I recently came across another blog that showed how to cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker. Genius! I said. I really don’t know why I never thought about it before. I use my Crock-Pot all the time, and I also will throw chicken bones with some water in it just to make stock. Seems like I would’ve thought of this. Hmmm.
Basically, you put a whole chicken in a slow cooker with some spices for 6 hours (approximately) on low, and that’s it.
The first thing I did was remove the bag of chicken innards from inside the chicken. I put them in the freezer until I have a chance to make stuffing. Then I gave the chicken a good rinse before placing in the slow cooker. I sprinkled garlic powder and paprika on both sides of the chicken, put the lid on, and set the cooker on low. Then left it to cook for five-seven hours.
I checked the chicken at six hours, and it was cooked through, so I turned the cooker off. I sliced off both breasts, and they became dinner for hubby and I. After the rest of the chicken had cooled, I pulled it out of the cooker and tore off the meat. The chicken was so moist, that the pieces almost fell apart in my hands!
I put the chicken meat in the freezer for a future meal. I think they’ll go great on a chicken salad sandwich!
The bones then went back into the cooker and the juices at the bottom.
I added eight cups of water to make some homemade stock. But, I would recommend only using four-five cups of water. I really, really water down chicken stock/broth, because I find it much too salty. I also tossed in some  almost-overripe celery and carrots that I had in the fridge.
The image looks a little yellow from poor lighting, unfortunately. I let the stock simmer overnight on low. The next morning I drained the veggies and bones out, and poured the stock in a jar. After a day in the fridge, a layer of fat will form on top of the stock. You can spoon it right off. It can be saved to use in other dishes.
To see more photos, visit The Happy Housewife.
10 Comments
I would never have thought you could make a whole chicken in the crock pot. I’ll have to try that. Like the idea of making homemade chicken stock with the leftovers. Much healthier than the store-bought version!
I never think to actually use a crockpot – they are so easy, you would think that is all I would cook out of!
I really love mine! It’s the easiest way to make dinner, and there’s never much clean up!
I’ve never cooked a whole chicken in a crockpot, but I’ve make BBQ chicken from “store bought rotisserie chicken” that is awesome. I’ve also made a chicken in the microwave using a Tupperware Stack Cooker that I bet is equally good, but I will check out this too
Thanks for sharing
How long did you have to cook the chicken in the microwave? That sounds like it would take a really long time!
I have always made a whole chicken in the crock pot. It’s so easy. You can vary what veggies you add. I mix it all the time.http://mamaldiane.com/whole-chicken-in-the-slow-cooker-with-garlic-and-thyme/
That looks fantastic! I’m definitely going to try this with the potatoes! Thanks for sharing.
I discovered this last year and was so shocked I’d never thought of it. And so easy. NExt time I’ll have to make the stock like you did. I haven’t tried making that yet. Great idea! You can cook everything in the crock pot. I usually have two to three running at a time with different meals and I get to stay out of the kitchen for weeks. It takes off so much of the burden of slaving over good food! Yours turned out wonderful! 🙂
There’s a crockpot lasagna that I’m thinking about trying next. Have you made one before? I’m not sure how the noodles are going to turn out though…