Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

Can you cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker?

YES! Absolutely! I have been cooking whole chickens in my slow cooker for years now and it still never ceases to amaze me how easy this makes life some days. Whether it’s to use for Sunday dinner, a midweek meal or just to have some cooked chicken on hand in the fridge for sandwiches throughout the week, there are so many ways for you to save time and energy by cooking a chicken this way.

One of the best things about slow cooked chicken is that it seems to go a lot further than an oven roasted chicken and the leftovers are perfect to save for making Homemade Chicken Soup the following day.

Do you have to put water in the slow cooker?

No. You do not need to add any any water to the slow cooker when you cook a whole chicken. As the chicken cooks it produces its own liquid which collects in the bottom of the slow cooker so the chicken doesn’t burn and keeps moist as it cooks. This recipe makes the chicken a little extra fancy, but 9 times out of 10 I literally just put a whole chicken in the slow cooker, add nothing else to it, pop the lid on and let it cook all by itself.

Can you cook on HIGH instead of LOW?

Yes! You can cook a whole chicken on HIGH for 4-6 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours. It’s easy to check if you chicken is cooked, you might see it falling apart a little or once it has had the minimum amount of time you can check it but be sure not to keep taking the lid off during cooking because this can interfere with the cooking process and may require you to cook for longer.

How do you make chicken stock in the slow cooker?

This is on of the BEST reasons to make chicken in the slow cooker because it is so easy to make THE BEST homemade chicken stock! Once the chicken has cooked I take off the rest of the meat and put back all of the bones, skin and leave all of the liquid from the chicken in the slow cooker, add some celery, onion, carrots, bay leaves salt and water and then leave to cook on low for 12-24 hours before straining and using in soup, or cooling and keeping in the fridge or freezer for another day. It is amazing! Here is the recipe I use to make my homemade chicken stock in the slow cooker. You can so this if you have a chicken carcass left over from a roast chicken.

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

By The Kitchen Shed Published: January 31, 2014

• Yield: aprox 600g cooked meat (4-8 Servings)
• Prep: 10 mins
• Cook: 6 hrs 0 min
• Ready In: 6 hrs 10 mins

Can you cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker? YES! Absolutely! I have been cooking whole chickens …

Ingredients

• 1 Whole Chicken this one was 1.2kg
• 1/2 Lemon
• 1 Carrot halved lengthways
• 1 stalk of Celery halved
• 1/2 Red Onion sliced in 4
• 2 large cloves Garlic halved lengthways
• 1 small handful Fresh Thyme

Instructions

1. Place the carrot, celery and onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Cut two thin slices of lemon, and put the rest into the cavity of the chicken with the garlic and half of the thyme.
3. Place the chicken inside the slow cooker, top with the lemon slices and scatter over the last of the thyme leaves.
4. Place the lid on the slow cooker and turn it on to LOW.
5. Check the chicken after 6-8 hours. (The juices between the breast and thigh should be clear, and there should be no pink meat).
6. If the chicken is still pink, check hourly until it is done.
7. If the chicken is cooked, take it out of the slow cooker and serve.

• Skill Level: Easy

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