Crockpot Whole Chicken

Make this Crockpot Whole Chicken when you want a homemade rotisserie roasted chicken – without all of the work! This crockpot whole chicken recipe is quick and easy to prep and you’ll be rewarded with a flavorful, tender chicken.

I don’t know about you, but I love nothing more than a whole roasted chicken. I don’t always have the patience to roast it in the oven though – and I love the convenience of making it in the crockpot.

No oven to clean, no constant temperature checking, nothing to tend to! The slow cooker does all of the work.

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

Ingredient notes

• Seasoning: This is my favorite way to make a rotisserie-style seasoning. Feel free to switch it up with your preferred dried herbs and spices.
• Lemon: Sticking a lemon into the chicken cavity helps the chicken to stem from the inside and stay nice and moist! Feel free to leave it out if you’re not a fan of lemon flavor or don’t have any on hand.
• Brown sugar: This adds depth of flavor and also helps with the color of the chicken skin. Feel free to leave it out if you don’t want any sugar in your spice rub.
• Chicken: Make sure to pick a chicken size that will fit inside your crock. Around 5 pounds is a good size for a large (around 6 quart) slow cooker.

How to cook a whole chicken in the crock pot

All you need are ten minutes of prep time to make your own rotisserie-style chicken in the slow cooker.

Rotisserie chicken actually means a style of roasting where meat is skewered on a spit and usually cooked over an open flame while it’s slowly turning – but I bet the rotisserie chicken at your grocery store wasn’t cooked over the fire either, so I don’t feel bad at all calling this rotisserie-style.

Simply season the chicken, then place it in the crock on a ring of aluminium foil.

Now let it cook in the slow cooker until the juices run clear – you can brown the chicken under the broiler for a crisper skin!

Recipe tips

• Make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through to the bones before serving. The meat should no longer be pink, and the juices should run clear. It’s best to check the internal temperature with a kitchen thermometer – it should be 165°F according to the government’s food safety website. The chicken will need 3-4 hours on HIGH
• Switch up the taste of the seasoning by adding some heat with cayenne pepper or chili powder; or go fire-roasted with smoked paprika.
• You can serve this chicken whole like a regular roasted chicken. But the meat turns out tender enough so you can shred it and use it in other ways – salads, sandwiches, tacos, soups… Perfect for easy meal prep, too!

Serving ideas

This is delicious for dinner, but you can use it in many more ways!

Serve it as a roasted chicken with instant pot mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans. Or whip up a batch of roasted fingerling potatoes and a side of roasted asparagus!

Use the chicken shredded in Homemade Chicken Pot Pie or in a cozy Chicken Tamale Pie Casserole.

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