Get the flavor and texture of a rotisserie chicken at home while the slow cooker does all the work for you. This recipe creates a juicy chicken with crispy skin and yummy flavor. Make up a roast chicken for dinner time and save the leftover chicken for your favorite chicken salad!
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Key Ingredient LIst:
This recipe uses simple ingredients that you most likely already have on hand.
- Whole chicken. You’ll want about 3.5 pound-er to fit properly in your CrockPot. If you struggle with chicken drying out in the slow cooker, use 3.5 pounds of chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken.
- Garlic powder, Onion powder, Old Bay seasoning, Paprika. I’m using dried seasonings so that they mix in nicely with the melted butter and allow a good rub on the chicken. The Old Bay and Paprika also help give the chicken that great color and flavor.
- Melted butter. Butter gives you the best golden skin color but olive oil can be substituted, if preferred.
- Onion, sliced. I use whatever type I have on hand. I prefer a white onion, if I have it.
- Baby potatoes halved. Red baby potatoes are my favorite for this recipe but use what you have. Just be sure they are cut fairly small.
- Fresh rosemary or thyme. Just a couple of sprigs makes all the difference in flavor!
- Bay leaves. Oh girl…you can’t skip bay leaves when making any kind of broth. That long simmer is everything.
Don’t I need to add liquid to my slow cooker?
No, you don’t need to add any liquid to this. That chicken will release a BUNCH of yummy broth that will cook your veggies and create the liquid for your gravy.
How to make a whole chicken:
- Scatter the potatoes and onion over the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the bay leaf and fresh herbs on top. Add the chicken on top.
- Melt the butter and stir the butter and spices together in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the chicken.
- Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6 hours of cooking time.
- Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet lined with foil and broil in the oven for about 10 minutes or it is nice and golden. Note- you can skip this step if you want BUT this is the way to get crispy skin is by using the high heat.
- Remove the vegetables from the crockpot to the cookie sheet while you make the gravy.
- Skim the fat from the surface of the chicken broth. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and place the pan over high heat. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil.
- Mix together 3 tablespoons of water with 4 tablespoons of cornstarch (add a little more water if needed). While whisking, pour the cornstarch into the broth and bring to a gentle boil. Allow to thicken while gently boiling.
- Pour the gravy over the chicken and vegetables when serving. Or…save the broth for another purpose if you don’t want the gravy.
When do you know a chicken is done?
With a meat thermometer, check the chicken thighs for an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Without a meat thermometer, when the chicken juices run clear when pierced with a fork and there isn’t any pink meat in the area between the leg & the thigh.
Is it better to cook a chicken on low or high in the slow cooker?
Try to always cook your chicken on low to avoid drying it out. Just be sure not to open your slow cooker until it gets really close to time or you may stop the cook and the temp won’t hit the bacteria killing temp properly.
Store:
Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or, you can freeze it in Ziplock bags for a month or two. Leftover gravy and vegetables should be stored separately in the same way. And yes…you can absolutely freeze that gravy!
The whole family loves a good roasted chicken with vegetables and gravy, don’t they. The best part is that whether they like chicken thighs, chicken legs, or chicken breasts…it’s all there!
Slow Roasted Chicken With Vegetables & gravy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 3lb whole chicken, giblets removed
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil
- 1 large onion sliced
- 2 pounds baby potatoes halved.
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme used dried if you don’t have fresh
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Scatter the potatoes and onion over the bottom of the crock pot. Place the bay leaf and fresh herbs on top. Add the chicken on top.
- Melt the butter and stir the butter and spices together. Rub the mixture all over the chicken.
- Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6 hours or until the juices from the chicken run clear when pierced with a fork.
- Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet lined with foil and broil in the oven for about 10 minutes or it is nice and golden. Note- you can skip this step if you want BUT this is the way to get crispy, golden skin. The flavor is still great!
- Remove the vegetables from the crockpot to the cookie sheet while you make the gravy.
Gravy
- Skim the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and place the pan over high heat. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil.
- Mix together 3 tablespoons of water with 4 tablespoons of cornstarch (add a little more water if needed). While whisking, pour the cornstarch into the broth and bring to a gentle boil. Allow to thicken while gently boiling.
- Taste the gravy to see if you need additional salt & pepper.
- Pour the gravy over the chicken and vegetables when serving. Or…save the broth for another purpose if you don’t want the gravy.
