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4.8 from 39 votes

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

Cook a juicy whole chicken in your slow cooker with only 2 ingredients! Perfect for meal prep, and you get homemade chicken stock out of it, too!

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Resting Time
10 mins
Total Time
4 hrs 5 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 494 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 4-6 lb. whole chicken see notes
  • 1 yellow onion halved and thickly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
  • 2 prigs fresh Rosemary optional

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Prepare the chicken by removing any giblets in the cavities and patting as dry as you can with a paper towel (I do this in my sink for easy clean-up).
  2. Lay the sliced onion on the bottom of your slow cooker.
  3. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper on all sides and inside the cavity as well.
  4. Lay the chicken on top of the sliced onions. Pour 4 cups water in the side of the crockpot, avoiding pouring on top of the chicken so you don't remove the salt and pepper (skip this if you don't want stock). Lay the sprigs of rosemary on top of the chicken, if using.
  5. Cook on high for four hours.
  6. Remove the rosemary sprigs and discard. Remove the chicken carefully, as it will be fall-off-the-bone tender, to a rimmed baking sheet or carving board. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving/cutting up.
  7. Strain the stock through a mesh sieve into storage containers (I use a ladle to scoop it out and pour through the sieve, and discard the onions at the end).

Notes

  • For a larger or smaller bird, you may need to adjust the cooking time. A chicken under 4 lbs. will probably only need 3 hours on high, whereas a larger one may take 4 1/2 or 5 hours to cook. Make sure you check the internal temperature to see if it's 165 if you are in any doubt.
  • To get crispy skin: place the chicken under the broiler in your oven for 5-10 minutes after cooking to crisp the skin a bit. Otherwise, I recommend removing and discarding the skin.
  • Storage: store the meat from the chicken for up to 5 days in an airtight container in your fridge. Store the chicken stock for up to 5 days in your fridge or up to 6 months in your freezer in an airtight container.
  • I used my 6 qt. slow cooker for this. A smaller one may not work, unless you have a very small chicken. A larger one will be fine.

Nutrition Information

Calories 494kcal (25%) Carbohydrates 2g (1%) Protein 42g (84%) Fat 34g (52%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Cholesterol 170mg (57%) Sodium 1903mg (79%) Potassium 454mg (13%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 318IU (6%) Vitamin C 5mg (6%) Calcium 30mg (3%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 494

% Daily Value*

Calories 494kcal 25%
Carbohydrates 2g 1%
Protein 42g 84%
Fat 34g 52%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Cholesterol 170mg 57%
Sodium 1903mg 79%
Potassium 454mg 10%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 318IU 6%
Vitamin C 5mg 6%
Calcium 30mg 3%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.