This slow cooker whole chicken is a rotisserie style seasoned chicken made with the help of the crock pot. It’s a super easy dinner option and the leftover chicken can be used in countless other dishes!
I love rotisserie chicken, but it can be pricey and is often filled with sodium and sometimes even preservatives and other questionable ingredients. This slow cooker roasted chicken has just a few minutes of prep time, you can set it in the morning and come home to have dinner waiting for you!
For the longest time, every time I went to Costco I’d pick up one of their rotisserie chickens for a cheap and easy meal. Then one day I read the ingredient list, and there are some additives in those chickens that I’d rather not feed my family. This slow cooker whole chicken is SO easy to make, and you can have a fresh cooked rotisserie style chicken any time you want with more natural ingredients!
Can you cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker?
Yes you can! The first step is to choose your chicken, I like to use organic whenever possible. You want to make sure that your chicken will fit inside your crock pot, I use my larger oval crock pot for this task which is big enough to accommodate almost any sized chicken. If you’re using a smaller round slow cooker, opt for a smaller bird.
The chicken gets coated in a simple spice blend, then placed in the slow cooker atop a ring of foil. The foil acts as a rack to keep the chicken from steaming in its own juices as it cooks.
Is it safe to cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker?
It is safe to cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker, but it’s typically recommended that you cook the chicken on high heat for at least one hour for food safety purposes. This recipe calls for cooking the chicken on high heat for the entire cook time.
How long will it take to cook a chicken in a slow cooker?
It typically takes 3-4 hours to cook a chicken on high heat in the slow cooker, and 8 hours to cook on low heat. As mentioned above, if you plan to cook your chicken on the lower heat setting, be sure to let it cook at high for one hour before you switch to low to make sure the chicken is at the correct temperature for food safety purposes.
At the end of your cook time, you’ll have a juicy and flavorful bird!
At this point, your slow cooker chicken is just missing one thing: that golden brown skin normally associated with rotisserie chicken. I transfer my chicken to a baking pan and broil it for about 5 minutes to get that beautiful golden brown skin that everybody loves.
When I cook a 5 pound chicken for my family, we typically end up with plenty of leftovers which I use to create dinner for the next night.
Once you try this slow cooker whole chicken, you’ll never want to go back to store bought rotisserie chicken again!
Ideas for your leftover chicken
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Chicken Ranch Tacos
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Buffalo Ranch Chicken Dip
- Chicken Taquitos
Slow cooker whole chicken video
Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 5 lb whole chicken neck and giblets removed
- cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika.
- Coat a large slow cooker with cooking spray. Roll a piece heavy duty aluminum foil into a ring shape to fit into the slow cooker as a rack.
- Place the chicken on top of the foil ring. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or until thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers at 165 degrees or higher.
- Transfer the chicken to a sheet pan or baking dish and broil in the oven for 4-5 minutes or until chicken skin is brown and crispy. Serve.
Notes
- Nutritional facts assume calorie and fat counts for skin. If you're looking to cut calories, remove the skin before eating.
Tara says
I see the words “SLOW COOKER WHOLE CHICKEN VIDEO,” but it doesn’t seem to be a link. But that’s okay, I made it anyway, and I figured out the foil balls, which I reckon were pretty straight-forward. The one thing I couldn’t figure out was how to get my whole chicken out of the slow cooker and into the roasting pan. It was so tender that everything fell off the bones! That’s a good sign and all, but I had hoped it might look like a chicken. lol. I may try roasting it right in its crock pot thing next time, so at least it’ll look like a chicken in the pot, before it frees itself from its bones. 🙂
Thanks for the help with this method!
Jim says
I’ve tried this and I’ve used the top of canning jars since I didn’t have aluminum foil at the time. I put a small piece of parchment paper over the top of the canning jar lid to avoid transferring any taste.
The second time along with the smoky paprika I added some cayenne pepper into the mix. If you want a little kick to the chicken this will do it. There are so many ways to experiment with this it unlimited but the main recipe is awesome. Thank you.
Eileen Hines says
I noticed the cook time at beginning of the recipe says 5 hours. In the the recipe itself it says 3-4 hours using the thermometer to check for doneness. Just wondering why the difference… I’ve used this recipe several times now and I’m very happy with it as it’s so simple… so easy. I’ve found 3-4 hrs works well. I love the name you’ve chosen for your site…. very descriptive of dinnertime in many homes!
Sara says
That’s a typo, thanks for catching it!
Tara says
I saw you mention in a comment that there’s a video to watch, but I don’t see one. I’m on a regular PC–not my phone, so I would think I’d be able to see it.
Sara says
The video is right above the recipe card!
Kim says
Can i stuuff the chicken with stuffing before i put it in the crockpot?
Sara says
You can, just be sure to check the internal temperature of the stuffing and the chicken meat to make sure everything is at least 165 degrees F, a stuffed chicken can take longer to cook.
Sha says
I will be working all day I don’t want to cook it on high for 8 hrs??? should I do low then put it on high when I get home for an or so?
Sara says
It’s not safe to cook it at low heat, the temperature of the chicken will not rise fast enough.
Irene says
I wouldn’t want to use aluminium foil under the chicken just for health reasons. I do use a roughly cut up onion under the chicken which works well and adds flavour. I also like your suggestion of using potatoes or veggies.
Cynthia Wills says
Thank you, I have wanted slow cooker chicken that wasn’t swimming in liquid for a long time! This is awesome! I have a stainless steel steamer basket that fits my crock pot when opened up and used it instead of the foil.
I have subscribed (even though I rarely sign up for more emails) because I am so happy with this recipe/method.
Crystal says
Will regular white granulated sugar be ok
Sara says
That should be fine!
Rebecca says
Trying..ithought you always have to have liquid a crockpot or it can burn. This is safe?
Sara says
Yes it’s safe, the chicken will release a lot of liquid as it cooks.
Nicole Priddle says
Could you add the neck to the slow cooker to make a gravy afterwards?
Sara says
That should be fine!
sarah Larson says
Im so confused about what you mean my tim foil ring..can you please post a picture to show what it looks like
Sara says
Watch the recipe video right above the recipe to see it in action!
sarah Larson says
I only have regular paprika is that ok?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
sarah Larson says
I don’t have tin foil what can I do?
Sara says
You can add some potatoes or other vegetables on the bottom to act as a rack instead of foil.
Barbara says
How long do I slow cook a 2.4 pound chicken?
Sara says
I’d try for 2-3 hours on high but you may need to use a thermometer to make sure it’s cooked through!
Lee says
Could I leave it on low for 8 hours?
Sara says
I recommend cooking it on high for food safety reasons!
Diana says
I love this simple to make recipe. I’ve already used it several times. I just realized I have no brown sugar. Can I substitute with organic raw cane?
Sara says
Yes that should work just fine!
Kaitlin Byrd says
Can the chicken be frozen or does it need to be completely thawed out?
Sara says
It should be thawed to make sure the chicken remains in the appropriate temperature during the cook time for food safety reasons.