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Home » Slow Cooker » Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

Published: March 27, 2018 Last Modified: August 5, 2019 By Sara 438 Comments

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

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Slow Cooker Whole Chicken | Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken | Crock Pot Roasted Chicken | Crock Pot Whole Chicken

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!

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken | Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken | Crock Pot Roasted Chicken | Crock Pot Whole Chicken #chicken #slowcooker #crockpot #glutenfree #dinner #dinneratthezoo

Slow cooker whole chicken with broiled crispy skin, garnished with lemon and herbs.

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.

A whole chicken in a slow cooker ready to be cooked.

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!

A cooked whole chicken in a slow cooker.

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.

A platter of carved slow cooker whole chicken.

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 with broiled crispy skin, garnished with lemon and herbs.
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4.98 from 145 votes

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

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!
Course Main
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 347kcal
Author Sara Welch

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

  1. Nutritional facts assume calorie and fat counts for skin. If you're looking to cut calories, remove the skin before eating.

Nutrition

Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 603mg | Potassium: 369mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 830IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1.9mg
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Filed Under: Dinner, Gluten Free, Slow Cooker

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    Comments

    1. Donna Jackson says

      August 16, 2022 at 8:37 am

      I have been cooking my whole Chicken for years this way. It’s so moist n awesome. Love it n thanks for this recipe. 😃

      Reply
    2. Amanda says

      July 31, 2022 at 2:44 pm

      Is it possible to stuff the chicken and coook
      It in the slow cooker?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        August 1, 2022 at 10:57 am

        It would definitely require a different cook time, I haven’t tried it this way so I can’t say for sure!

        Reply
        • Karen says

          August 15, 2022 at 8:26 am

          Hi Sara how long do you cook a 6lb on high 5 hours?

          Reply
          • Sara says

            August 15, 2022 at 10:13 am

            That should be fine!

            Reply
    3. Never using the oven again! says

      July 20, 2022 at 3:56 am

      5 stars
      Loved using the crockpot and I will never use the oven again! I used a 5.5 pound chicken, rubbed it with olive oil, seasoned it with Emeril’s Essense. I also added about two cups of chicken broth, carrots, celery, a cut-up apple for the cavity, and added some minced onion. The vegetables are not added for eating, just for flavoring. I then cooked in my crockpot on high for the first hour and a half for safety purposes then turned to low for the next 6-1/2 hours. When finished, I carefully put it in a brownie pan which I had sprayed with non-stick spray (legs and wings fell off, but I didn’t care). I broiled it for a few minutes to crisp the skin. While broiling, I strained the juices from the crockpot and brought the juices to a boil. While heating that, I mixed together a few tablespoons of cornstarch with water, whisked it slowly into the boiling juices, and made gravy. This gravy was simply outstanding!!! The flavor and tenderness of the chicken were excellent. This was so easy – no more worrying about cooking it in the oven and drying it out.

      Reply
      • Linda says

        July 20, 2022 at 3:58 am

        5 stars
        I forgot to mention that I used a trivet from my pressure cooker instead of the foil as it was the perfect size for my crockpot.

        Reply
    4. Jesse T says

      July 12, 2022 at 9:22 pm

      5 stars
      Wow. Was skeptical at first but gave it a chance. I added a few extra seasonings and basted twice throughout cooking and I basted while broiling. I broiled for 6 minutes and it came out extra moist with crispy golden skin. I did also include some chicken stock in the inner cavity at the beginning. It really did he’ll cook flavor throughout. Would defiantly do again but maybe with some onions and carrots on the inside of the chicken

      Reply
    5. Cheri says

      June 10, 2022 at 3:22 pm

      Aluminum has also been implicated as a health concern, so I would definitely go for stainless steel or vegetables on the bottom. I am glad I saw your crockpot-roasted chicken recipe. Thank you SO much. Trying it soon !

      Reply
      • Dawn says

        June 29, 2022 at 4:16 pm

        4 stars
        I made this for dinner and my family did enjoy it. I have a rubber type of trivet that is made for slow cookers/instant pot cooking to raise the chicken off the bottom of the pot. The chicken was falling off the bone as I moved it to a plate. Lots of juice from the chicken and used it like a gravy. The only thing I always have an issue with is the chicken was dry, I’m not sure if my crock pot runs too hot or I need to reduce the cooking time to three hours. Yes I would make this dish again.

        Reply
    6. Enika Devine says

      June 5, 2022 at 3:01 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for the first time yesterday and it was a hit! Even my very picky mother said it was delicious!! I took the advice of other cooks and put my veggies in the slow cooker bottom instead of the foil ring. They turned out fantastic as well!! Thankyou so much for this recipe. We will be eating this again and again!

      Reply
    7. Clay says

      April 12, 2022 at 11:16 am

      5 stars
      Excellent!! Foil ring worked perfect to keep chicken elevated and out of it juices. Broiling it at the end gave the skin a perfect golden brown finish!! Chicken was super moist as well. Love it!!

      Reply
      • BJ and becca says

        April 17, 2022 at 3:36 pm

        So I made this chicken I used veggie to raise the chicken up a little bit wow so much juice from the chicken it is so good and all the spices I put in the butter and made a past to go over the chicken and in the chicken skin oh amazing thank you

        Reply
    8. Lin DeVona says

      March 27, 2022 at 12:49 pm

      5 stars
      Cooking it now…I used 3 canning jar ring lids to set the chicken on….

      Reply
    9. ajackson says

      March 23, 2022 at 7:39 am

      Instead of aluminum foil, can you put veggies (like potatoes, carrots, onions) at the bottom?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        March 23, 2022 at 11:28 am

        Yes that’s fine!

        Reply
        • Tia says

          April 2, 2022 at 11:01 am

          Hi, Sara! How sweet is this? I don’t want to alter the recipe, but my other half doesn’t like sweet things, so I wonder if he’d barely tell? Thanks!!

          Reply
          • Sara says

            April 6, 2022 at 11:17 am

            It’s not sweet, the brown sugar just helps to get the skin golden brown at the end during the broiling!

            Reply
    10. Tina M says

      March 13, 2022 at 5:28 pm

      5 stars
      Who knew a whole chicken in the crock pot could be so good ?!?! The drippings make the best gravy!

      Reply
    11. Maia Everhart says

      March 12, 2022 at 5:29 am

      I rub olive oil over the whole chicken and coat it liberally all over and inside with Lowry seasoned salt and paprika and it gives it a nice color and helps the skin crisp up a little bit without having to boil it! So good!

      Reply
    12. Bridget says

      March 9, 2022 at 10:55 am

      5 stars
      This might help someone like me without enough foil on hand. I used 4 or 5 small METAL cookie cutters with the sharp side up to not scratch my crockpot. Just tall enough to keep the chicken off the bottom!! I also use the disposable liners so I’m looking forward to drippings for gravy and an easy cleanup!

      Reply
      • Kim says

        May 12, 2022 at 4:38 am

        Excellent idea! I just like the idea of not using more resources than necessary and this will keep just a bit more aluminum foil from ending up in a landfill. I am using your cookie cutter trick right now (and honestly, now that my kids are grown and I have no grandkids, I will likely use the cookie cutters more often for this purpose than their intended one!).

        Reply
    13. Manny says

      February 24, 2022 at 10:11 am

      Confused what a ring of aluminum foil is. Do you mean cover the bottom of the crockpot with foil? Thanks in advance, looks great.

      Reply
      • Sara says

        February 24, 2022 at 10:37 am

        You take a piece of foil, roll it up and fold it into a donut shape. Place it in the bottom of the crockpot and set the chicken on top. It is shown in the video above the recipe card!

        Reply
    14. Julie Allen says

      February 13, 2022 at 12:28 pm

      5 stars
      This chicken is so tender and yummy !! No reason to buy one cooked at grocery any more. Great for leftovers too.

      Reply
    15. Ann Marie Kahler says

      February 3, 2022 at 8:39 am

      Can you make a gravy with the juices from the slow cooker? there was no mention of that.

      Reply
      • Sara says

        February 3, 2022 at 12:51 pm

        You could if you have enough drippings!

        Reply
    16. Linda says

      January 6, 2022 at 4:37 am

      5 stars
      Best & easiest roast chicken recipe ever. Make regularly!

      Reply
    17. Heather says

      December 21, 2021 at 8:43 am

      5 stars
      Excellent and super easy recipe! Thank you

      Reply
    18. Laura Lyon says

      December 15, 2021 at 3:24 pm

      How long would I roast in the slowcooker on low? I am also putting two small young chickens in a large crockpot.
      thank you

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 16, 2021 at 9:07 am

        This recipe was designed to cook on high heat because it’s a food safety issue to cook a whole chicken on low heat. You should cook it for a minimum of an hour on high heat before you switch to low.

        Reply
    19. Christine says

      December 8, 2021 at 9:46 am

      5 stars
      This turned out great! I didn’t stick under the broiler, but was so juicy and good!

      Reply
    20. Jason says

      November 16, 2021 at 6:03 pm

      Did this tonight in a Crockpot. Chicken is incredibly tender. I let the whole frozen chicken defrost in the fridge for 3 days. It was a 6.5 lbs. followed the instructions. The only thing that went wrong was transferring the bird to a baking sheet. The thighs fell right off. Tips on transferring for broil?

      The only thing I would add is to cut the marrow bones at the end of the night and simmer again in the broth for another 2-3 hours to get great chicken bone broth.

      Reply
      • Sara says

        November 18, 2021 at 1:11 pm

        I use two large spatulas to lift it from the slow cooker!

        Reply
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