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
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.
CBG says
This came out so lovely looking and tender, I saw no need to broil it. I may have cooked a bit long…five hrs, mostly on High but have no thermometer so judged by ease of fork testing. Also stuffed with matzo stuffing, which looks moist and yum. Stopped myself from sampling; tonight’s the night!
Sara says
That sounds amazing with the stuffing! Thanks for reporting back!
CBG says
I can’t tell if the cooker should have a lid on or not. This is never mentioned? It sounds like not, so chx skin isn’t too moist looking instead of crispy. I’ve never used crock without a lid. I just put it on, hope for answer soon!! Thx.
Sara says
Yes you need to put the lid on, the crock pot won’t cook properly without a lid!
Frank says
Easy and unbelievablly Great. !
Sara says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Karen Arfa says
Im now on 2nd time doing this recipe as my husband loved it. Very easy as i can get it started and go back to work for a couple hours and come home to have my dinner basically done.
Sara says
So glad you’re enjoying it, I’m actually making this one for dinner tonight too!
Amy Burnell says
Trying this today! … We LOVE rotisserie chicken … get it pre-cooked for the store all the time … got a Power Airfryer Oven to make our own … but can never find a chicken small enough to fit in the Power Airfryer Oven on the rotisserie. This sounds like a fabulous alternative, but concerned about lifting the chicken out when it’s done for fear of the chicken falling apart. My rack doesn’t fit in the crockpot, so I’ll be propping the chicken up on foil and celery sticks … maybe even using a crockpot liner. Guess I’ll find out the hard way! Suggestions for future use are welcome!
Sara says
I haven’t had an issue with the chicken falling apart as I take it out of the crock pot. My best advice is to let the chicken cool a bit before you try to take it out, about 10-15 minutes. I use two large spatulas under each side to lift it out, or if it’s cool enough to handle, I just wash my hands and grab it and transfer to a plate. Hope you enjoy, I’m actually making this for dinner tonight too!
Mindy says
I followed this recipe exactly and used a thermometer insert and this chicken turned out so delicious. So much healthier and more affordable than store bought rotisserie chicken and taste just as good if not better! The chicken fell of the bone! I might make this every week!
Sara says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Rhoda Siller says
Pcan’t wait to try this. Love rotesserie chicken.
Donna Yarbrough says
I have never used a crockpot and this sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing. I was always told that you needed chicken broth in the bottom to cook a chicken but I never knew how much. This makes it so much easier. Can’t wait to try it! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Sara says
Thanks Donna hope you enjoy it!
Julie Cicero says
This came out great. I made a rack withsliced onions, celery and carrot sticks and a few smashed garlic cloves. Added a little chicken stock.. when chicken was done, I used an immersion blender to buzz up the veggies and juices. Made a nice gravy.
Sara says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, I definitely want to try making gravy next time!
Anna Coughlan says
Can we add a little water to the bottom of the roast?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Carolyn Calvert says
This looks delicious. I was wondering if you should put the chicken in breast side down or up?
Sara says
The chicken breast side is up!
Margie says
I cook it breast down so the juices run down into the white meat, keeps it from drying out so much. Then I flip it over for the last 20 minutes or so, or like the recipe says, broil it so the skin gets crispy.
kevin says
Had bought 3 chickens on sale (price was too good to pass up) only to get home and realize the oven fuse was out, the rotisserie spinner was missing for the BBQ.. Knowing you can slow cook a chicken and not having urgent need for the meal the day of cooking i logged on google and browsed slow cooker recipes and decided on this one since the dry rub was very simple. I go to make the rub only to realize that i dont have SMOKED paprika (only regular) so THANKFULLY i do a quick google search to find out the difference between smokes and non (turns out its smoked on wooden planks before its ground – this makes the world of difference) so i decided to go out and buy some (dont mind the price tag, you will appreciate buying it after, this is a MUST HAVE for bbq/meat cooking needs) – After a few alterations (a slivered whole sweet onion lining the bottom of the slow cooker with the tinfoil along with half a bulb of garlic *roughly 5 cloves diced* – half a lemon in wedges in each chicken along with the other half bulb of garlic minced on the insides) i proceeded to dry rub 2 (TWO) chickens and started them on high… because there was 2 chickens the cook time was considerably more then 4 hours BUT the end result was the best chicken i have EVER tasted in my entire life, there is no going back after this recipe, the chicken de-boned its self, the white meat was incredibly tender, the whole chicken had an amazing smoked aroma with garlic infusion, the white meat was saturated in lemon juices, and the resulting “grease” at the bottom was a delicious smokey lemon infused broth that will later be used on amazing soup (after straining the grease of course)
Conclusion 5/5, Must have, amazing, tender, meat falls off bone, smokey flavor… (no substitute for SMOKED PAPRIKA, you MUST have this for the same results)
Sara says
Yay I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, I agree with you that smoked paprika really adds something special!! I’m going to try it your way next time I make it.
Stacy says
Absolutely fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. My whole family loved it, and now we’re going to try the chicken ranch tacos with the leftovers. Thanks for a great recipe!
Sara says
So glad you liked it, thank you for reporting back!
michelle says
Thank you so much for sharing!!!! This was soooooo delicious. I thawed out a discounted chicken i had bought and put in the freezer months ago and did not know what i was going to to do with it!!! (I couldn’t resist the price, it was only $4 ) it was 3.5 lbs and was finished cooking on high after about 3 hours. I tell ya there was no dryness or hint of “frezeer taste”. Just falling off the bone yummy-ness and i did not even have to broil it; the skin was perfect.
Sara says
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Pamela Mahder says
Is it Safe to use rolled fill in the bottom?
Sara says
Yes it is. if you’re concerned you could try using something else like a small roasting rack/trivet to keep the chicken elevated.
Melvin says
How was the taste was it smokey.
Sara says
This chicken isn’t particularly smoky, if you’d prefer a smoky flavor you can add a bit of liquid smoke to the rub.
Amanda says
Can I use and follow this same recipe and stuff my chicken with stuffing?
Sara says
You can, but be sure to check the internal temperature of the stuffing at the end of the cook time to make sure it’s at least 165 degrees F, that way you’ll be sure that everything is completely cooked through for safety reasons.
Mary Jo says
So, I’m out all day and will put my 5# bird in on the low setting for 8 hours. You say to cook it on high for one hour, then switch to low. Just to make sure, would that be the remaining 7 hours on low, or even less for the overall bake time. I don’t want to over bake & dry out the chicken. (In the past I’ve always just baked a 5# bird for 8 hours on low the whole time.) — Thank you!
Sara says
That should be fine, if you’re concerned you can cut the LOW time back to 6 hours. But I think the risk of it drying out is low because the slow cooker traps all the moisture inside, it’s not the same as if you were baking it in the oven where it’s more of a dry heat.
Linda says
HI! This looks wonderful and so easy! How long would I cook an 8# chicken (if it fits in my crock pot…lol!)
Sara says
I would try 5-6 hours on high, then use a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh to make sure the chicken is fully cooked. The thermometer should register at least 165 degrees. Hope this helps!
Vanessa says
The minute I saw this recipe, I was so excited! I love my crockpot & every recipe I’ve made in it, but this was a first. Then my local market had whole chickens on sale- it was meant to be made NOW! So I just made my whole chicken in my crockpot. My house smells amazing, the chicken looks delicious! I can’t wait to stick my fork in it! The juices make it so moist. I’ll definitely be making this a little more often. Thanks for posting this treasure!
Manny says
Did you use any foil? What is the purpose of the foil?
Sara says
The foil is to elevate the chicken in the crock pot so that it doesn’t stew in the liquid. You could also use thickly sliced onions or potatoes to make a “rack” instead.
Dana says
Hi there! I’m not sure how to put the foil at the bottom. Can you explain how this works?
Sara says
You take a large piece of foil and shape it into a ring. Place the ring of foil at the bottom of the crock pot and set the chicken on top of the ring of foil. The foil acts as a rack so that the chicken doesn’t stew in the liquid that’s released during the cooking time.
Heather says
This looks delicious and like something I could absolutely wow my family with. My daughters really like chicken and I really like using the slow cooker! YUM, I’m definitely using this recipe soon.
Dhemz says
Oh, my goodness! That’s a pretty looking chicken right there. I would love to try this idea. Thanks for sharing!
Destany says
I have always wanted to try this! I’ve just never had enough confidence in my abilities! haha Maybe this recipe will give me the courage to try haha!
Angie says
Oh man, this looks SO good. I love rotisserie chicken, but haven’t tried making something similar before.I may have to try this.
Melissa Dixon says
I love being able to just throw it in and forget all about it. This looks like a really good one to make, I will have to try it!
Bonnie G says
I have never tried this yet. The kiddos love baked chicken but this looks even better!
heather says
The slow cooker is one of my favorite things in my kitchen. I love being able to put things in, in the morning, and have dinner ready just hours later.
Ice cream n Sticky Fingers says
I love making chicken in the crock pot. It comes out super moist and I don’t have to spend hours babysitting it. I usually make chicken breasts because my husband isn’t a fan of dark meat.
Alison Rost says
Talk about a good recipe for parties and gatherings especially this season. This looks SO good and packed with flavor. The chicken is definitely going to absorb the flavors from the spices which is awesome.
1stopmom says
I have been using a slow cooker for years and I have never cooked a whole chicken. I have been a little intimidated. Your recipe seems very easy to follow so I will give it a try the next time chicken is on sale.
pinkoddy says
We really ought to get ourselves a slow cooker. I had no idea that you could do a whole roast in one.
Peter says
I got a cheap slow cooker with a thermometer that can be inserted in the chicken as it cooks. Works like a charm, and automatically stops cooking when the chicken is ready. Much like the author, I stopped buying store-cooked chicken. Prep time is minimal, and I’ve actually had fun trying different spice mixes.
Halo Zouaghi says
Yayy!! So excited for this post! My husband is always bugging me to cook a whole chicken but I don’t like those weird plastic bags that go in the oven (one exploded on me once :D). He also was asking me to get rid of the slow cooker because I don’t use it often… PROBLEM SOLVED. PS I had to pin that first image… omg … drool! Thanks for sharing 🙂