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.
Carson says
This is Probably a dumb question… is it ok to cook the chicken standing up instead of laying on its back? My slow cooker is more round and won’t allow for any size chicken to lay flat, but fits it if it “stands upright”. I don’t want to mess it up and wasn’t sure whether the position effects the final product or not. Thank you!
Sara says
I think it would work fine although I haven’t tried it this way. I’ll try it the next time I make this chicken and report back!
Patrice says
Can you post a photo of the “tin foil ring”
Sara says
It’s shown in the video above the recipe card!
Nancy Drescher says
Can i cook 8 hours on low ? I want to but in potatoes and carrots with some celery for soups later on that day. Do you think the vegtables would be to mushy?
Sara says
This recipe is meant to be cooked on high for food safety purposes. I’d add the vegetables during the last 2 hours to keep them from getting mushy.
Jaime says
How long can I leave it on warm?
Sara says
One hour!
Gail M Chandler says
would like to add small potatoes and carrots to the crockpot, do I need to add a little liquid to this?
Sara says
The chicken will release liquid as it cooks!
Kristin says
I frequently add drippings from birds to my gravies. With 7 people in my house I need about 2 cups of gravy total for a meal. I just microwave 1.5 cups chicken stock until it’s hot, set aside, then melt 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat in a small saucepan, add 1/4 cup flour while stirring to make a roux, and slowly pour in the hot stock while stirring. Add drippings at the end. If you’re feeling fancy, reduce your stock by 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup white wine when first adding the liquid to the roux.
Joanna says
Winner winner chicken dinner! Juicy’s the word! Easy’s the work! Thanks
Rebecca Simonson says
I made this today. The chicken came out fantastic. I did have to put it in the oven to finish but it was my fault. I thought my crock pot was on high for the 1st 30 min but it was on warm! I was leaving in 30 min for an appt so I just blasted it on high for 3 hours then finished it in the oven. I will definitely make this again!
Danielle says
Would it make a difference if I cooked it on low the entire time and THEN on high for an hour? I’m just thinking of my work schedule. Thanks!
Sara says
The problem is that the chicken won’t come up to the correct temperature fast enough if you cook it on low initially.
Natalie Rogers says
You put no liquid at all in with the chicken?
Sara says
No liquid, the chicken will release liquid as it cooks.
Jennifer says
After cooking for the 4 hrs on high can I place on keep warm till it’s time for dinner?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Karen C says
Although they’re pretty salty, has anyone made gravy with the drippings? If so, what did you do?
Thanks