How to Cook a Perfect Chicken in the Crock Pot

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Cooking a whole chicken is a cheap and delicious way to feed your family, but it can seem intimidating if you’ve never done it before. I will walk you through the process step by step, so you can try cooking your own whole chicken!

This is a fool-proof method for cooking a whole chicken. Slow cooking it ensures the entire chicken will get fully cooked, but none of it will dry out. You will have an extremely moist chicken with the meat falling off the bones.

I love to serve it with decadent mashed potatoes and another vegetable on the side. Then I shred whatever meat remains and save for one or two later meals. Once only the carcass is left, I save that and the juices in the crock and use it to make the most amazing homemade chicken stock the next day.

How to Cook a Perfect Chicken in the Crock Pot

You’ll need:

One whole chicken
One lemon, sliced in half
One handful of fresh thyme, plus loose thyme leaves
Paprika
Salt and pepper

You don’t want the meat to boil in the juices that cook out of it, so you need to raise the chicken up. I do this by taking three pieces of foil, balling them up, and placing the foil balls at three points in the crock.

2. Take your chicken out of the packaging, and check the cavity of the chicken for gizzards. If your chicken has some stuffed in there, congratulations! Set those aside in a container for later: you’ll use them for your homemade chicken stock. Stuff the cavity with the lemon pieces and fresh thyme.

3. Place the chicken on top of the foil balls, with the legs resting on two foil balls and the neck resting on one.

4. Season generously with salt, pepper, and paprika, then sprinkle thyme leaves all over.

5. Cover and cook on low for six to seven hours. By the end you will have a delicious juicy chicken that will just fall apart.

6. If you want a crispy skin, cut the chicken into pieces and set on a baking tray, skin side up. Set in the oven on the top rack and broil for two minutes.