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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!

If you’re looking for more of a complete meal, you could also consider making slow cooker chicken and dressing.

slow cooked Whole chicken covered in dry rub
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Table of Contents

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!

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Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

Prep15 minutes
Cook4 hours 30 minutes
Total4 hours 45 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author Krissy Allori
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.
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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!
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Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 1 whole chicken 3-4 pounds, rinsed
  • 1 medium onion peel removed, thickly sliced

One Spoon Dry Rub:

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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 1/2 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

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

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave me a comment below

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!

Hi! I’m Krissy.

I love to create the BEST versions of your favorite recipes. If you love to cook, love to eat, or just have a deep appreciation for good food, you're in the right place! Stick around... I have hundreds of recipes for you to make.

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23 Comments

  1. 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

  2. 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. 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

    1. 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

      1. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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