Prepare the most tender and flavorful whole chicken by coating it with the best homemade dry rub and slow cooking it with nothing but an onion. So easy!
Why this recipe works:
- Once you make my One Spoon Dry Rub recipe, you'll never want to use anything else. You most likely have everything you need in your pantry. I've used it to make this recipe, pork tenderloin, roasted chicken, chicken wings... Trust me - you'll love the combination of flavors!
- This is the easiest way to make a whole chicken E-V-E-R. Just the chicken, sliced onion, and the dry rub.
- You can get multiple meals from this recipe. Eat it for dinner as is or shred the meat to use in recipes like Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas, Homemade Chicken and Dumplings, or Warm Buffalo Chicken Dip
- The meat from a slow cooker whole chicken is so tender and flavorful that it blows a rotisserie chicken out of the barn!
Here's how to make it:
- Prepare the dry rub by mixing all of the seasonings together in a small bowl.
- Add the onion slices to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Coat the entire chicken with the dry rub and set it breast-side-down on top of the onion slices.
- Cook a little over 2 hours on high heat, flip the chicken, then continue cooking for another couple of hours. That's it!
Cooking Tips:
- Cook the chicken face down for the first half of the cooking time. This makes the breast meat extra juicy because all of the fat melts down into the liquid. I use this same trick when I roast a whole chicken on the grill too. No one likes dried out white meat!
- Make an extra big batch of the dry rub and store it in a mason jar for other recipes. You won't regret it.
- Use this recipe to make a rich chicken broth! Once you remove all of the meat from the bones, toss the skin and bones back into the slow cooker, add some chopped celery and carrot (if you like) with a bay leaf, fill the crockpot to the top with water, and cook for a few hours.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!
Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Prepare the most tender and flavorful whole chicken by coating it with the best homemade dry rub and slow cooking it with nothing but an onion. So easy!
Print
Pin
Rate
Save
Hover to scale: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3-4 pounds, rinsed)
- 1 medium onion (peel removed, thickly sliced)
One Spoon Dry Rub:
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons paprika
Instructions
- Spread onion slices over the base of your slow cooker.
- Prepare dry rub by mixing together all of the seasonings in a bowl.
- Coat entire chicken with all of the spices. Add the spice rubbed chicken with the breast side down. Cook on high for 4 ½ hours, turning chicken to breast side up half way through cooking process.
- Serve immediately for an easy dinner or shred the meat to use in soups, salads, dips, quesadillas, etc.
Notes
Cooking Tips:
- Cook the chicken face down for the first half of the cooking time. This makes the breast meat extra juicy because all of the fat melts down into the liquid. I use this same trick when I roast a whole chicken on the grill too. No one likes dried out white meat!
- Make an extra big batch of the dry rub and store it in a mason jar for other recipes. You won't regret it.
- Use this recipe to make a rich chicken broth! Once you remove all of the meat from the bones, toss the skin and bones back into the slow cooker, add some chopped celery and carrot (if you like) with a bay leaf, fill the crockpot to the top with water, and cook for a few hours.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Calories: 346kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 1095mg | Potassium: 512mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2196IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 7mg
SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTERSign up to have my recipes emailed to you. Free!
This recipe was originally published in February 2015 and was updated with more information and cooking tips. Don't worry - nothing about the recipe was changed!
Chiara
I love this! I want to put it on slow to cook rather than fast, how long would you recommend to put it in for?
Chiara
Breathe Eat Love
Krissy
Hi Chiara, My guess would be 6hrs +/- depending on the size of your bird? - Krissy
Michelle @ Modern Acupuncture
Looking forward to giving this a try! I have a terrible time with dry chicken 🙁 But the slow cooker is my jam! Perfect timing on this recipe, thank you!
Barbara Seidler
I never could find the slow cooker recipe WHITE CHICKEN CHILE
Krissy
Hi Barbara, here you go: http://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/skinny-white-chicken-chili/
Joyce
I'm sorry, truly I am, but your use of so many unnecessary foul words just ruined the entire post for me. Why do you have to use such language when you're obviously a smart, intelligent and pretty woman? Can't you use clean language that's inoffensive?
Krissy
Hi Joyce, Thanks for the feedback! I must have been in quite the mood on the day that I wrote that post. I went ahead and cleaned it up. Sometimes I forget I'm not the only one reading my blog posts. 🙂 Krissy
Donna Northrup
Just remember that not everyone is offended by "foul" words. Maybe put a "foul language" warning at the beginning of the blog. Those who are easily offended can skip such blogs. Just a thought.
Kyra
Can we do this while the chicken is still frozen?
Krissy
I think you can, but I've never tried it that way. It would just take longer. -Krissy
Meg
your recipes have me pin, pin, pinning away 🙂 so glad I found your blog
Krissy
Yay yay YAYYYY!!!
Melissa Carneado
So no liquid?!
Krissy
Nope! The onion provides all the liquid it needed.
Anjali
This recipe is so easy to make!! And the best part is it turned out to be absolutely delicious!
Chris Collins
I've never actually slow cooked a whole chicken before but after reading this I'll definitely give it a go!!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
Sometimes you just need a good chicken recipe -- I love that you haven't styled it to perfection. Gotta try that rub.
Tristin Rieken
My family LOVES grocery store rotisserie chicken but once I started making this we haven't purchased a single one! Delicious!
Sharon
This chicken looks so tender and just falls off the bone after slow cooking. Perfect for Sunday meals.
Jojo
Do I use all the rub on one chicken?
Your recipe sounds wonderful and I will be making!
Thank you
Krissy
I do! If it seems like too much, you don't have to use all of it.
Bianca
what if I want to add potatoes and carrots? When should they be added?
Krissy
Depends on how soft you want them. I would probably throw the potatoes in an hour before the chicken is done and the carrots about 30min (only because I don't like mushy carrots).