Crockpot Whole Chicken with Lemon-Herb Butter Seasoning
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
10 min
Cook
180 min
Total
195 min
Servings
6
Level
Easy
Prepare 6 servings of this chicken recipe ahead of time by providing slow-cooked and shredded chicken for other meals, or slow-cooked chicken to eat at a later meal. Slowly cooked chicken is flavorful, with added butter, herbs, and lemon.
Brown sugar, paprika, salt, celery salt, dried thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder are combined with softened butter to make a paste. The paste is spread under the chicken skin and on the outer surface of the meat for added flavor. Lemon halves and fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs are put inside the chicken. A ring of aluminum foil is placed under the chicken to raise it above its released juices.
As the chicken cooks on HIGH, it will cook through and become white, with an internal temperature of 165°F at its thickest point. The main downsides of using a slow cooker for this recipe are that the chicken might stick to the slow cooker and get mushy on the bottom. Molded foil can help prevent the chicken from sticking and fit testing can help you assess the chicken's fit in the slow cooker.
In other roasted chicken dishes, let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing and broil for serving with crispy skin. Wrap or bag leftovers after shredding cooked chicken for use in other dishes, including tacos, soups, and sandwiches.
Why we keep this one around
- Six servings provide one roast dinner and chicken for other meals like tacos and sandwiches. You can prepare more than six meals from one slow-cooker session.
- Shredding meat scraps for freezing makes it easier to use frozen meat as individual portions, and the freezing techniques mentioned in the recipe help you plan meals.
- You can evenly broil chicken before serving. This allows you to prepare chicken in advance for other meals that don't require crisp chicken skin.
- A foil ring placed under the chicken keeps the chicken from sitting in its juices to avoid a soggy underside when preparing a larger batch.
- The seasoning paste is used beneath and on top of the skin. Cut or shredded meat will retain savory, sweet, and smoky flavors.
- Lemon, rosemary, and thyme are added to the bird while roasting to flavor the dish and leftovers eaten later.
Ingredients
- •1 tablespoon brown sugar
- •1 tablespoon ground paprika
- •1 teaspoon salt
- •1 teaspoon celery salt
- •1 teaspoon dried thyme
- •1 teaspoon garlic powder
- •½ teaspoon onion powder
- •3 tablespoons butter (softened)
- •1 whole chicken (around 5 pounds, innards removed)
- •1 lemon (cut in half)
- •1 sprig fresh rosemary
- •3 sprigs fresh thyme
- •cooking spray (for coating the slow cooker)
- •aluminum foil (for shaping a ring in the bottom of the slow cooker)
Instructions
- 1
Coat a slow cooker large enough to comfortably hold the chicken with cooking spray.
- 2
Shape a large piece of aluminum foil into a ring and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker as a rack.
- 3
Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt, celery salt, dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and softened butter in a small bowl until a paste forms.
- 4
Gently loosen the chicken skin with your index finger.
- 5
Rub the seasoning paste all over the chicken, inside the cavity, and underneath the skin.
- 6
Stuff the chicken cavity with the lemon halves, rosemary, and fresh thyme.
- 7
Place the chicken on the aluminum foil ring in the slow cooker.
- 8
Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is no longer pink inside and registers 165°F at the thickest part.
- 9
For crispy skin, transfer the chicken to a sheet pan and broil for 3 to 5 minutes until crispy.
- 10
Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving, then serve or shred.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
338
Calories
24g
Protein
25g
Fat
4g
Carbs
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