From Faith: Just four simple ingredients… and we have Senior Contributor Chris Prosperi to thank for this slow cooker chicken recipe that turns out the most velvety, moist meat imaginable. The reason for the texture and juicyness, he says, is that the the slow cooker prevents moisture from escaping the bird. Talk about easy… you can throw this together before work in the morning and come home to it!
But if you’re a crispy skin-lover, you might be thinking that you’ll miss it too much to try this method. Think again. Chris says he places the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes after it comes out of the slow cooker and the skin becomes gorgeously crisped. (See note at end of recipe. As you’ll see, you can add a couple of things if you want.) Best Slow Cooker Chicken Ever!
- Place chopped vegetables in the bottom of a 6 or 8 quart slow-cooker. (No need to oil the cooker or add water.)
- After removing the gizzard bag from the cavity of the whole chicken, salt and pepper the bird. Place chicken on top of the bed of vegetables in the slow cooker. (The chicken can fit snugly but the cover must close properly.)
- Turn slow cooker on low for eight hours. When ready, remove skin and serve, or crisp skin under the broiler. (See note below.) The vegetable bed might be thrown away since it will be filled with chicken fat.
NOTE: If you want crisp skin, Chris says lift the chicken out of the cooker slowly and carefully. Let it rest on a cutting board for ten minutes. When it's cool enough to be touched, slice it vertically down the middle into two halves. Place each half, skin side up, on a rimmed baking pan and put it under the broiler for several minutes until the skin crisps the way you like it. But stand there and watch it carefully.
ADD INS: You're free to add things to this recipe. Throw a clove of garlic, a halved lemon or orange, and a sprig of fresh rosemary into the chicken cavity, for instance. Chris says the most decadent thing to do is put down a layer of quartered potatoes in place of the chopped vegetables; the juice and fat of the bird drip into them. You can mash the potatoes when the bird is done, juices, fat and all. Enjoy!
What if you get a bigger chicken By mistake I didn’t look at the weight on recipe and got a 9.44 lb chick. Does my time increase just a few hours?
Ann, the key is that it fits inside the slow cooker allowing you to close the lid normally, or it won’t cook correctly. I made it this past weekend with a very big chicken, fitting very snug to the sides, but it wasn’t so tall that it bumped the lid. If yours does, roast it in the oven. Cheers! — Faith
….maybe put some sliced apples in the cavity?
Why not! — Faith
Hello, enjoy your show! I cooked the crock pot chicken as instructed but white meat was very dry, although it did fall off the bone. I was wondering if I should have put the chicken in breast side down. It was cooked on low for 8 hours, not a minute more. Very interested in your take on this. Thanks!
Diane, this situation usually means the chicken was too small for the size of the slow cooker. A smaller chicken would then need six hours instead of eight. In any event, I’m so sorry this happened to you! I’d try a smaller slow cooker or get a bigger chicken. Thanks for letting me know. Cheers, Faith
I seasoned with Monteray Chicken seasoning and paprika. The paprika doesn’t crisp the skin but does make it look more appetizing .
Sue, terrific idea! When I made it a week ago, I put lemon, garlic and fresh rosemary in the cavity of the bird. Feel free to play. Thanks for writing and listening. Cheers, Faith
I’m going to make this tomorrow! I heard it on the show and MUST try this. Two questions: First, the bird I have is already quartered. Does that change the cook time? And also, if I put onions, potatoes and carrots in the bottom could I purée them with some of the fat to make a gravy after?
Karen, we think there should be no trouble with a quartered chicken. Please pay attention to the recipe comment about the size of the bird and the size of the slow cooker. You can make gravy from the chopped ingredients in the base, although I let it sit for a moment in a measuring cup so the fat rises to the top, allowing me to skim it off. Cheers! Faith
We had it for dinner tonight. It was aMAZing! The meat just fell off the bone, and was incredibly juicy and tender. I did make the gravy, thanks for the excellent tip. After skimming the fat I puréed the carrots, onions, garlic and some potatoes along with the juices, added some salt, pepper and a little bit of water, heated it up again quickly, and it was the perfect consistency without needing flour because of the potatoes. My son said at dinner, “Thanks for making us this delicious dinner, Momma.” His brother nodded because his mouth was full. So it got a glowing endorsement from the kids. Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s a keeper!
Karen, that is so exciting! The comments from your sons made my little heart leap. Enjoy and cheers — Faith
I’m going to make this this week – can’t wait. Also want to make the Slow Cooker Chicken with Winter Root Vegetables but Google didn’t give up the recipe to me – Can you help? Thanks!
Susan, that recipe is posted at this site, food schmooze.org. Type slow cooked chicken with winter root vegetables into our search box, or scroll back in the pages to locate it. Enjoy! Faith
I have been slow cooking whole chickens for a while, for variety I will add some salsa to the chicken. I prefer the Newman’s Own farmers garden salsa and occasionally their tequila lime salsa. Makes for a great family dinner and only takes about 10 minutes before work.
Jim, I love how easy this sounds, as well as how good it must taste. Can’t wait to talk about it on the show. Many thanks and keep on cooking! — Faith
About the best slow cooker chicken…..don’t throw out the juice and
veggies on the bottom. They are already chopped up small, seasoned, and soaked in all of those delicious juices. Drain some fat off, add some store bought broth and some tubetti or other pasta, and some left over tidbits of chicken. Makes a great, full flavored chicken soup to enjoy another day.
Janet, I’m with you on this. One additional suggestion; I’d let it sit in a glass container for 15 minutes so that you can skim off the fat that rises to the top. Now you’re making me want to cook this for the third time in a month! Cheers — Faith
I made chicken like this a week ago, with a handful of garlic cloves and a little bit (maybe 1/4 c) of white wine added to the bottom. Wow! It perfumed the chicken and made a fabulous juice when I served it. A new crockpot favorite!
A light rub-down with Kitchen Bouquet lends an appetizing browning to the skin.
We haven’t tried it, but thanks for the tip.
I did this recipe with two turkey legs, and it was perfect! I rubbed the spices directly on the legs, which helped with their flavoring. Plenty of juice over the veggies. Thank you.
You’re welcome! Glad you liked it.