Crockpot Whole Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
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Looking for an easy way to enjoy a roasted whole chicken? If so, this extra juicy, tender and flavorful Crockpot Whole Chicken recipe is definitely the easy way to go!

Whole chicken on a plate.

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An Easy Crockpot Whole Chicken Recipe

Today we are cooking a whole chicken, folks! Don’t be nervous because, with a crockpot, the whole process is a breeze. With the help of a few seasonings and some chopped veggies, you can dig into a juicy, tender chicken for dinner tonight with minimal effort!

I love making this meal because there are only a couple minutes of prep work involved, and then I just have to wait for the whole thing to finish cooking. If I have a busy day ahead, getting dinner out of the way 6-8 hours ahead of time is a huge help!

I highly recommend trying this easy crockpot chicken for a fun and delicious an easy weeknight dinner idea. The chicken is extra juicy, packed with flavor and can quickly be crisped up in the oven using the broiler for crispy chicken skin!

Whole chicken on a plate of greens.

Ingredients

So, other than chicken of course, what do you need for this recipe? Gather up the following ingredients:

For the Chicken:

  • Whole Chicken: 4-5 pounds, neck and giblets removed, washed and patted dry.
  • Olive Oil
  • Celery: use 4-5 stalks, roughly chopped.
  • Carrots: also roughly chopped.
  • Red Onion: peeled and roughly chopped.
  • Garlic Cloves: peeled and smashed.
  • Fresh Thyme
  • Fresh Rosemary

For the Seasoning Mix:

  • Kosher and Seasoned Salt
  • Paprika: I like to use smoked paprika, but either will work!
  • Minced Fresh Thyme: this can be replaced with dried thyme, but less should be used in that case.
  • Minced Fresh Rosemary: same as above.
  • Black Pepper
  • Dried Parsley
  • Onion Powder
Celery and carrots on a cutting board.

How to Make Crockpot Whole Chicken

Cooking a whole chicken may seem scary, but you can actually do it in 5 easy steps with the assistance of your crockpot. Once you chop the vegetables and season the chicken, it’s smooth sailing until dinnertime!

Mix Seasoning Together: In a small bowl, combine seasoning mix. Set aside.

Put Vegetables in Crockpot: Spray crockpot insert with non-stick cooking spray. Add vegetables and fresh herbs to bottom of crockpot.

Chopped veggies in a crockpot.

Season the Chicken: Drizzle chicken with olive oil and rub into skin. Sprinkle whole chicken evenly with seasoning mixture. Place chicken on top of vegetables.

** This is a key tip! Not only do the vegetables help with flavor, but the veggies will help keep the chicken from sitting in the juice all day long!

Uncooked whole chicken next to bowl of seasoning.
Seasoned uncooked whole chicken.

Cook Chicken: Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours or until internal temperature is 165ยฐF.

Seasoned chicken in the crockpot.

Crisp The Skin: This is an optional step, but a very important one to me since I love crispy golden chicken skin! Place the cooked chicken in a baking dish and broil in the oven for just 4 to 5 minutes or until skin is golden brown!

Let Chicken Rest: Remove chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Cooked chicken in the crockpot.

Tips for the Most Tender Chicken

How do you get the best results and the most tender chicken? Here are some tips to guide you:

  • Use Olive Oil: before rubbing on the seasoning, brush the chicken with olive oil to ensure that it comes out nice and juicy.
  • Don’t Add Water: the chicken will create a kind of broth that the vegetables will absorb; adding water could make the chicken bland and make the bottom of your chicken boil in the water.
  • Defrost Your Chicken: if your chicken has been in the freezer, be sure to defrost it in the fridge overnight so that it will cook all the way through evenly.
  • Cooking the Skin: for crisp skin, place chicken in a baking dish and broil cooked chicken in oven for 4-5 minutes or until skin is golden brown. This step is key to a good crispy skin!
  • Herb Substitutions: you may substitute the fresh herbs with dried herbs, using half the amount as listed in the recipe.
Whole chicken on greens on a plate.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve almost anything with a whole chicken! Here are some of my favorites:

How to Store and Reheat the Chicken

Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

To reheat the chicken, wrap it in aluminum foil and put in the oven for a few minutes. Other methods work too, just make sure whatever method you use allows the moisture to stay in the chicken.

What to do with leftover chicken?

I have so many great ways to use up any leftover chicken! Just shred that chicken and freeze it for another night. These are my top favorite ways to use already cooked and shredded chicken to create an easy and fast dinner:

Seasoned cooked whole chicken.

This Crockpot Whole Chicken recipe is a family favorite around here. I have been working on this recipe for years and am excited to say I finally nailed it.

Extra juicy, tender and flavorful chicken is slow cooked all day and then quickly crisped up with the broiler in your oven to be perfectly golden! If you try this recipe, please leave a photo and a review below!

Whole chicken on a plate of greens.
4.5 from 34 votes
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Yield: 4 servings

Crockpot Whole Chicken

Crockpot Whole Chicken makes dinner for a crowd easy! If you're a fan of tender, juicy chicken, definitely give this recipe a try.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

  • 1 4-5 pound whole chicken, neck and giblets removed, washed and patted dry
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4-5 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 3 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary

For the Seasoning Mix:

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  • ยฝ teaspoon black pepper
  • ยฝ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ยฝ teaspoon onion powder

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Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, combine seasoning mix. Set aside
    Chopped veggies in a crockpot.
  • Spray crockpot insert with non-stick cooking spray. Add vegetables and fresh herbs to bottom of crockpot.
    Seasoned uncooked whole chicken.
  • Drizzle chicken with olive oil and rub into skin. Sprinkle whole chicken evenly with seasoning mixture. Place chicken on top of vegetables.
    Seasoned chicken in the crockpot.
  • Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours or until internal temperature is 165ยฐF.
  • Remove to cutting board and let rest 10-15 minutes before carving.
  • To crisp up the skin and brown chicken: Place chicken in a baking dish and broil cooked chicken in oven for 4-5 minutes or until skin is golden brown.

Video

Notes

  • Fresh Herbs – you may substitute with dried herbs, using half the amount.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 218kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 144mg, Sodium: 1109mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g

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Was delicious so moist! Will always make my whole chicken this way. Thank you for sharing!

What do you do with the veggies in the bottom?

Thank You For Being Here!

Jessica
For the past 15 years, Jorge & Jessica have loved getting to share their families' favorite recipes with all of you. They live in Florida with their 3 kids.