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Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

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roasted chicken and vegetables paleo primal recipe Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

 

As we wrap up Crocktoberfest this week, I thought this easy recipe was appropriate. If you haven’t roasted a chicken in your crock pot yet… try it!

Not only is it the cheapest and easiest way I’ve found to make chicken, but you get a couple quarts of chicken broth from it too!

Ingredients and Tools:

  • A whole chicken (Usually available for under $2/lb for even organic)
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • favorite herbs and spices (I add 1 tsp garlic granules or powder, 1 tsp sea salt, and about 1/2 tsp each of basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.)
  • Crock Pot

 

How To Slow Cook a Chicken In the Crock Pot (Don’t blink or you’ll miss the instructions!)

  1. Rinse chicken and make sure innards are removed.
  2. Put butter in bottom or crock pot  and turn on low (butter is to prevent sticking, can use coconut oil).
  3. Once butter melts, put chicken in crock pot (putting breast-down will make it cook faster)
  4. Sprinkle with desired spices. (I’ve also heard of stuffing the chicken with an onion, apple or orange for more moistness and great flavor)
  5. Put lid on and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until well cooked.

 

To Make Broth:

  1. Remove chicken and pull meat off the bones but leave all the juices in the crock pot.
  2. Put the bones back in the crock pot and add 1 small chopped onion, 2 ribs of celery, 1 chopped carrot and a little more sea salt.
  3. Add 2-3 quarts of water (depending on what your’s will hold)
  4. Cook on low overnight.
  5. Strain bones and vegetables out.
  6. Use within 3 days or freeze for later use.
Note: This makes a thick broth which can be frozen in ice cube trays for “instant” chicken broth when needed in recipes.

Some other ideas for using your whole roasted chicken:

  • Put a small colander on top of the chicken when almost done cooking and fill with veggies. It will steam them so you have the whole meal ready to serve.
  • For the last few hours, put some medium sized sweet potatoes on top of the chicken and put the lid back on. Both will be ready for dinner.
  • After making the broth, remove the bones, add some chicken back in along with a few cups of favorite veggies and you have an easy chicken soup (with tons of nutrients)

 

How do you cook a chicken? Do you make broth too? What’s your secret? Share below!

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  • http://www.facebook.com/lisa.e.cook Lisa Elizabeth Cook

    This is perfect timing! I just bought ten whole chickens for my freezer from a local farmer, and I kept one out to fix this week. I can’t wait to have some slow-cooked chicken for dinner!

  • http://unmistakablyfood.com Unmistakablyfood

    Thank you SO MUCH for this! I will probably be trying all the variations that you suggested!

  • Anonymous

    As much as I have used my crock pot, I have never cooked a whole chicken in it. You give me a reason to try it now. Great pictures and I really like your extra bits of advice that you throw in for free too.

  • Cathy

    I do it much the way you do, except in Nourishing Traditions fashion I add a splash of vinegar (to help leach calcium out of the bones) and cook the stock for at least 2 days.

  • Lyn Murphy

    H’mm . I will have to try that.

  • Ester

    Thanks for the tip.  I have tried cooking the chicken in the crock pot but breast side up.  It looked very white and not as pretty as the one in your photo.  Is that because yours is breast side down?  I am currently making chicken stock in the crock pot as I am writing this in the usual fashion.  But I do follow the Nourishing Traditions recipe also of adding 1/2 cup of vinegar and letting that sit for an hour to help extract as much calcium from the bones.
    thanks for sharing.  I love your recipes.  I am going on a grain free trial.  It has been day 3 and amazingly, I have had a burst of energy today.  I sure hope it continues.
    Ester

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Desiree-Lees/1047332675 Desiree Lees

    I am addicted to bone broth! I save all my bones, skin and meat scraps and veggie scraps (mostly onion,carrot and celery) in the freezer and when I have a crockpot full I throw it all together and let it cook on low for a day or so (depends on how big the bones are) This is really economical, since it’s all stuff that would have ended up in the trash anyway, not to mention it saves us (body  and wallet!) from buying “chicken flavored soy water.”

  • Nicholsmom

    Can I do two chickens (I have 6 kids) on one large pot, or should I use two crock pots?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    If you have it, I’d use two, but you might be able to fit both in a really big pot…

  • Kathy

    Cathy I am trying to do the same receipe as you are talking about I could not afford the book Nourishing Traditions and was wondering if you could help me on how to make this broth. I have been sick for 34 years and I have read to heal my leaky gut I need to have lots of chicken soup and chicken stock. My email address is lindaend@aol.com. My name is also Kathy. God bless and thanks again.
    @aol:disqus 

  • Dbachman

    Do you add water to the chicken while it is cooking?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    You actually don’t need it but can if you aren’t comfortable using the crock pot with dry heat.

  • Meg

    Hello! Great post.
    I’m new to slow cooking and I had a question about this- can you put a frozen chicken in there? Or should I thaw the chicken first and then slow cook?
    Thanks!
    meg

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    You could use a whole chicken, just will take a couple hours longer, and you’d definitely need it on the lowest setting…

  • Debbie

    Could you use a pressure cooker?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    I haven’t tried honestly but I think there are recipes online for how to do it.

  • disqus_ewkzO0dPjI

    I am cooking my first chicken in the crock pot right now and my kitchen smells so wonderful!! I cant wait to make my first batch of bone broth tonight!! Thank yo so much for sharing this!!

  • Greg

    I forgot to fill my propane tank before it ran dry, so I’m on day 3 of having no heat other than a couple space heaters. I planned on roasting 2 chickens today but cannot use my gas oven, so I wondered if someone had a good recipe for a slow cooker chicken. Yours sounded the best so I tried it. I used herbs I had on hand- thyme, oregano, and rosemary, sprinkled salt and pepper on top, used a little coconut oil on the bottom of pot but ended up adding a half cup of chicken stock since there was some in the fridge. I chopped up some carrots and onions that I had, threw in 2 whole jalapenos, and stuffed the cavity with some onion, thyme and a half of a lemon. Cooked it on low for 8 hours. I decided just to turn it into a soup and it rocks!!! Thanks so much for this great recipe !

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  • Sim

    Should we remove the skin as I heard toxins are stored in fat and skin of the chicken