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Crockpot Roast Chicken Recipes
A whole chicken is an easy family dinner to make in the slow cooker. Once the chicken is seasoned and placed in the crockpot, most of the cooking happens without much hands-on work.
These crockpot roast chicken recipes give you several ways to change the flavor. Try our savory Spicy Crockpot Roast Chicken, brighten dinner with Lemon Mustard Roast Chicken, or watch the Lemon Garlic and Rosemary Roast Chicken video for another variation.
You can also add vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, onions, or Brussels sprouts around the chicken to turn dinner into an easy one-pot meal.
Making a Whole Chicken in the Crockpot
- Choose a chicken that fits: The chicken should fit comfortably inside your slow cooker with the lid completely closed.
- Thaw it first: Start with a fully thawed whole chicken rather than putting a frozen chicken into the slow cooker.
- Add flavor: Rub the chicken with herbs, spices, lemon, garlic, or another favorite seasoning mixture.
- Add vegetables: Potatoes, carrots, onions, and other sturdy vegetables can cook alongside the chicken.
- Check the temperature: Use a food thermometer rather than relying only on cooking time or the color of the chicken.
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Spicy Crockpot Roast Chicken
This seasoned whole chicken has plenty of flavor without requiring a complicated ingredient list. Cayenne adds a little heat, while paprika, thyme, garlic, and onion give the chicken a savory flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 large whole roasting chicken, fully thawed
- 1 large onion, quartered
Directions
- In a small bowl, stir together the salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, thyme or marjoram, black pepper, and minced garlic.
- Remove the chicken from its packaging. Remove the giblets if included and pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Place the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Rub the seasoning mixture over the outside of the chicken and inside the cavity.
- Place the quartered onion inside the chicken cavity.
- Cover the slow cooker. No additional cooking liquid is needed.
- Cook on Low for about 6-8 hours, depending on the size of the chicken and your slow cooker.
- Before serving, check the chicken with a food thermometer. The thickest part of the breast and the innermost portions of the thigh and wing should reach at least 165F.
- Allow the chicken to rest briefly before carving.
Lemon Mustard Crockpot Roast Chicken
Lemon and dry mustard make a simple sauce for this whole slow cooker chicken. Fresh lemon slices placed inside and around the chicken add even more citrus flavor while it cooks.
Ingredients
- 1 whole roasting chicken, fully thawed
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 lemon, sliced
Directions
- Remove the chicken from its packaging. Remove the giblets if included and pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Place the chicken in the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, dry mustard, and lemon juice.
- Pour or brush the lemon-mustard mixture over the chicken.
- Place several lemon slices inside the chicken cavity and arrange the remaining slices around the chicken.
- Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and completely cooked through. Cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken and your slow cooker.
- Check the chicken with a food thermometer before serving. The thickest part of the breast and the innermost portions of the thigh and wing should reach at least 165F.
- Allow the chicken to rest briefly before carving.
Easy Flavor Variations
- Lemon garlic: Add several minced garlic cloves to the lemon and mustard mixture.
- Lemon herb: Add thyme, rosemary, parsley, or Italian seasoning.
- Honey mustard: Stir a small spoonful of honey into the mustard mixture for a slightly sweeter flavor.
Add Vegetables for a One-Pot Chicken Dinner
Turn your crockpot chicken into a complete meal by adding sturdy vegetables around the chicken before cooking.
- Potatoes, cut into chunks
- Carrots, cut into large pieces
- Quartered onions
- Sweet potatoes
- Brussels sprouts
Keep the vegetables in fairly large pieces so they can cook along with the chicken without becoming too soft. Season them with herbs, pepper, or some of the same seasoning mixture used on the chicken. Learn more about cooking with spices and herbs.
How to Roast a Whole Chicken
Cooking a whole chicken is a useful kitchen skill because one chicken can become the center of dinner and provide extra cooked meat for other meals. The two main methods on this page are slow cooking and oven roasting.
| Method | What to Know |
|---|---|
| Slow Cooker | Requires little hands-on cooking. Use a completely thawed chicken that fits comfortably in the crockpot and check doneness with a food thermometer. |
| Oven Roasting | Produces a more traditionally browned exterior. Cooking time depends on the size of the chicken, so temperature is a better doneness test than time alone. |
Basic Oven-Roasted Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Remove the chicken from its packaging and remove the giblets if included.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Place the chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan or baking dish.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, herbs, or your favorite spice mixture.
- Roast until the chicken is completely cooked. A 3-4 pound whole chicken generally takes about 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours at 350F, while larger chickens need more time.
- Use a food thermometer to check the thickest portion of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh and wing. Each area should reach at least 165°F.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest before carving.
Kids' Cooking Skill: Using a Meat Thermometer
Older children and teens can learn that cooking time is only an estimate. A food thermometer gives a much better way to tell when chicken is safely cooked.
An adult should help younger cooks insert the thermometer into the thickest parts of the chicken without touching the bone and safely handle the hot roasting pan or slow cooker.
Lemon Garlic and Rosemary Roast Chicken
Lemon, garlic, and rosemary are classic flavors for roast chicken. Watch the video below to see another way to season and prepare a whole chicken.
What to Do with Leftover Roast Chicken
One of the advantages of cooking a whole chicken is having cooked chicken ready for another meal. Remove the remaining meat from the bones and refrigerate it promptly.
Easy Ways to Use Cooked Chicken
- Make tacos, quesadillas, or wraps. Shred the chicken and add cheese, salsa, vegetables, or other favorite fillings. Try these easy quesadilla recipes.
- Turn it into chicken soup. Add chopped or shredded chicken to broth with vegetables, noodles, rice, or beans. Find more ideas in our easy chicken soup recipes.
- Make chicken salad. Mix chopped chicken with mayonnaise or another creamy dressing and serve it on bread, croissants, crackers, pita pockets, or lettuce. Try these simple chicken salad recipes.
- Add it to a casserole. Combine cooked chicken with vegetables, rice, noodles, potatoes, cheese, or a simple sauce for an easy second dinner. Browse our easy chicken casserole recipes.
- Make a chicken and rice meal. Combine chopped chicken with cooked rice, vegetables, sauce, and cheese, or use it to create an easy skillet dinner. See more kid-friendly one pot meals.
- Top a salad. Add sliced or chopped chicken to lettuce, vegetables, cheese, fruit, nuts, seeds, or other favorite salad toppings for a quick lunch or dinner.
- Make homemade pizza. Use shredded chicken as a pizza topping with mozzarella and vegetables. Try barbecue sauce instead of pizza sauce for an easy Barbecue chicken pizza.
- Build a baked potato. Top a baked potato with warmed shredded chicken, cheese, broccoli, salsa, sour cream, or other favorite toppings.
- Add it to pasta. Toss chopped chicken with cooked pasta, vegetables, marinara, pesto, Alfredo sauce, or a simple cheese sauce for a quick meal.
- Make a quick lunch. Tuck cold cooked chicken into pita pockets, tortillas, sandwiches, or lettuce wraps with cheese and crunchy vegetables. Find more inspiration in our no-cook meal ideas.
- Create a leftover chicken dinner challenge. Let kids choose cooked chicken plus a grain, vegetable, sauce, and topping to create their own burrito bowl or grain bowl. For more inspiration, browse our easy dinner ideas for kids.
Recipes Using Leftover Shredded Chicken
Leftover roast chicken can become an entirely new meal. Shred or chop the cooked chicken, refrigerate it promptly, and use it in one of these easy recipes for lunch, dinner, or a simple snack.
Plan Your Leftover Chicken Menus
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Frequently Asked Questions About Crockpot Roast Chicken
No. Thaw the chicken completely in the refrigerator before placing it in the slow cooker.
No. Remove the chicken from its packaging and pat it dry with paper towels if needed. Washing raw chicken can spread bacteria around the sink and nearby kitchen surfaces.
Usually not. A whole chicken releases juices as it cooks. The Spicy Crockpot Roast Chicken recipe on this page is designed to cook without added liquid.
Use a food thermometer rather than relying on the color of the meat or cooking time alone. Check the thickest portion of the breast and the innermost portions of the thigh and wing. The chicken should reach at least 165°F.
Yes. Potatoes, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts are good choices for cooking alongside chicken. Cut them into fairly large pieces so they hold their shape during the longer cooking time.
Chicken works well with many flavors. Try paprika, thyme, rosemary, garlic, black pepper, lemon, mustard, Italian seasoning, or a combination of your family's favorite herbs and spices.
Children can help measure seasonings, mix spice blends, prepare vegetables with age-appropriate tools, and arrange ingredients before the slow cooker is turned on. Adults should handle the raw chicken and supervise around the hot slow cooker.
Use leftover cooked chicken in tacos, wraps, chicken salad, soups, pasta dishes, casseroles, salads, pizza, or rice bowls for another easy meal.
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