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Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

Slow cooker whole chicken is an easy recipe that produces tender, versatile meat. From holidays to Sunday dinner, this succulent chicken will impress any crowd. Eat the meat with your favorite side dishes or reuse the it in other recipes. Instructions to make this healthy whole chicken in the Instant Pot are also included. 

overhead shot of a cooked whole chicken in a black slow cooker

Ingredients For Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

  • Whole Chicken
  • Butter or Ghee
  • Chicken Broth
  • Seasonings: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cayenne

How To Cook A Whole Chicken In The Slow Cooker

Prep The Chicken

  1. If your chicken came with a bag of giblets inside the cavity, remove it.
  2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Drizzle the oil evenly all over the chicken.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together the homemade rotisserie seasoning mix. Season the chicken evenly and all over with the seasoning. 
  4. Proceed to slow cooker or Instant Pot steps.

Slow Cooker

  1. Pour the chicken broth into the slow cooker.  Add the prepared chicken (see above).
  2. Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8.
  3. Remove chicken from slow cooker and let it rest for an additional 10 minutes before slicing.

Instant Pot

  1. Place the trivet in pressure cooker. Add the chicken broth. Place the prepared chicken (see above) on the trivet .
  2. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook 6 minutes per pound of chicken. When cooking time is complete, naturally release the pressure for 15 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.
  3.  Remove chicken from pressure cooker and let it rest for an additional 10 minutes before slicing.

overhead shot of a uncooked whole chicken in a black slow cooker

Picking A Whole Chicken

Fryer or roaster chicken? A fryer (broiler) chicken is a chicken that is approximately 7 weeks old with a weight of 2.5 to 4.5 pounds. A roaster chicken is between 8-12 weeks old with a weight of 5 pounds or more. The good news is that since this is a slow cooker or electric pressure cooker recipe, 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. The chicken I used, the one you see in the pics was a roaster chicken weighing a little over 5 pounds.

overhead shot of cooked whole chicken on top of potatoes in a black slow cooker

Slow Cooker vs Instant Pot

Having made this in both appliances, to me there’s no difference in taste. With the Instant Pot, the whole chicken needs to cook for approximately 6 minutes per pound. Since my chicken was 5 pounds, I cooked it for 30 minutes. You will need to adjust the cook time for the weight of your chicken. Some whole chicken Instant Pot recipes will tell you to brown the skin using the sauté function. In this version, I do not take the time to do this because I broil the skin afterwards. Regardless of whether you use a 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 after it’s done cooking.

How To Use The Meat

What to do with this meat? More like what can’t you do with it. First off, you can freeze the cooked meat. Once it’s done cooking, the meat should be so tender that it’s falling off the bones. Remove the cooked meat from the bones and freeze it using your preferred container. I like to use a zip-lock freezer bag.

cooked, cut up whole rotisserie chicken

Broiling The Skin

The only downfall of cooking a whole chicken in the slow cooker or electric pressure cooker (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.

FAQs & Tips

  • Substitute your preferred seasoning for this whole chicken recipe. However if you’re looking for homemade rotisserie style seasoning, use the one I provide in the recipe box. The seasoning is for a whole chicken up to 6 pounds. Anything larger you might want to use more seasonings.
  • Store leftover chicken in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or the freezer 3 months. 
  • I used a 6-quart slow cooker (or Instant Pot) for this recipe.

Chicken Recipes 

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overhead shot of a cooked whole chicken in a black slow cooker

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

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4.3 from 3 reviews

Slow cooker whole chicken is an easy recipe that produces tender, versatile meat. From holidays to Sunday dinner, this succulent chicken will impress any crowd. Eat the meat with your favorite side dishes or reuse the it in other recipes. Instructions to make this healthy whole chicken in the Instant Pot are also included.

  • Total Time: 4 hours 10 mins
  • Yield: Serves 4-6 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 to 5 pound whole chicken
  • 4 tablespoons butter or ghee
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water

Seasoning

  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Instructions

Prep The Chicken

  1. If your chicken came with a bag of giblets inside the cavity, remove it.
  2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Drizzle the oil evenly all over the chicken.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together the homemade rotisserie seasoning mix. Season the chicken evenly and all over with the seasoning.
  4. Proceed to slow cooker or Instant Pot steps.

Slow Cooker

  1. Pour the chicken broth into the slow cooker.  Add the prepared chicken (see above).
  2. Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8.
  3. Remove chicken from slow cooker and let it rest for an additional 10 minutes before slicing.

Instant Pot

  1. Place the trivet in pressure cooker. Add the chicken broth. Place the prepared chicken (see above) on the trivet .
  2. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook 6 minutes per pound of chicken. When cooking time is complete, naturally release the pressure for 15 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.
  3.  Remove chicken from pressure cooker and let it rest for an additional 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees in the thickest part.

  • Author: Shannon Epstein
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 4 hours

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 107
  • Sugar: 0.2 g
  • Sodium: 620.1 mg
  • Fat: 8.4 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 2 g
  • Fiber: 0.9 g
  • Protein: 6.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 28.9 mg

 

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Lisa

Sunday 27th of November 2022

I am making this right now, and looking forward to it. Can I add potatoes to the pot, and then put them under the grill later for roast potatoes (UK terminology). Thank you.

Shannon Epstein

Sunday 27th of November 2022

YES absolutely. Fantastic idea. I would suggest that you don't cut the potatoes too small or they might get mushy depending on how long it cooks. Even still, they should taste good.

Jennifer

Thursday 28th of July 2022

This was so easy and tasted exactly like the rotisserie chickens we usually get from the store. I used the slow cooker method and had no issues.

Cheryl

Wednesday 15th of July 2020

This recipe did not work out for me. I used the slow cooker option with a five pound chicken. I had it on high for four hours and the temp was only at 120. Pretty disappointed.

Lauren

Sunday 21st of June 2020

So So So Good! Just took a little taste and I am in love. I was always a store bought rotisserie chicken person but this may be my new specialty! I added extra garlic powder because you can never have too much (; and added an orange to the cavity for my citrus. cannot wait to use this in various recipes throughout the week! Cooked in the instant pot then broiled in the oven for about 4 minutes

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