Slow Cooker Whole Chicken is a game changer! Follow my recipe for incredibly tender, juicy and succulent chicken with minimal prep.

Fancy making an entire Sunday roast all in one pot? Cook a whole chicken on a bed of root vegetables in your crock pot and a few hours later you will have tender chicken, flavour-packed vegetables and the base for the most incredible gravy.

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Slow Cooker Whole Chicken on a white board

How to pick the right (size) chicken

A large free range chicken, preferably organic, will produce the best results. I always pick a large one, even if it is slightly bigger than I need for our family of four – leftover chicken can be used in so many other recipes throughout the week.

As a general guideline…

SMALL CHICKEN approx. 1.2kg (2.6 pounds) enough 2-3
MEDIUM CHICKEN approx. 1.75kg (3.7 pounds) feeds 3-4
LARGE CHICKEN approx. 2kg+ (4.4 pounds) serves 4-6 and is best suited for the slow cooker treatment but check it fits into your crockpot!

Ingredients for slow cooker roast chicken on a white background

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN

I know you are asking this… Why cook chicken in a slow cooker when it is so easy to roast in the oven?

A HANDS-OFF ROAST You can leave your chicken to cook slowly while you get on with other things… Is it just me, or are weekends always hectic when you have kids?

ONE POT WONDER You can cook your potatoes and carrots at the same time so one less thing to worry about. Not to mention less washing up!

THE BEST GRAVY As the chicken cooks slowly it will release juices which also soak up flavour from the vegetables. Use any liquid from the pot to make a rich gravy.

A SLIMMING RECIPE The chicken is rubbed with spices, herbs, salt and pepper to create a rotisserie-style chicken which melts in the mouth. Simply remove any skin if you are on a weight loss mission and make sure to use a gravy separator for the drippings.

Whole Chicken cooked in the slow cooker with carrots

WHAT ABOUT CRISPY SKIN?

The only drawback about making a slow cooker roast chicken is that the skin will look a little bit sad after cooking in moist heat.

If you want the perfect crispy skin simply place your chicken on a roasting tray and brown under the grill (a.k.a broiler) for a few minutes. Keep an eye on the chicken as it can go from crispy to burned quickly!

Whole roast chicken on a small ceramic white board with gravy on the side

Let’s make Slow Cooker Roast Chicken

Prep the chicken. If you can, take out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking – a cold chicken will take longer to cook and possibly cook unevenly. Not a deal breaker in the slow cooker though.

TOP TIP
Do not rinse raw chicken – it contains campylobacter bacteria which may spread when you are rinsing it. Always wash your hands and any utensils well after handling raw meat and use a separate cutting board. The bacteria is killed if the chicken is cooked properly – when it reaches internal temperature of 75C /165F.

Season the chicken. Pat the chicken dry. Trim any large bits of fat and remove giblets, if any. Rub the chicken with mustard powder, paprika, garlic powder and brown sugar (or sweetener). Season liberally with salt and pepper. Place half a lemon and a rosemary sprig in the cavity.

Create a “trivet” Line a 6.5L slow cooker with chopped onions, celery, carrots and small potatoes. The vegetables create a sort of trivet for the chicken.
TOP TIP: If you don’t want to cook vegetables in the crockpot then place the chicken on a silicone rack or scrunch some foil for a makeshift rack. This allows for any fat to drip away from the chicken.

Carrots, onions, celery and potatoes in a slow cooker

Add the chicken, cover and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours (depending on how large your chicken is). If you are cooking a small chicken then check after 2 hours. For best results check with a meat thermometer.

Whole chicken in slow cooker on a bed of vegetables

Remove the chicken from the cooker, tipping it forward so any juices collected in the cavity drip out. Place on a roasting pan ( together with the potatoes, if you like), mist with cooking spray and blast under a hot grill until the skin is lovely and crisp. Set the chicken aside for 20 minutes before carving.

Reserve the carrots and potatoes to serve with the roast. Strain the remaining juices into a gravy separator and discard the onions, celery etc. Discard most of the fat and transfer remaining juices into a saucepan.

Make the gravy. Bring the juices to a simmer, topping up with extra hot chicken stock if needed. Add 1 tbsp of cornflour diluted in cold water to thicken the gravy. Cook until the gravy thickens, stirring occasionally, taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Carve the chicken and serve with the carrots, potatoes and gravy on the side. Add a green salad or some steamed vegetables and enjoy!

Testing for doneness

I prefer to cook my chicken on the HIGH setting for a shorter time in a slow cooker. I recommend using a digital thermometer to be 100% safe – checking the internal temperature at the thickest part is 75C/165 F.

You can also check by slicing into the thickest part of the meat and checking it is cooked through, or piercing the bird to see if the juices run clear. If they are still a bit pink you should continue cooking for a further 15-20 minutes before checking again.

IDEAS FOR CHICKEN LEFTOVERS

Leftover roast chicken can be used in so many ways! I love adding it to soups like my Hearty Chicken and Vegetable Soup, using it in slimming salads like this Light Chicken Satay Salad or in quick pasta dishes. You can also use it in curries or simply in sandwiches.