: Season the Whole Chicken
Rub seasoning all over the chicken (I even season inside the cavity and under the skin on the breasts). After seasoning, place the whole chicken in the Crock Pot on top of the onion bed, breast side down.
Step 4: Cook on High for 4-5 Hours or Low 7-8 Hours
Cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 F and juices run clear, but also when it’s so tender you can shred it with a fork.
Once the chicken is done, it is flavorful enough to eat by itself as the main dish, or you can incorporate it into something else like pasta, chicken salad, chicken pot pie, or a casserole (I’ve listed some of my favorite ideas below). You don’t need anything fancy, we use a very basic crock pot that can be purchased on Amazon for about $40.
Troubleshooting Crock Pot Chicken
My Chicken is Too Soft and Mushy
Most of the time mushy Crock Pot chicken is a result of cooking it too long. As you cook meat, the collagen breaks down into a gelatin. The longer chicken is cooked, the more this process happens. Do it right and you have perfectly tender meat; too long and your chicken becomes mushy.
- Don’t add any additional liquid
- Cook on high instead of low
- Adjust cooking times based on weight
- Remove chicken as soon as it’s done
- Let chicken cool to help it firm up before cutting and serving
Slow Cooker Chicken Comes Out Dry
Dry chicken usually happens when there’s not enough moisture in the slow cooker. This is more likely to occur when you’re only roasting lean cuts like chicken breasts or have too many moisture-absorbing veggies in with your chicken. A simple solution is to add some water or chicken stock to the slow cooker when you start cooking.
Another common reason for dry chicken is cooking in a Crock Pot that’s too big for the recipe; too much empty space around the meat will dry it out.
Make Overnight Chicken Stock (Optional)
Another great trick (that I learned from a friend!) is that after you pick off the good chicken meat you can leave the bones in the crock pot to make some stock overnight while you are sleeping—see more on that in the FAQ below.
Featured Comment
Wow!! Mind blown! Thank you so much for this recipe. I had to call my mom and my mother-in-law about this recipe. The chicken is perfectly cooked. We are cooking the stock right now and I’ll make homemade noodles to go with it. Way to go!
More Crock Pot Chicken Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
- Slow Cooker Green Salsa Chicken
- Soy Maple Glazed Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
FAQ
Due to food safety reasons, you should not cook a frozen whole chicken in the slow cooker. Make sure to thaw it out completely before cooking (see how to safely defrost meat for more info). The ideal way to defrost meat is in the fridge overnight. If you think your chicken is still a little frozen in the middle you will need to increase the cooking time.
Absolutely! If you want to be extra cautious you could always be sure to cook the whole chicken on high heat for at least the first hour (if you also plan to cook on low). Since we give an option to cook it on high the entire time for this recipe, this requirement is met.
For a typical 3-4 pound chicken, you’ll want to cook in your slow cooker for about 4 to 5 hours on high or 7 hours on low. Timing may vary based on the size of the bird as well as your individual slow cooker and how tender you want the end result.
There is no need to add water because the chicken and onion will create their own juices while cooking. Adding water will just produce a soggy chicken in the end.
If you’re a fan of crispy chicken skin, you can still achieve this by placing the chicken on a rimmed baking sheeting after it’s done and placing it under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes. Be sure to let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.
1) Use tongs and a fork to remove the large parts of the chicken (thighs, legs, wings) from the slow cooker and place them on a platter/cutting board separately so they can cool briefly.
2) Run your fingers (or a spoon) under each breast to separate from the rib bones and then remove the meat in one piece.
3) Trim the large parts if wish to serve them whole, or carve off pieces of meat and set aside. Throw any skin/fat/bones back in the crock pot as you go to make your overnight chicken stock.
4) Next, remove the carcass from the slow cooker and place it on the platter/cutting board. When cool enough, use a fork and your fingers to pick off every little piece of meat and place in a bowl or storage container. The little bits are great for making chicken salad, soups, enchiladas, etc! Put anything other than meat back in the crock pot.
See my Overnight Chicken Stock Recipe for details, but here is how it’s done:
For grilled chicken, try this Chicken Marinade!
The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 onion
- 4 lb whole chicken
Instructions
- Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
- Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
- Place chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, breast side down, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
- Cook for 4 to 5 hours on high or 7 hours on low (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Don't forget to make your chicken stock!
Notes
Nutrition Facts
- If you use boneless skinless chicken breasts in this recipe, you’ll need to add some water to the dish before cooking, otherwise, they may come out dry.
- You could also cook a small turkey with this recipe; place it breast side down.
- You can cook this on low (for example, if you’re going to be at work all day and you want it to cook while you’re gone) for longer, 7 hours.
Hello, could I add some potatos and carrots with the onions under the chicken?
Sure. :)
Ah, HA! That’s MY trick! Use the bones and leftover juices, skin and assorted trimming stuff and cook it overnight. With that monstous turkey carcass we all have after Thanksgiving, I break the bones up and stick them back into the oven until the insides begin to caramelize — that is why good stock always tastes a little bit sweet. Plop them I to the old crock-O-pot and leave overnight. I taught my friend in California how to do this. She asked me how she would know when it was done and ready to be defined. Simple — you will SMELL it! Incidentally this is a good way to get a second soup meal from a rotisserie chicken. I normally add a can of low-sodium chicken broth to the pot. But I suggest that you remove all the bones and girl and place the broth to chill for several hours. That will allow the fats to rise up and solidify so you can easily remove them and your consume won’t be greasy. My Grandma used to rise the fat quickly with cold water and save it in a glass jar in the refrigerator, rather like some folks save bacon grease. Some old recipes for cookies used this sort of cleaned fat instead of butter or shortening. Gotta use it all, right? Don’t throw out anything of value. This article was great. I roast my chickens in a convection over at about 250 degrees which is very much like using the crock-O-pot. Try tossing in half a squeezed lemon into your stock with a sprig of fresh Rosemary. Yum!
if you put it in the oven then for how long
Can you make this with a frozen chicken? Or should I wait until it’s thawed?
You should make this with a thawed chicken,
Hi! Can you do this recipe on low in the slow cooker ? Want to set it up before work. Thx!
Yes, this is a crock pot recipe.
Can’t believe how easy this was – and so tender and tasty! And we made the stock – this is a keeper – thanks much!
WOW! I cooked your whole chicken recipe in my Instant Pot via high pressure and then made your chicken stock on the slow cooker setting (only dirtied one pot – yay!) and both turned out amazing. I did add about 10 whole peppercorns to the stock., and was a little leery of all the paprika but it really added wonderful flavor and my stock was the best tasting and most beautiful rich color that I’ve ever made. Thank you, this is a keeper!
Hey there: I just made your Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot, and it turned out lovely! Thanks for the great recipes. Planning to cook the overnight broth later this evening.
Now to figure out what to make with the chicken rather than just eating it directly out of the crock.
Shred or chop the meat and place in freezer bags to freeze for future recipes that call for shredded chicken. I put 2 cups of chicken per bag. It’s wonderful to have on hand so you don’t have to cook and shred the chicken right before you make the recipe.
Does it matter which side up you put the chicken in the crock pot?
Hello. I’ve always cooked it breast side down.
I live alone and plan this recipe for my Thanksgiving dinner rather than a whole turkey (too big) or turkey breast (not a big fan of white meat). I would be sorely disappointed if it turns out dry…
I know for my crock pot that cooking on high would turn the chicken into leather. Newer crockpots seem to cook on high for low. I would start checking at 3 hours with a good meat thermometer.
Hi! I want to know if I can substitute chicken bone- in thighs instead for the whole chicken? I’m preparing for a few others and I don’t want to have to cut it up afterwards? Thank you.
Hi there. Yes, you can do that. Do know, however, that the chicken tends to fall off the bone pretty easily.
I have made this recipe twice and both times it turned out dry. Boo! Do you think my crockpot is too hot and I need to do it for less time? What would you suggest for getting a chicken that is more tender and juicy?
Hi. So I’m curious, do you have plenty of broth? Is the meat falling off the bone? If no is the answer to those questions, I would say your pot is too hot.
Where does the broth come from? There is no liquid added. Mine is always so dry.
It makes plenty of its own broth. :)
Just found this recipe on food.com while browsing and it said to cook on LOW for 4-8 hours but it was usually done at 4-5 hrs. I have also read to use the smallest size possible for e best outcome.
I just noticed this discrepancy between 2 otherwise identical recipes too. Seems to me when I used this recipe before, it was LOW for 5 – 8 hours and worked fine whilst I was at work all day! I’ve decided to start with an hour on HIGH and then low for as long as it takes, with a back-up supper (omelette!) in mind just in case.
Most recipes I see say make the stock w/ bones, veggies and herbs but then they say to strain the liquid (your stock) and throw away everything else. Why do they throw away the veggies? Are they entirely drained of nutrients?
If you leave the veggies, it’s not a stock- it’s a soup. And with how long it’s cooked for they’d be really overcooked.
I did not want to throw away my vegetable (with all their vitamins) so I just remove the Bay Leaf and blend the stock before putting the containers in the freezer.
This is a very easy and great tasting recipe.
Thank you.
It would then be a soup and not a stock if you kep the veggies in there. :) – Nicole
Does the chicken have to be thawed or can I put it in frozen?
You really should thaw it for food safety.
You need to thaw the chicken first for this recipe. – Nicole
This recipe is excellent! It took me about 6 or 7 minutes to prepare it from start to finish and it came out absolutely delicious. As a mom with a toddler and a baby under 1, I am always on the hunt for quick and easy recipes and am thankful I happened to stumble upon this one. Thank you!!
Can you cook on low instead of high? If so, for how long? Thanks
Hi Danielle. Other readers have cooked on low for 6-8 hours.
Did you ever think that maybe its the person making it and not the recipe thats terrible Miss Don’t Care If You Publish My Comment
Maybe its the recipe. Its the person making it
I love this recipe! I think the flavor is great! I’m using the seasoning recipe with boneless skinless chicken in the crockpot today, and will make chicken noodle soup from it :)
I have been using this recipe since I discovered. It is easy to do and I add flavor later. The chicken is fall off bone great. We remove chicken from bones and add to various dishes throughout the week. We make chicken tacos, salads, sandwiches etc. ❤️
I’ve been making this for a couple of years now. It’s my go to chicken recipe!! Thank you!!!!!
Made this today. I used four chicken legs (Murray’s Organic) and modified the recipe to my taste: omitted the spicy pepper. I cooked it on high for about 4.5 hours, then added some baby carrots and quartered Yukon Gold potatoes, let that cook for about another 30 minutes on high. Then I let it sit, then transferred it to a baking dish and baked on 400 uncovered for about 20 minutes. The house smells heavenly. The chicken fell off the bone on the way from the crockpot to the baking dish. Veggies are nicely seasoned. Thank you for this super-easy recipe to get me started on my first week back to Weight Watchers.
Also on WW, wish they had the nutritional numbers so I could determine the points value.
I just determined the value as the amount of chicken I ate (I took off the skin after it cooked), potatoes, and carrots. There was no added oil and the seasonings are free, so that’s all I counted. I lost 2.2 this first week at WW. So the recipe was well-suited!
Can you tell me if the broth is very greasy from leaving the skin on the chicken? Thanks!
Hi. There is fat but it is easy-to-separate from the broth. It gives the broth great flavor.
Seriously the best! I made it but I added potatoes and it came out perfect. Fall off the bone, flavorful, juicy chicken. So easy and so good
i don’t have onions on hand. Is it ok to not have it? Will the chicken burn on the bottom of. The slowcooker pot?
Hi there. You could use celery. Other readers have.
Have you ever added carrots and celery to the bottom of the pot with the onions?
Yes, and I like the flavor it adds.
Have you ever tried cooking it on the low setting for a longer amount of time? If so, how long would you recommend? Thanks!
Hi there. Other readers have adjusted the cooking time by starting on high and switching to low but we have not.
I’ve always read about doing a whole chicken in the slow cooker (LOVE my slow cooker!), but never tried it until I found this super simple recipe. Now I make it once a week! 2 minutes prep time for a meal that everyone loves!!! I use the extra meat for either chicken salad or chicken pot pie the next day. When we’re done with dinner, I put the whole crock pot in the fridge. The next day I pick the meat off the bones, and plug the slow cooker in again, covering the bones and scrapes up with water and add some extra veggies to make an amazing broth, without having to make a mess! (I then use my pressure canner to jar up the broth so that it’s shelf stable) I don’t know why I never thought to do it that way before! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!
that is just so smart of u..
Wondering if boneless skinless chicken breasts would work as well this way?
Thank you! :)
Hi. The whole chicken in this recipe creates its own juices and results in a really moist dish. With breasts only, you would need to adapt the recipe to include some liquid.
Do you have a suggested length of cooking time if using a pressure cooker instead of a slow cooker? Thx
Hi. This will help: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-do-i-convert-recipes-from-slow-cooker-to-pressure-cooker-good-questions-215786.
Are you supposed to cook the chicken with the skin on? I have never cooked a whole chicken on and usually buy chicken skinless. Thanks for the advice!
Hi there. Lisa leaves the skin on. You can remove it if you choose but it does make for a more flavor filled dish.
DELISH!!!! Love it it, kids love it, hubby loves it- it’s a winner!
Super flex too, used with rice n beans, used in tacos, used in a salad.
Definitely one to pass along.
Thanks!
Yikes, victim much? I’m not using organic chicken, but you do not see me being so rude.
Absolutely delicious!! I make this almost once a week. Soo very easy and delicious! I always make the chicken broth with the left overs and have chicken soup the next night. Thank you for the recipe!!
i am on a budget too very little money a chicken is a chicken organic or not all tastes the same i would use a whole cut up chicken or chicken parts i have been eating store normal chicken for years and i am healthy it is just a matter of preference
Wow. Just wow. If you don’t want to buy organic chicken, just don’t. Nobody is forcing you. No need to be rude or demeaning. Nobody is forcing you to read this site either! SMH. Some people (or should I use the right word -trolls-) are just unbelievable.
I agree. People can certainly disagree w/o being disagreeable
I doubt they realize there is a better and more effective way to get their points across. …to bad for them.
Wow. Just wow. If you don’t want to buy organic chicken, just don’t. Nobody is forcing you. No need to be rude or demeaning. Nobody is forcing you to read this site either! SMH. Some people (or should I use the right word -trolls-) are just unbelievable.
Wow. Just wow. Totally uncalled for. If you don’t want to buy organic chicken, just don’t. No need to be rude and demeaning. Nobody is forcing you to buy it, or to read this site! SMH.
MJKSL-I wouldn’t call organic chicken gentrified…ask your grandparents if they ate “organic”…they will probably tell you there was no such thing, because it was ALL organic!!! Sorry that you’re struggling financially, I do too, but I put paying for organic food over other expenses. Chickens eating GMO corn feed aren’t likely healthy and you won’t likely be either if your consuming them. Invest in yourself and save the money in medical bills later!
You can take this one step further by cooking your stock and chicken bones (include all skin, etc…all the parts…everything!) overnight, or until the bones are so soft you can squeeze them with your fingers. Then, put bones and stock – a couple of cups of each in a batch – into your blender.
It’s best to let the stock cool down before doing this, or put a towel over the lid of the blender to be on the safe side. Now, blend the stock, chicken skin and all parts and bones together until the mix is liquid and smooth. It’ll take a minute or so, and you may have to shift gears from ice crusher to low to high and back. Then pour it in glass jars. When you’re pouring, go slow at the end and throw the few little bone shards that didn’t blend into the garbage, rinse your blender, and do it again until you’ve used all the bones. (You may have some stock left over. Just strain and save for later.)
Let the mix cool, add salt if needed and be sure to stir it a couple of times in the jars before putting it in the refrigerator.
In my house, this is called Chicken Squiggle. It’s the BEST thing you’ll ever eat and perfect for people who need an extra boost of nourishment. We warm it up and drink it in mugs, or mix it with leftover stock for a delicious soup, add it to other dishes for flavor and share it with the cats and dogs who also LOVE it. You can freeze Squiggle, but it’s best served up fresh. It keeps in the fridge for several days, but it won’t last that long. It’s even good cold. One last thing: it’s so freakin’ good that you don’t have to add any other ingredients to the stock. Just go with the bones, etc., add water to cover, and let your already used spices do the rest , One carcass with stock makes about (4) 12 ounce jars. Go for it! :-)
ps – ONLY DO THIS WITH ORGANIC CHICKENS!
Breast up or down in crock pot. Have seen recipe where breast goes down
Hi. I always do breast down.
This is the best recipe! My husband says he thinks he could eat it every night. I make it with chicken thighs and legs since they are cheaper at the moment. I reserve 2 cups for chicken noodle soup or chicken salad. I have to take it out before supper or there won’t be enough left over! And chicken stock made from this is so good!