Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

Make this Slow Cooker Whole Chicken for a super easy way to make a comforting dinner without slaving all day in the kitchen! And you’ll only need 4 ingredients to put it together.

This hearty dinner is perfect as a weeknight meal but also great for holidays and special occasion. Cooking in the slow cooker frees up your oven to cook dinner rolls or other side dishes.

Jump to:

• 💚 About This Recipe
• 🧂 Ingredients Needed
• 🔪 Instructions
• ❔ FAQs
• 💭 Expert Tips and Tricks
• 💡 Substitutions and Variations
• 🔊 What readers are saying...
• 🥫 Storage and Reheating
• ❄️ Make Ahead Instructions
• 🍴 What To Serve With This Dish
• ✔️ More Slow Cooker Recipes You'll Love
• 📋 Recipe Card
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

💚 About This Recipe

Slow cooking ensures the chicken stays juicy and tender and the skin will still get brown and crispy with just a few minutes under the broiler (optional step).

Want to make a nice dinner for your family but just have no time to spend in the kitchen preparing it? If so, then this recipe is for you!

The slow cooker makes it really easy to produce fall-off-the-bone, juicy, perfectly cooked chicken. If you think you have to sacrifice brown crispy skin to have the convenience of slow cooking, you would be wrong!

And if you love simple but tasty chicken dinners, try One Skillet Garlic Chicken with Rice or Creamy Smothered Chicken Thighs!

Buying a whole chicken instead of chicken breasts is one of my 14 smart ingredient substitutions that will help you cut costs without sacrificing flavor. It's a great strategy for budget-conscious cooks!

🧂 Ingredients Needed

• whole chicken - with very little prep, you can make an entire chicken in your crock pot.
• onion soup mix - this is a fantastic way to add delicious and complex flavor with little effort.
• olive oil - helps the seasonings stick to the chicken.
• baby carrots - provide some added nutrition with your chicken.
• minced garlic - enhances the onion soup mix!

🔪 Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine onion soup mix, garlic, and olive oil.
2. Mix until well combined.
3. Remove giblets from chicken.
4. Spread the seasonings and oil all over the chicken.

5. Place the carrots in a single layer in the slow cooker.
6. Lay the chicken over top the carrots and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.

Got leftovers? Combine your leftover chicken with leftover Slow Cooker Quinoa, toss in some leftover veggies, mix in some ranch dressing, and you have a hearty, filling chicken quinoa salad to enjoy as another dinner that week! Get more ideas on re-using leftovers and food scraps in this article on turning table scraps into gourmet meals.

Or try making these fresh and delicious Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers! They are a simple and hearty way to make your crock pot whole chicken provide you with a second meal.

❔ FAQs

💭 Expert Tips and Tricks

• If you are starting with frozen chicken, it's safer and easier to cook your chicken from a thawed state.
• No need to add any water or other liquid to your slow cooker - this chicken will cook just fine without it!
• Resist the urge to lift the lid to check on the chicken as it cooks. Leaving the lid on will ensure proper cooking and moisture retention.
• You can forego the veggies and cook the chicken on some balled up aluminum foil or a slow cooker rack if you have one. Just be sure it's slightly raised from the bottom of the crock pot.
• Like gravy? Make a batch of my Easy Homemade Gravy to go with this dinner. No meat drippings required!

📌 Making a slow cooker chicken with onion soup mix is a great way to prepare a hearty meal for your family any night of the week! Juicy, tender, and loaded with flavor!

💡 Substitutions and Variations

• Other veggies can be used instead of or in addition to carrots. Try some onions or celery stalks!
• For an extra crispy skin, broil the chicken for 3 to 5 minutes after it's cooked.
• Any kind of seasonings can be substituted for this recipe. Even just some olive oil with salt and pepper will result in delicious chicken!
• You can use this recipe to make roasted chicken to slice for sandwiches and wraps, or you can shred it and make chicken salad, chicken tacos, chicken enchiladas, etc. Anywhere you would have normally used rotisserie chicken, you can use this chicken.

🥫 Storage and Reheating

Keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, you can easily put a few pieces of chicken in the microwave and zap them until they're warm.

❄️ Make Ahead Instructions

This is a great freezer friendly meal. Just cook, completely cool, and package in an airtight container or large zipper freezer bag. Then stick it in the fridge to thaw about 2 days before you want to use it. (If you are interested in more meals you can freeze, check out this post with over 20 freezer friendly recipes!)

🍴 What To Serve With This Dish

Serve with a side of pasta tossed with some olive oil and Parmesan cheese, and a steamed veggie, and you have a wonderful meal your family will rave over.

You can also make this onion gravy recipe to drizzle over your chicken for even more deliciously rich flavor.

This Green Chile Corn Pudding is a creamy and delicious family favorite that goes really well with this chicken.

Or, for a really special yet super easy side dish, try my flavorful Lemon Dill Rice! Another fabulous option is this delicate yet rich lobster ravioli sauce recipe.

📋 Recipe Card