This Slow Cooker Whole Chicken comes out tender and juicy, rubbed with a simple savory herb seasoning. Finish it under the broiler for deliciously crisp skin, and don’t forget to use the drippings in a homemade gravy that might steal the show.
Serve this chicken with garlic ranch mashed potatoes and my favorite roasted broccoli for a complete Sunday dinner your family will love.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
- Flavor: Savory and herb-seasoned with a hint of smokiness, and a flavorful gravy that adds a delicious finish.
- Why It’s the Best: Just five minutes of prep, hands-off cooking, and the drippings are turned into a homemade gravy (no flavor wasted!).
- Tools: A 6-quart slow cooker comfortably accommodates a whole chicken weighing about 4 pounds, with enough room for even cooking.
Cook Time: 4 Hrs 5 Mins (5 Min Prep!) Servings: 6 Cooking Method: Slow Cooker
Ingredient Notes
- Whole Chicken: Choose a chicken weighing about 4 pounds that fits comfortably in your slow cooker without touching the lid. Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity, and pat dry before seasoning.
- Seasoning Mix: Paprika, smoked paprika, seasoned salt, garlic powder, black pepper, parsley, and thyme create a savory, smoky roast-style flavor. Swap the seasoning mix for homemade poultry seasoning or chicken seasoning.
How to Make Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
- Coat the chicken with oil and rub with the seasoning mix.
- Set the chicken on foil balls and onion slices in the slow cooker, then cook.
- Broil, then rest the chicken while making the gravy (full recipe below).
Storing Leftover Crockpot Chicken
- Remove the meat from the bones before refrigerating the leftovers (keep these!). Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze the chicken and gravy separately for up to 3 months. I love to store the chicken bones in the freezer as well to use in my Instant Pot chicken broth.
Set-It-and-Forget-It Chicken Dinners
Did you enjoy this Slow Cooker Whole Chicken and Gravy? Leave a comment and rating below.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken about 4 lbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 slices onion
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- chicken broth optional
Seasoning Mix
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Instructions
- Combine all seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl.
- Brush chicken with olive oil and rub seasoning into chicken.
- Roll up balls of foil and place in the bottom of the slow cooker with 2 thick slices of onion. Place chicken on foil, breast side up so it is slightly lifted off the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉.
- Remove the chicken and place it in a small pan. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes to crisp the skin (optional). Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Gravy
- Remove foil and onion from slow cooker and turn onto high. If required, add broth to create about 2 cups of liquid.
- In a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons cornstarch with 4 tablespoons water to create a slurry.
- Whisk about ⅔ of the cornstarch into the drippings/broth and let cook on high. Depending on the amount of liquid you may need to add more of the cornstarch slurry to reach desired consistency. Let cook at least 5 minutes before serving.
- Taste and season with salt & pepper.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
One step left out is to dry your chicken inside and out with paper towels, then brush with olive oil and rub. We have made this many times and it always comes out moist and delicious. This is a wonderful recipe.
Thank you for sharing, I’ll have to give the olive oil a try!
If I use an 8lb. Chicken, do I have to change any of the cooking times. I have a huge family, so my chickens are also huge…..LOL!
I would suspect it would take longer to cook but to be honest I can’t say for sure how much longer (maybe an hour?). I would suggest using a meat thermometer and check it at the suggested time in the recipe to gauge how much longer you’ll need.
I personally use a thermometer that can read the temperature and stay in the meat (in the oven or slow cooker) so I don’t have to open the lid, they’re about $20 and most places have them or you can get them online at Amazon for a great price. You’ll want to make sure the breast is 165°F or the thickest part of the thigh is 175°F-180°F.
Please let us know how it goes!
Tried this recipe today. Turned into falling off the bone, succulent chicken. Awesome recipe!
Glad you loved it! We do too :)
This is incredibly bland. I’m amazed at all the rave reviews. I must be the minority in wanting my actual meat to have the flavor and gravy be an optional addition. Not a necessity.
I will definitely be seasoning my chicken much better if I make this again.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this, we find it delicious and flavorful! You can most certainly change the seasonings if you prefer!
Put the seasoning under the skin and it will be great.
Just tried this slow cooker chicken and was delighted how how it turned it; just delicious. I tweaked a little and didn’t use foil balls, but balanced the chicken on a small quartered onion, otherwise everything else was the same. It was lovely to place the chicken in the slow cooker, go to work and come back to delicious succulent meat and a base for gravy…no basting and burning my wrists whilst trying to cover the chicken either…win win! Thank you :)
Glad you loved this chicken Zelda!
I tried your recipe and it was delicious! Thank you for sharing.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
every thing turned out great, must warn you that aluimin foil can cause cancer when heated with food, so i don’t use, works great with just thick onion and celery layer on the bottom
Adding veggies to the bottom is a great idea Wendy!
I think a turkey roasting pan is basically aluminum foil and is cooked in non stop ?
Super recipe but no need to cook aluminum with your food. Some carrots or thick sliced potatoes along with the sliced onions are perfect for keeping the chicken from cooking in its juices. I threw in some celery too with just a bit of chicken stock.
Easy and fantastic!
Didn’t have smoked paprika but it was delicious and so tender. Next time I will add the smoked paprika and see if we like it better.
I can’t wait to make this tonight. I usually play with recipes, but I think I’ll leave this one alone.
This sou d wonderful with not a lot of prep. Will be our Sunday dinner.
Enjoy it Isabel!
I would recommend not skipping the broiling part if you want to get a real rotisserie-style chicken texture with the crispy skin. The spice rub works well – great recipe! Will definitely make this simple no-fuss recipe again.
This was just as easy and delicious as it claimed . I cooked mine on high for 4 hours and finished in the broiler. Its definitely a keeper!!
So glad you loved it Rochelle!
Thanks a lot.i made it.
It was really great.I rubbed soya sauce and Worcestershire sauce on chicken before oil.
Can I make with no skin whole chicken
Sure you can!
Delicious recipe! I will be making again! Thank you!
I made this for the very first time, my husband and kids loved it! I used potatoes and carrots on the bottom instead of foil. I did not use paprika or thyme. My husband doesn’t like those seasonings. I also used onion powder instead of an onion and mixed it with other dry seasonings. I didn’t have olive oil so I used vegetable oil. Also didn’t have chicken broth so I made my own with chicken bouillon cubes. My dinner was awesome. Thanks!
Sounds great Elizabeth! Happy to hear that your family loved it.
Foil?!.. balls of foil?!! How about vegetables? Celery, onions, carrots, potatoes. No foil.
I’m sure they’ll add great flavor to the gravy! You may need to remove them from the slow cooker before mixing.
Quite possibly the best slow cooker chicken recipe I have tried. The gravy is the bomb!! I substituted Emeril’s Essence for the smoked paprika as I did not have any, and it was perfect!
I’m so glad you loved it Erica!
Will I still be able to make the gravy if I use celery, carrots, potatoes, and oinions at the bottom?
I’m sure they’ll add great flavor to the gravy! You may need to remove them from the slow cooker before mixing.