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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

    Published: February 28, 2020 · Updated: June 6, 2020 · By: Krissy · 23 Comments
    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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!

    slow cooked Whole chicken covered in dry rub

    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!

    Whole cooked chicken in crockpot

    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.

    Fall off the bone chicken wing after cooking in crockpot

    Did you make this recipe? Please leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!

    If you're looking for an easy weeknight dinner, make use of that crockpot and look no further than this delicious and simple Slow Cooker Whole Chicken.

    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!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
    Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
    Hover to scale: 6 servings
    Chef: Krissy Allori

    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
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    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!

    If you are looking for an easy weeknight dinner, make use of that crockpot and look no further than this delicious and simple Slow Cooker Whole Chicken.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bianca

      October 08, 2020 at 8:28 pm

      what if I want to add potatoes and carrots? When should they be added?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        October 14, 2020 at 4:53 am

        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).

        Reply
    2. Jojo

      February 29, 2020 at 7:53 pm

      Do I use all the rub on one chicken?

      Your recipe sounds wonderful and I will be making!

      Thank you

      Reply
      • Krissy

        March 01, 2020 at 10:45 am

        I do! If it seems like too much, you don't have to use all of it.

        Reply
    3. Sharon

      February 20, 2020 at 5:52 pm

      This chicken looks so tender and just falls off the bone after slow cooking. Perfect for Sunday meals.

      Reply
    4. Tristin Rieken

      February 20, 2020 at 5:32 pm

      5 stars
      My family LOVES grocery store rotisserie chicken but once I started making this we haven't purchased a single one! Delicious!

      Reply
    5. Lisa | Garlic & Zest

      February 20, 2020 at 2:55 pm

      5 stars
      Sometimes you just need a good chicken recipe -- I love that you haven't styled it to perfection. Gotta try that rub.

      Reply
    6. Chris Collins

      February 20, 2020 at 2:28 pm

      5 stars
      I've never actually slow cooked a whole chicken before but after reading this I'll definitely give it a go!!

      Reply
    7. Anjali

      February 20, 2020 at 2:20 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is so easy to make!! And the best part is it turned out to be absolutely delicious!

      Reply
    8. Melissa Carneado

      October 01, 2018 at 7:33 am

      So no liquid?!

      Reply
      • Krissy

        October 01, 2018 at 11:49 am

        Nope! The onion provides all the liquid it needed.

        Reply
    9. Meg

      July 05, 2018 at 7:29 pm

      your recipes have me pin, pin, pinning away 🙂 so glad I found your blog

      Reply
      • Krissy

        July 10, 2018 at 10:12 am

        Yay yay YAYYYY!!!

        Reply
    10. Kyra

      November 26, 2016 at 9:10 am

      Can we do this while the chicken is still frozen?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        November 28, 2016 at 6:28 am

        I think you can, but I've never tried it that way. It would just take longer. -Krissy

        Reply
    11. Joyce

      August 13, 2016 at 11:08 pm

      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?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        August 29, 2016 at 6:21 am

        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

        Reply
        • Donna Northrup

          August 20, 2020 at 9:10 am

          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.

          Reply
    12. Barbara Seidler

      March 01, 2016 at 4:43 pm

      I never could find the slow cooker recipe WHITE CHICKEN CHILE

      Reply
      • Krissy

        March 20, 2016 at 9:01 am

        Hi Barbara, here you go: http://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/skinny-white-chicken-chili/

        Reply
    13. Michelle @ Modern Acupuncture

      February 18, 2016 at 9:19 am

      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!

      Reply
    14. Chiara

      June 16, 2015 at 12:11 am

      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

      Reply
      • Krissy

        June 18, 2015 at 2:28 pm

        Hi Chiara, My guess would be 6hrs +/- depending on the size of your bird? - Krissy

        Reply

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