Chicken in a Crock Pot
Every Sunday at our local farmer’s market, I buy a whole chicken from the great folks at Healthy Family Farms (we also get our eggs from them). I like to make a Simple Roast Chicken every Sunday, but several weeks ago the farmer that sells the me chickens asked if I had ever tried cooking a whole chicken in a slow cooker. I had not. I listened as she told me just how easy it was to prepare, but I was still in disbelief at how simple her description was. No oil? No butter? No broth? Just a few herbs, lemon and salt? Really?! I immediately went home that afternoon and with practically no effort, prepared a chicken that was about as good as any I had ever tasted. My whole family was wide-eyed as we took our first bites — the chicken was moist, tender and juicy and the consistency is almost like pulled pork because the meat literally falls off the bone.
This recipe is embarrassingly simple and incredibly healthy, but the best part is that it essentially cooks itself. There’s almost no work involved, and I love that I can cook a whole chicken and then keep the meat in the fridge to make Weelicious Mac, Chicken and Cheese Bites, Chicken, Bean and Cheese Quesadillas or Chicken and Rice Burritos throughout the week!
Not only did Kenya, our friends, my hubby and I fall in love, but guess who ate more then her fair share of chicken? That’s right, baby Chloe. She was like a little chicken eatin’ machine, putting piece after piece into her mouth.
If cooking a whole chicken has always seemed daunting to you, try this version. It’s so simple, you’ll have a hard time finding reasons not to. Check out this video if you want to see how we did it.
Chicken in a Crock Pot (Serves 4)
1 4 Lb Whole Chicken
2-3 Thyme Sprigs
1 Lemon, cut in half
Salt (preferably kosher salt)
1. Stuff the chicken with the thyme and lemon halves and sprinkle the outside with salt.
2. Place the chicken in a crock pot (also known as a slow cooker).
3. Place the cover on the crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours (3 1/2-4 hours for a 5 pound chicken).
4. Using a meat thermometer, make sure the chicken is cooked to 160 degrees (the times on different slow cookers may vary).
5. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into pieces (this allows the juices to redistribute and the chicken to remain extremely juicy).
6. Serve.
*The skin on the chicken won’t be golden because this is more of a steaming method, but the meat will be outrageously moist, tender and juicy.
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I’m cooking this right now
Hi! What kind of crock pot do you use? I have been meaning to get one and this recipe is making me want to run out and buy one tomorrow!
http://astore.amazon.com/weelicious-20/detail/B0007SXBUQ
We Use All-Clad , you can buy it from our store
HI!
I absolutely LOVE your website!!!!
thankyou so much! as you tell us all the time, good nutritious meals are especially difficult for working moms who are not home during the day. which leads to my question…..can i put this chicken on low all day- 10 hrs if i put some water on the bottom? and still expect a great meal?
thanks, Katie in Connecticut
Hi! OK, so I made this tonight and my little guy ( 4 yrs) had thirds! Yes, thirds! Thank you so much
:) We had the Mac n Cheese in a rice cooker with it too, plus veges of course.
I was wondering how long would you suggest to cook the chicken on low? I want to share this with my mommy friends who work out of the home.
Thanks!
Janine
I would suggest around 3-5 hours, but I would definitely go in around 3 -4 hours and measure its temperature and with a meat thermometer and see if its temp is at 160-165. Make sure your chicken temp is between 160-165 that is when you know the chicken is fully cooked. Make sure you put the thermometer between the breast and leg or thickest area of the chicken.
I made this tonight with great success! I was going to be gone for 4 hours, so I cooked a 5# chicken on low for 5 hours. It was perfection when I arrived home. We had some tonight for dinner and the rest will be filler during the week. thanks for the great method.
I am going to make this tomorrow. We have a day trip planned to a family dairy, and this will be waiting for us when we get home! We have tons of thyme in our garden right now, so it will be great to have a recipe for it. Thanks! Already looking forward to tomorrow’s dinner!
i made this just this morning to take on our family picnic today. i used my nesco 3 in 1 on slow cooker mode and added some fresh rosemary(because i adore it!)to your recipe. IT CAME OUT PERFECT! thank you so much for your wonderful recipes. now im off to vote for your tv show!
Have you ever tried doing chicken breasts using this method in the slow cooker? I wonder if it would work… I might give it a try! Next time I have a whole chicken in the house, I’m definately going to use this recipe.
I haven’t used chicken breasts, but if I do, I would use the bone-in kind so that the breast are juicier
I’m so happy you like the recipe!
made this for tonights supper. it was a huge hit with the hubby & big kids (16 & 9) i pulled the meat of one breast to make your mac chicken & cheese with & OMG…the kids *loved* it! i’m on a VLCDiet so didn’t have any, but it sure smelled and looked wonderful
) you’re the best!
up tomorrow…pizza pinwheels!
Was that a 1-4 pound chicken or a 14 pound chicken? I’m clearly a novice. Thanks.
It is a One 4 lb Chicken
Made this today. Maybe its my crockpot but it took WAY more than 2 hours to cook the chicken. More like 4. I looked up other chicken in a slow cooker recipes and they said 4 hours for a 3 lb chicken on high.
Just wondering if anyone else found this with their crockpots?
How many pounds was your chicken? That’s a huge factor in the cooking time.
4.2 lbs
I would cook it for 3-3 1/2 Hours. My crock pot will cook it in 3 hours.
How long should I cook a 3 lb (or slightly less) chicken? (and if it’s all the same, the longer the better on a lower temp.)
On low cook it for 3 1/2 -4 hours and on high cook it for 2 1/2-3 hours.
I “winged it” yesterday before I got your response – it was DELICIOUS!! And my 3 year old loved it too!
Hi. I’m looking to cook this recipe as part of a holiday meal for a large group. Could I cook chicken parts, bone-in, so I could fit a bit more chicken in my slow cooker? Do you think it would cook as well? I could add a few extra thighs…
Thanks!
Missy
That wouldn’t be a problem but your cooking time may have to be extended more. I would say an extra hour or 2. Haven’t tested it but let me know how they turn out!
I made this today so I could make chicken and noodles. My grandma used to make chicken and noodles using a whole chicken but I was always freaked out by using a whole chicken, but this was so easy. I left it in the crock pot until it was so easy to just pull off the bone. It was better than cooking a few chicken breasts and cutting that into pieces. Thank you so much.
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Also..not sure if anyone mentioned it, but you can scrunch up some tin foil into balls underneath the chicken so it creates more of a ‘crockpot baked chicken’, I also do this with chicken breasts. I just find it makes still juicy but without the ‘steam’ feel that it sitting in the bottom gives it.
I have done this a few times and the kids and my grandmother loved it. My twins who don’t eat meat couldn’t stop! I also added a little chicken stock and tossed in some veggies, dinner was done in 1 pot
I’ve made this several times, but was wondering if all the juice left in the bottom of the slow cooker is good for anything? Is it like stock?
Jen-
The juice in the bottom of the slow cooker is LIQUID GOLD! I let it cool in the crock, then pour it through a strainer. Pop it in the fridge, and the next day you can easily skim the fat off of the top. What is left behind is like chicken jello, which apparently is the holy grail of chicken stock. You add about a quart of water (I “guesstimated”) and you have wonderful, home made chicken stock. I used it in a soup I made the next day.
I am making the chicken again today, and after I remove the chicken from the bones, I am adding the skinned carcass back into the crock with a couple of quarts of water, a stalk of celery and a couple of carrots, and cooking on low for 5 or 6 more hours. Should make a lot of delicious stock.
Just wanted to reply because I had the same question, and did major research to find out if my “chicken jello” was edible… such an awesome perk of making this great recipe!
I wish I would have seen this post! I just dumped all the goop out. Oh well…next time!
Hi Laurie. I’m trying your 2/16 stock recipe right now — how did yours turn out by the way? Courtney
Courtney–
the stock turned out fantastic! I made a chicken/wild rice soup with it (the March Southern Living recipe, very good). The next time I made the stock, I noticed that the flavor was slightly bitter (but just fine to use with a soup that has a hamhock or other flavor booster). I think the problem was that I let the chicken carcass go too long in the slow cooker… I am going to give it another go next week, and only cook it for an additional 3 hours and see how it turns out.
Right now I am trying bone-in chicken breasts in the crock pot, no lemon. Trying to make toddler food for my daughter while we are gone for a couple of days.
How did your attempt go??
- Laurie
This is a great tip! I’ll be trying this with the leftover liquid tonight. Love this site and appreciate all of the feedback from everyone too
Update: I realized that the slight bitterness in my stock was from the lemon. Duh. Easily solved… if I want stock, just leave out lemon, which isn’t a big deal if you are using the chicken for bbq sandwiches, chicken salad, burritos, pretty much anything except for just plain old chicken.
I like to put things in the crock pot while I’m at work but I’m gone 8+ hours do you think this would turn to mush if it was cooking on low for that long?
[...] crockpot and a few hours later you have dinner. I was following her recipe, which you can find here, but then made a few minor [...]
I am wondering about being gone all day too. Can I cook it on low with out somehow drying the bird out? What do you suggest?
I made this last night and it was seriously so easy! It was so tender and juicy that when I tried to take the chicken out of the crockpot to let it sit for 10 minutes, it just started falling apart, which was nice since I was a little nervous about cutting the chicken. There was a good amount left over so I am deciding what to make for dinner tonight with the leftovers. Quesadillas or chicken salad sandiwiches…hmmmm….
Courtney–
the stock turned out fantastic! I made a chicken/wild rice soup with it (the March Southern Living recipe, very good). The next time I made the stock, I noticed that the flavor was slightly bitter (but just fine to use with a soup that has a hamhock or other flavor booster). I think the problem was that I let the chicken carcass go too long in the slow cooker… I am going to give it another go next week, and only cook it for an additional 3 hours and see how it turns out.
How did your attempt go??
This may be a dumb question, but I have only tried cooking a whole chicken once… do you have to remove the inside pieces before putting in the crock pot? I think that was the worst part about cooking the whole chicken.
thank you!
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this is the best thing ever!! made sunday and just finished the last of it today.added it to the cheese carrot n broccoli orzo! cant wait to make another one this sunday!
Couldn’t tell from the video…did you cook the chicken with the skin on?
Lunch Menu…
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Thank you so much for this recipe! I am so clueless when it comes to cooking meat, and I love it when I can make it look like I know what I’m doing.
We make this at least once a week. It’s wonderful!
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Do you think I could add vegetables – like carrots and potatoes to the slow cooker with the chicken?
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