What's For Dinner: Slow Cooker Roast Chicken


The last time I made roast chicken, I destroyed the interior of our stove. Well, "destroyed" might be exaggerating a bit, but the splattered grease (everywhere!) was a major pain to clean up. 


So, when I saw a few recipes floating around the web for slow-cooker chicken, I was instantly intrigued. Mainly because I knew it would be a breeze to clean out a slow cooker at the end of the day, and also because I love set-it-and-forget-it recipes.


This slow cooker roast chicken recipe does not disappoint. The resulting chicken is moist, tender, and lightly flavored with garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs. Placing the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes after it is done cooking in the slow cooker helps to crisp up the skin and add a little color. But if   you're not planning to eat the skin, you could just skip that step completely.

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken (printer-friendly version)
makes 6-8 servings

4-5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into 2" segments
1 white onion, quartered and separated into slices
1 3-5 pound chicken
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 lemon, quartered
small handful fresh herbs (I used rosemary, thyme, and flat-leaf parsley)
1-2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

For the rub:
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1. Add the chopped carrots and onions to the bottom of a 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker bowl.
2. Remove the giblets (if necessary) from the chicken and pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
3. Insert the smashed garlic cloves, quartered lemon, and herbs into  the chicken.
4. Rub the outside of the chicken with olive oil.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Then gently rub the spice mix into the skin of the chicken.
6. Use kitchen twine to tie the legs of the chicken together. (I skipped this step, as I didn't find our kitchen twine until after the chicken was done cooking ... but trussing the legs together does help with even cooking; our chicken didn't seem the worse for wear with untied legs, however.)
7. Cover the chicken with a sheet of parchment paper and tuck it tightly around the sides. Then place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4-6 hours, or until the interior temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. (I always check in the meatiest portion of the thigh.)
8. If you'd like a crispier skin, once cooked, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place it in an oven-safe baking dish. Place the chicken under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown. Keep an eye on your chicken, as the skin can go from brown to black in seconds!
9. Let the chicken rest for five minutes before carving.

(inspired by these recipes from Design Mom and the little kitchen)
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