Have you ever cooked a whole chicken in your slow cooker? It’s so easy to cook a chicken in a slow cooker, and it’s a great way to save money on groceries!
Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
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A whole chicken can be pretty inexpensive to buy, and it can stretch to feed a lot of people! But who has time to cook one in the oven during the week? Use your slow cooker to get the job done for you!
Can I Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker?
You sure can!
Oh, sure, we’ll throw a roast or a ham in the slow cooker without even thinking about it… but a chicken? Yikes! Why does that sound so much scarier? It’s actually just as easy to cook a whole chicken in your slow cooker as it is to cook a roast or any other large piece of meat.
The secret? A good meat thermometer!
How Long Does it Take to Cook a Chicken in a Slow Cooker?
It depends on how big your chicken is. Most chickens will be fully cooked in 5-6 hours. But it’s best to use a meat thermometer to know when your chicken is done.
The trick with a whole chicken, no matter how you cook it, is to get everything cooked through without getting any part of it overcooked. Just like when you’re cooking a turkey, the chicken breast meat can get overcooked and dried out if you aren’t careful. (Yes, even in a slow cooker!) So use a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature, and you won’t end up with chewy chicken.
I use a probe-style thermometer like this one. These thermometers are great – just insert the end of the thermometer into the center of the thickest part of the chicken breast. Run the cord out of the slow cooker, cover the slow cooker and turn it on, plug the thermometer into its base, set the temperature alarm, and you can forget all about it! Come back and turn the slow cooker off when the alarm goes off, and dinner is ready!
Then what do you do with that whole chicken? Follow these instructions in this step-by-step video to carve it like a pro! (Yes, the instructions are for a turkey, but a chicken is just a smaller version of a turkey.) And save the chicken bones to make your own homemade chicken broth!
Enjoy!
Free Printable to Help Know When Your Chicken is Done
It can be hard to tell when chicken is fully cooked. Get our best tips, and grab the free printable cheat sheet to keep handy in your kitchen so you never have under-cooked chicken again!
4 Ways to Take the Fear Out of This Recipe
- How to Store a Whole Chicken
- How to Thaw a Whole Chicken
- What’s That Stuff Inside My Turkey (or chicken)?
- What’s the Best Seasoning for Chicken?
3 More Recipes to Try
Printable Recipe Card for Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- Whole chicken
- 1 onion quartered
- 4-6 carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 4 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Place onions and carrots in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Place chicken on top of the vegetables.
- Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper.
- Pour chicken broth into the slow cooker.
- Insert probe-style meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken breast.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours, until temperature reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker and place on a large cutting board.
- Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before carving.
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I need to buy a new slow cooker, this looks so easy!
I love how easy this is!
I couldn’t live without my slow cooker! This is my favorite way to make a whole chicken!
Love how easy this is! Perfect for weeknights.
I love this!!