Crockpot Whole Chicken Dinner

Crockpot whole chicken dinner is an easy one-pot dinner that combines convenience, flavor, and nutrition. This slow cooker whole chicken recipe also adds in russet potatoes and green vegetables like fresh asparagus. The result is a hearty dinner that’s perfect for any day of the week.  Instructions to make this one-pot whole chicken dinner in the Instant Pot are also included. 

Ingredients For Whole Chicken Dinner

• Whole Chicken
• Potatoes
• Green Vegetables
• Seasonings:
• Oil

How To Make A Whole Chicken Dinner In The Crock-Pot

Prepare The Potatoes

1. Scrub the potatoes clean. Rinse & pat dry. Pierce the potatoes with a fork a few times. Depending on the size of your potatoes, you may want to chop them in half.

Prepare The Chicken

1. Rinse & pat dry chicken & remove any innards. Drizzle the chicken with the oil and rub it in evenly all over.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the seasoning spices. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture all over the chicken, flipping the bird to make sure it’s seasoned evenly on every side.

Slow Cooker

1. Add the prepared potatoes to the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the prepared chicken on top of the potatoes.
2. Cook HIGH 3-5 hours or LOW 6-8.
3. The last 30 minutes of cooking time, add the asparagus.

Instant Pot

1. Pour in 1 cup water. Add the potatoes to the pressure cooker on top of the water. Add the prepared chicken on top of the potatoes, breast side up.
2. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook 6 minutes per pound of chicken. When cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure.
3. Add the asparagus. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 1 minute. Let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.

FAQs & Tips

How do you pick a whole chicken?

Picking a whole chicken is simple – find one that fits. A 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot will hold a whole chicken between 3-6 pounds. What you see in the pictures is a 4.5-pound fryer chicken.

What type of potatoes should you use? 

I used russet potatoes that I pierced with a fork. The potatoes were smaller than I left them whole. Use your preferred potato whether it be russet or even sweet potatoes. Waxy potatoes like red or yellow potatoes work well with slow cooking because they hold their shape during the low & slow cooking process. If you use a non-waxy potato, I suggest you cut the potato into large chunks (this will help them hold their shape and not turn to mush) or leave them whole like I did here. 

Should you use the Crock-Pot or Instant Pot?

Having made this whole chicken dinner in both the Crock-Pot and Instant Pot, to me there’s no difference in taste. With the Instant Pot, the whole chicken needs to cook for 6 minutes per pound. You will need to adjust the cook time for the weight of your chicken. Regardless of whether you use the slow cooker or Instant Pot, if you want crispy skin on your whole chicken, you will need to remove it from the appliance and broil it in the oven.

Will the whole chicken have crispy skin?

The only downfall of cooking a whole chicken in the slow cooker or Instant Pot is that the chicken not have crispy skin. There’s no getting around it. If you want to whole chicken to have crispy skin, you have will need to remove it from the appliance and place it in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes. This is an optional step.

Do you add any liquid to the slow cooker?

No liquid needed! For the slow cooker, you do not need to add any liquid to the pot, just the food. For the Instant Pot, you will need 1 cup of water or broth. 

How do you store leftover slow cooker whole chicken dinner?

Store leftover chicken in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or the freezer 3 months. 

What size slow cooker did you use?

I used a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot for this recipe.

Chicken Recipes 

• Whole Chicken

• Balsamic Cranberry Chicken

• Lemon Chicken & Artichokes

• Chicken With Apples & Honey

• Honey Garlic Chicken

Crockpot Whole Chicken Dinner

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Crockpot whole chicken dinner is an easy one-pot dinner that combines convenience, flavor, and nutrition. This slow cooker whole chicken recipe also adds in russet potatoes and green vegetables like fresh asparagus. The result is a hearty dinner that’s perfect for any day of the week.  Instructions to make this one-pot whole chicken dinner in the Instant Pot are also included.

• Author: Shannon Epstein
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 4 hours
• Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 3-5 pound whole chicken
• 1 pound potatoes
• 1 pound asparagus or green beans
• 1 tablespoon oil (I used extra-virgin olive oil)
• 1 cup water (for Instant Pot only)

SEASONING

• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon pepper

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Instructions

Prepare The Potatoes

1. Scrub the potatoes clean. Rinse & pat dry. Pierce the potatoes with a fork a few times. Depending on the size of your potatoes, you may want to chop them in half.

Prepare The Chicken

1. Rinse & pat dry chicken & remove any innards. Drizzle the chicken with the oil and rub it in evenly all over.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the seasoning spices. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture all over the chicken, flipping the bird to make sure it’s seasoned evenly on every side.

Slow Cooker

1. Add the prepared potatoes to the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the prepared chicken on top of the potatoes.
2. Cook HIGH 3-5 hours or LOW 6-8.
3. The last 30 minutes of cooking time, add the asparagus.

Instant Pot

1. Pour in 1 cup water. Add the potatoes to the pressure cooker on top of the water. Add the prepared chicken on top of the potatoes, breast side up.
2. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook 6 minutes per pound of chicken. When cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure.
3. Add the asparagus. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 1 minute. Let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.

Notes

• Cook chicken 6 minutes per pound
• Cook time calculated for slow cooker

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 338
• Sugar: 1.9 g
• Fat: 22.1 g
• Saturated Fat: 5.8 g
• Carbohydrates: 12.2 g
• Fiber: 2.3 g
• Protein: 22.7 g
• Cholesterol: 118.2 mg

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