If you’re looking for an easy and delicious dinner for your family, you have to try this recipe for a whole chicken in crock pot. Only 5 minutes of prep time and it finishes by itself.
You always hear people talking about using rotisserie chickens as a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to feed your family. I love them, too. But, sometimes you find a whole chicken at a great price and just can’t resist buying it!
This whole chicken in the crockpot is a great Sunday dinner or easy meal during the week. I served mine with mashed potatoes and green vegetables. It was so easy! Then, I had a large portion of the breast left, after we had dinner, so I saved it for the next day. I made a quick chicken salad and served it in sandwiches for dinner the next night. Two meals from one chicken!
Here is what you need:
1 (4 -5 lb) whole roasting chicken
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 yellow onion, quartered
Recipe: Whole Chicken in Crock Pot
SERVINGS
4-6
YIELD
1 chicken
INGREDIENTS
1 (4 -5 lb) whole roasting chicken
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 yellow onion, quartered
DIRECTIONS
1. Spray the inside of a 5 quart or larger crockpot with nonstick spray.
2. Combine all dry ingredients. I prefer smoked paprika, but used regular paprika this time.
3. Sprinkle the dry ingredients all over the chicken and place it in the crockpot, breast side down.
DO NOT ADD ANY WATER.
The chicken should be so tender it will literally fall off the bone. I have made a similar recipe before and added water. It creates too much moisture and the chicken starts to fall apart before you can get it out of the crockpot. That’s why I omitted it to see how it would turn out. The result is fantastic!
Another way to create this recipe faster next time is to mix your dry spices and store them in a ziplock bag. All you’ll have to do is add the fresh onion and minced garlic when you’re ready to cook your whole chicken in the crock pot. Or, you could substitute 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder for the minced garlic. Then, the only thing you’d have to add on cooking day is the fresh onion. Super easy!
Links to Resources for This Recipe (affiliate links):
MORE CHICKEN RECIPES
- 25 Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Recipes to Get Dinner on the Table FAST!
- 50 Deliciously Easy Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
- 12 Ingenious Ways to Put Food on A Stick
- Italian Chicken Bake
- Buffalo Grilled Chicken Wedge Salad Recipe
- Easy Mexican-Style Recipe: Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
- Chicken Mozzarella Pasta
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Have you ever cooked a whole chicken in the crock pot? How did it turn out?
I’m definitely going to try this! I recently started menu planning and have started to use whole chickens. I’ve been doing this America’s Test Kitchen roasting recipe and I’ve been getting 3 meals from 1 chicken! Definitely frugal and tasty!
One of my favorite ways to cook a whole chicken! I love how you can just throw a chicken and some seasonings into a slow cooker and end up with a delicious meal. 🙂
I love roasting a chicken at least once a month! And, I’ve done something quite similar in the slow cooker. My favorite is the oven though, because the skin gets a little crispy! I’ve actually even put a frozen whole chicken in the slow cooker and it’s come out great. It will naturally have that water problem you mentioned, but it works wonders if you’ve forgotten to thaw the chicken (which takes days in our fridge we keep it so cold)! 🙂
Thanks for the tutorial! Just what I’m looking for on those busy days and dinner can be ready when I get home!



Wow this looks so easy! Pinned the recipe and definitely going to try this soon!