Super Easy Crockpot Chicken

Super easy crockpot chicken is exactly how it sounds. Easy and flavorful, slow-cooked to juicy perfection. The savory seasoning over the top allows for a seasoned chicken that is incredibly delicious.

EASY CROCKPOT CHICKEN

We’ve all picked up one of those rotisserie-style roasted chickens at the grocer’s, right? Convenient, yes. Frugal, no. Sometimes those birds can be super expensive!

And, if you’re picking one up for dinner for 6 pm, they’ve been sitting out since 3:30 pm under those heat lamps…. well, we all know that the chicken is going to have the consistency of chalk. Dry dry dry.

Ingredients

Whole Chicken – My chicken was about 4.5 lbs. Remember, the bigger the chicken, the longer it will take to cook in the crockpot.

Chicken Broth – Using a Homemade Chicken Broth is ideal, but using commercially made broth is fine as well. Lastly, you can use water too, but I would add extra seasonings to it to add a bit more flavor to the chicken.

Seasonings – See below in the printable recipe card for the seasonings I used for this recipe.

How Do You Cook A Whole Chicken In The Crockpot? 

It’s easy as pie! Luckily this little appliance makes it super easy to slow cook a whole chicken! The steps are basically:

• Prep the chicken for cooking (see printable recipe card below for easy steps)
• Set the appliance ready to cook
• Go about your business!

It’s basically that easy. But we have to cover some house rules first for safety. Safety first, my people!

Pat your chicken dry using some paper towels so the seasoning will stick much better

Is It Safe To Cook A Chicken In A Slow Cooker Whole?

You bet! However, there are some guidelines to follow.

It’s not recommended to cook the chicken from frozen as it may take too long for the chicken to come to a safe temperature in between thawing and cooking.  So, it’s best to start out with a thawed chicken.

Another tip you might want to consider is to take a few celery sticks or carrots and place them in a crosshatch type fashion on the bottom of the slow cooker bowl to create a ‘rack’ of sorts for the chicken to sit on.

Today, I didn’t use this method and it turned out delicious but I thought I’d give you that option in case you wanted to try it out!

Season your chicken well and then place it in the slow cooker bowl.

Can I Cook A Stuffed Chicken In A CrockPot Safely?

I would say no.

A stuffed chicken creates a dense environment on the inside cavity of the bird and will take much too long for it to come to temperature.

That being said, you could put a few lemon slices or onion slices inside the cavity for some added flavor. However, putting a traditional bread-type dressing/stuffing inside the raw bird to cook in a slow cooker is not safe.

Add the chicken broth or water. Put the lid on and let it cook!

Is It Possible To Overcook A Chicken In A Slow Cooker?

Yes. This would easily be done by cooking it on high for too long.

The heat of the crockpot will overcook the bird, causing the internal juices to evaporate from the meat, and result in a very dry, chalky tasting bird.

Typically the breast meat will dry out first, and the leg and thigh meat will follow. The latter pieces have a higher fat content so usually stay moister for a longer period of time.

When cooking the chicken, you want to reach an internal temperature of 165 when tested at the thigh area.

See how pretty and juicy this chicken is? Yummmy!!

Can I Get The Skin Crispy In A Crockpot?

Unfortunately, you cant, BUT I have a way for you to make it nice and crispy if you choose to!!!! The reason that it doesn’t is that the slow cooker cooks with hot moist air/steam and so the skin doesn’t get a chance to dry out and crisp up. The way to achieve that yummy crispy skin is to carefully remove the chicken from the crockpot and transfer it onto a baking sheet.

From there, you would simply broil the chicken on high in the oven for a few minutes to get the skin crispy. You must watch it closely so the chicken doesn’t burn.

There are some appliances like the Ninja Foodi which will pressure cook AND crisp up the skin all in the same pot, like with this Roasted Chicken in the Ninja Foodi recipe.

But I’ve crisped up the skin MANY times simply under the broiler in the oven after the chicken is cooked in the crockpot.

What Can I Serve Along Side This Roasted Chicken?

Oh the possibilities are endless!! You could serve:

• Classic mashed potatoes and carrots
• Mashed cauliflower if you want to keep your dinner low carb/keto
• Rice Pilaf (or even regular plain rice)
• 3 Minute Maple Butter Carrots
• A nice fresh Creamy Cucumber and Tomato Salad
• Stuffing prepared separately from the chicken
• Oven Roasted Tomatoes would be divine!

Can I Make A Gravy With This Easy Crockpot Chicken?

Absolutely. This is why the recipe is called Easy Slow Cooker Chicken! You have to methods to make the gravy:

1. After the chicken has cooked and is resting, transfer the cooking juices that have collected in the slow cooker and put them into a pot. Bring them to a boil and mix in a cornstarch slurry. (cornstarch and water, ratio 2:1). That will thicken the juices up really quick into a luscious yummy gravy!

2. In a pot, melt about 2-3 tablespoons of butter. Add approximately ¼c of flour and stir until it makes a paste. Cook that mixture for about a minute or two, and then slowly start adding the cooking liquids. Do this slowly and with every addition, as soon as it thickens, add more liquid until you have the consistency in the gravy you prefer.

Just remember to do a final taste test on the gravy to set your seasonings correctly!

How Long Can This Chicken Keep Safely In The Fridge?

As long as it’s kept in an air-tight container, the chicken should keep nicely for up to 4 days. Always keep any extra veggies or gravy that was prepared, separately from the chicken in containers.

Can I Freeze The Leftover Cooked Chicken?

Yes, most certainly! (and it’s encouraged!)

I would remove any bones and skin (save those to make a nourishing chicken bone broth!). Place the chicken into an airtight glass container and freeze up to 3 months.

To use, thaw in the fridge overnight, or use a microwave to thaw the thicken quickly. You could use the leftovers for:

• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Buffalo Chicken Boats
• Buffalo Mini Pepper Appetizers
• Cheesy Bacon Chicken Gnocchi Bake
• Chicken Ranch Potato Bake
• Chicken Salad with Grapes from Grumpy’s Honeybunch

I hope that after you make this easy crockpot chicken that it will become a dinner that goes on regular rotation in your household. Not only is this recipe incredibly simple to make, but it’s also so versatile with the leftovers to make more meals (and more bone broth with the bones!).

When you make this meal, I’d love to hear how you switched it up with the seasonings, or what you used to make with the leftover chicken!

Thanks for stopping by The Salty Pot today, and I hope you have a fantastic day!