Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Recipe for Super Tender Meat

I’m not saying I’ll never roast a chicken the old-fashioned way again. I’m just saying that this Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Recipe is so easy, and the meat it produces so tender, it’ll take a very strong argument to get me to haul out my roasting pan anytime soon.

Besides, my roasting pan can’t go in my dishwasher, while the slow cooker pan can. That right there ends any and all arguments 🙂

Why do I love this slow cooker whole chicken?

First, it checks all the boxes for me.

√ It’s easy
√ It’s fool-proof
√ It yields plenty of meat and broth

You know what that means? You’ll be benefitting from your (teeny tiny) effort for the rest of the week! There will be both incredibly tender meat and an amazing broth for soup-making that you’ll love.

There’s a second reason I love this recipe, and I tell you with some trepidation.

In a word? The meat is incredibly MOIST. I know there is some unwritten food blogger rule that I’m supposed to avoid that descriptor at all costs. Whatevs.

I’m not one for rules, and you, my dear friends, are not one for convention. For goodness sake, we’ve put coffee in our oatmeal, peanut butter in our stew, and pickles on our pizza!  Certainly we can handle a simple word that perfectly describes the tender meat, can’t we? It is perfection, this meat, when made via this cooking method.

There are endless opportunities to enjoy the tender chicken you’ll get from this recipe. I got 7 CUPS of chicken from a 7# bird! Your biggest dilemma will be deciding what to make first! Think Chicken and Rice Bowls, or Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad, or Quinoa Chicken Bowls.  It’s also fab on top of your salad, or stuffed into a tortilla with avocado and tomatoes. YUM.

And, of course, there is the opportunity to make soup.

It’s now time to talk about the broth. It is incomparable to any store-bought version. It’s flavorful and rich, thanks to the seasonings, salt, lemon, and the fact that you’ll keep a wee bit of the chicken fat before skimming the rest of it off.  Just 2 cups of water in the pot resulted in FIVE CUPS of mouth-watering broth. It’s magic, I tell you.

It made the best Homestyle Chicken Rice Soup.

Why I’ll Likely Never Roast a Whole Chicken Again

Simplicity is the name of the game. You rinse and dry the chicken, tuck some celery and lemon inside, sprinkle this and that on top, and add some water. Then you cover it and forget about it for hours.

Once it’s done and cooled, you strain the broth and separate the meat from the bones.

You’ve got oodles of broth and chicken to do with whatever your heart/stomach desires.

You’ll be giddy with the possibilities 🙂

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Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

Once you try this slow cooker whole chicken recipe, you may never roast a chicken in the oven again! You'll get super tender meat and delicious broth with a minimum of effort. 

Course Main Course, Main Meals, Slow Cooker

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Author Julia Robarts

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken 5-7#
• 2 stalks celery
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Remove giblets from inside chicken cavity, and set aside for another use, if desired. Rinse and pat dry the chicken, and place in the slow cooker.

2. Push the celery and lemon inside the cavity, giving the lemon a little squeeze as you do so to release some of the juice.

3. Pour 2 cups of water into the pan.

4. Dust the top and sides of the chicken with the celery salt, thyme, marjoram, paprika, and pepper.

5. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours. Turn off when the chicken begins to fall apart under light pressure. Remove cover and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. 

6. Remove the chicken, celery, and lemon to a platter and set aside. Pour the broth carefully through a mesh strainer resting on top of a medium bowl. Discard the solids in the strainger, and cover the bowl of broth. Refrigerate.

7. Next, tend to the task of separating the tender chicken meat from the bones and skin, which you will discard. You should get several cups of meat. Store the meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

8. After the broth has been chilling for several hours, you should be able to easily scrape off the layer of chicken fat which has settled on the top. I would recommend you leave a small amount of the fat behind, as it lends a wonderful flavor to the broth in soups and stews! The broth will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, and in the freezer for two months or more.

Recipe Notes

*I prefer to chill the broth overnight to allow me to easily remove most (but not all ) of the chicken fat. However, you can use the broth immediately, without that step, if you prefer.

*This recipe can easily be adapted to a smaller whole chicken. Just adjust the seasonings accordingly.