Slow Cooker “Roasted” Chicken

I have serious trust issues. For instance, just because 19,000,000 people say that a recipe works, doesn’t mean that I believe them. Such is the case with a chicken “baked” in a slow cooker. I’ve read testimonial after testimonial declaring that a whole chicken sitting atop three wadded up balls of aluminum foil while cooking inside a slow cooker is the next best thing to rotisserie chicken.

Seriously?

There was no doubt in my mind regarding the fact that a chicken could be cooked in a slow cooker until the meat was literally falling off of the bone. But how did it taste? And what about the non-crispy skin issue? AND the fact that oven browning increases the flavor of the chicken substantially? What about those little minor details? Huh?

And what about those over-cooked, dry-as-death-valley chickens that you’ve baked past recognition in your very own oven, Terri? I sent that smart-mouthed voice in my head to time out.

Finally a couple of days ago I caved and gave the fake-baked chicken a try. I learned a lot in one afternoon. I learned that with the right combination of seasonings and aromatics I could make an outstandingly flavorful, moist chicken in the slow cooker. I learned that the resulting broth may be the answer to finding world peace. I also learned that I was absolutely right about the non-crispy skin issue, but it could be solved by following  this blogger’s ingenious idea for roasting a chicken in a slow cooker.

Tips for “roasting” a whole chicken in a slow cooker.

Here is a summary of my tips for roasting a whole chicken in a slow cooker:

1. To have a tender chicken without it falling off of the bone. A moist flavorful chicken can be produced in a slow cooker. If you don’t want the chicken to ‘fall off the bone’, it is important to only cook it until the internal temperature reaches 165-degree F. This only took about 3 hours on high in my slow cooker. I checked the temperature in the thickest part of the breast as well as in the thigh. If you plan on being away from home for a longer period, I would suggest cooking the chicken on low.
2. If you are cooking the chicken to be used in casseroles, soups, tacos/enchiladas/tostados, chicken salad, etc, then it doesn’t have to be watched so carefully. Cook away. However, if you want to serve whole pieces of chicken and not have it fall off of the bone, then only cook the internal temperature to 165-degrees F.
3. How to season chicken for different flavor profiles. Think about for what the chicken will be used and season it accordingly. The seasonings, herbs, and aromatics can be varied, depending on the flavor profile needed in the finished product. Try some of these combinations: 
   • Italian – onions, garlic, fresh oregano, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper; 
   • Thai – onions, garlic, lemons/limes, hot peppers, seasoning salt, smoked paprika; 
   • Mexican – onions, garlic, lemons/limes, jalapenos, seasoning salt, chipotle chile powder; 
   • Neutral, use for anything – onions, garlic, seasoning salt, thyme, maybe carrots and celery.
4. As you can see, onions and garlic are essential for most flavor profiles. You can’t go wrong by adding them to chicken, even if you don’t have a clear idea about what you want to do with the chicken.
5. Stuffing the cavity. For ultimate flavor, be sure to stuff the cavity of the chicken with some of the herbs and aromatics and put the rest in the bottom of the slow cooker. Always season the cavity of the chicken as well as the outside of the chicken.
6. Cooking liquid. There is no need to add any cooking liquids. The chicken and other ingredients will produce their own liquids which, in turn, can be used for gravy or added to soup or stock.
7. How to get crispy skin on a slow cooker chicken. With chicken cooked in the slow cooker, the skin will not be crispy. If you wish to have a crispy skin, plan on putting the chicken in a hot oven for a few minutes to crisp up the skin. See this blogger’s suggestions. Although the chicken can be baked without the skin, I feel that the skin should be left intact on the chicken because it adds essential flavor and moisture.

Because I was experimenting with the chicken I roasted in the slow cooker, I didn’t have a clear plan for what I was going to do with it after it was cooked. Remember, I didn’t really trust what the end results would be. However, the end product was so flavorful that I thought of several things to make with it. I’ll share one of those ideas in my next post.

Print Recipe

Slow Cooker “Roasted” Chicken

Flavorful and tender, use the chicken for sandwiches, casseroles and one dish meals. Save the cooking stock for use in soups, gravies, and for cooking rice or other grains. Change the seasonings as desired to change the flavor profile for other uses.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 large lemon, cut in eighths
• 1 large onion, cut in eighths
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• seasoning salt, to taste
• smoked paprika, to taste
• olive oil
• 3 large pieces of aluminum foil, wadded up into three balls

Instructions

• Rinse chicken well inside and out. Pat dry.
• Drizzle outside with a little olive oil and rub the olive oil all over the skin, top and bottom.
• Sprinkle the whole chicken well with seasoning salt. Be sure to sprinkle the cavity well with seasoning salt, too. Rub the seasoning salt all over the skin, being sure to get some into any crevices.
• Sprinkle with the smoked paprika all over the chicken, including the cavity. Again, rub this into the outside of the chicken.
• Put a few pieces of the lemon and the onion, and half of the garlic in the chicken cavity. Fill the cavity, but do not stuff tightly.
• Cross the chicken legs together and tie. Bend the wings backwards and tuck them under the chicken.
• Place the aluminum foil balls in the bottom of the slow cook. Position them so that they will support the chicken and keep it above the cooking juices that will accumulate in the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Place the remaining lemon and onion pieces and the remaining garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Put the chicken on top of everything. Adjust the aluminum balls as necessary to best support the chicken.
• Cook for about 3-4 hours on high until the juices run clear, or until the thickest part of the breast registers 165-degrees F on a meat thermometer.
• Turn off slow cooker and allow chicken to rest for a few minutes. Remove and cut into serving pieces or allow to cool completely and remove meat from bones, then shred or cut into appropriate sized pieces.
• If using the juices that have collected in the bottom of the slow cooker, remove the aluminum balls and strain the juice through a sieve. Press the aromatics that have collected in the sieve lightly to extract any remaining juice from them. The juices are great used in gravy, soup, or stock.

Notes

1. A moist flavorful chicken can be produced in a slow cooker. If you don't want the chicken to 'fall off the bone', it is important to only cook it until the internal temperature reaches 165-degree F. This only took about 3 hours on high in my slow cooker. I checked the temperature in the thickest part of the breast as well as in the thigh. If you plan on being away from home for a longer period, I would suggest cooking the chicken on low. If you are cooking the chicken to be used in casseroles, soups, tacos/enchiladas/tostados, chicken salad, etc, then it doesn't have to be watched so carefully. Cook away. However, if you want to serve whole pieces of chicken and not have it fall off of the bone, then only cook the internal temperature to 165-degrees F.
2. Think about for what the chicken will be used and season it accordingly.The seasonings, herbs, and aromatics can be varied, depending on the flavor profile needed in the finished product. Try some of these combinations: Italian - onions, garlic, fresh oregano, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper; Thai - onions, garlic, lemons/limes, hot peppers, seasoning salt, smoked paprika; Mexican - onions, garlic, lemons/limes, jalapenos, seasoning salt, chipotle chile powder; Neutral, use for anything - onions, garlic, seasoning salt, thyme, maybe carrots and celery. As you can see, onions and garlic are essential.
3. For ultimate flavor, be sure to stuff the cavity of the chicken with some of the herbs and aromatics and put the rest in the bottom of the slow cooker. Always season the cavity of the chicken as well as the outside of the chicken. There is no need to add any cooking liquids. The chicken and other ingredients will produce their own liquids which, in turn, can be used for gravy or added to soup or stock.
4. The skin will not be crispy. If you wish to have a crispy skin, plan on putting the chicken in a hot oven for a few minutes to crisp up the skin. See this blogger's suggestions. Although the chicken can be baked without the skin, I feel that the skin should be left intact on the chicken because it adds essential flavor and moisture.

Cut onion into about 12 pieces, cut lemon into eighths, smash the cloves of garlic with the broad side of a large knife…or whatever garlic smashing method works best for you. Don’t obliterate it, just hit is hard enough to break it into multiple pieces.

After rinsing the chicken under running water, pour some olive oil over the chicken, then rub it all over the outside of the chicken skin.

Sprinkle generously with seasoning salt. I used Johnny’s brand, my favorite. Be sure to sprinkle some seasoning salt on the inside of the chicken (the cavity), too.

Rub the seasoning salt over the outside.

Sprinkle generously with the smoked paprika. Smoked paprika is so much more rich in flavor than regular paprika.

Now rub that all over the chicken, too, making sure that everything, including the back and all of crevices, get well coated with the seasonings.

Stuff the cavity with some of the garlic, lemon, and onion. Don’t pack it tightly, just put in enough pieces to create a loose packed chicken. Tie the legs together. My chicken came already tied, but frequently the cook has to do this part.

Place three good sized balls of wadded up aluminum foil in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Scatter the remaining aromatics in the bottom of the slow cooker, too.

Put the chicken on top of the foil balls and the aromatics. It may be necessary to reposition the foil so that the chicken rests as evenly as possible on top of them. There is no need to add any cooking liquid. The chicken and the aromatics will create wonderful cooking liquids of their own during the cooking process.

See? Look at those beautiful liquids in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Look how moist the finished product turns out. Only cook to and internal temperature of 165-degrees F as measured on a meat thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the chicken breast. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you will want to cook the chicken until the juices run clear. Poke the chicken breast deeply with a skewer to check the juices.

Sooooo tender and juicy.

Place a sieve over a pot or large bowl.

Pour the juices from the slow cooker through the sieve. This will catch the aromatics and any other bits.

 You’ll want to get every last lovely drop. Press the contents of the sieve with back of a wooden spoon to help extract the last of the cooking juices. The juices can be used in soups, stocks, or made into a gravy.

This is a sneak peak at what I did with the cooking juices. This will be revealed in my next post.