Crockpot Whole Chicken Dinner

Crockpot whole chicken dinner is an easy one-pot dinner. Chicken, potatoes, and green veggies cook together in this crowd pleasing slow cooker recipe. Instructions to make this 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. Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray. 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. Carefully remove the chicken from the slow cooker using tongs. Remove the potatoes.
4. Add asparagus and cook an additional 15-30 minutes.

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, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.
3. Carefully remove the chicken & potatoes using tongs.
4. Turn the instant pot to saute. Add the asparagus or green beans and cook an additional 10-15 minutes or until done to your liking.

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 Instant Pot 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 here is 4.5 pounds so it’s technically a fryer chicken.

What Type Of Potatoes To 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. 

Slow Cooker vs Instant Pot

Having made this in both appliances, there’s no difference in taste. With the Instant Pot, the whole chicken needs to cook for 6 minutes per pound. Since my chicken was 4.5 pounds, I cooked it for 27 minutes. You will need to adjust the cook time for the weight of your chicken. Usually when I cook chicken with skin-on in the pressure cooker, I brown it first using the sauté function. With this recipe, I did not take the time to do this. If you want to, you absolutely can. 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.

FAQs & Tips

• 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. 
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Omit the veggies and serve this with a side salad. Omit the potatoes for a low-carb, keto friendly recipe. 

Chicken Recipes 

• Whole Chicken

• Balsamic Cranberry Chicken

• Lemon Chicken & Artichokes

• Chicken With Apples & Honey

• Honey Garlic Chicken

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