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!
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
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 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