I don’t know why, but roasting a chicken in a crock pot never occurred to me until one of my uncles mentioned that he does it all the time. It’s so simple, you would expect there to be a catch; the only one I’ve found is that if you don’t like your chicken par-fried in fat, you need to elevate it - use a slow cooker rack if you have one, or just make some snakes out of aluminum foil and lay them underneath the chicken.
Cooking the chicken breast-side down allows the juices and fats to soak into the breast meat, making it super tender and juicy. This recipe works very well for plain chicken that can be used in other recipes, but it works equally as well for flavored chicken (it has a flavor)! Read on for some of our favorite concoctions.
Slow-Roasted Chicken - It Has a Flavor!
Ingredients:
- Small roasting chicken, innards removed, washed, and patted dry
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Your choice of seasonings
- Olive oil or vegetable oil
Rub the outside of your chicken with oil and apply spices as desired. Place in slow cooker on rack, breast-side down, on low heat for 4-6 hours.
SRSLY method: place frozen chicken (remove innards and wash before freezing) in slow cooker on rack, season, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Chicken Has a Flavor:
- Italian Honey Chicken: Stuff the cavity with fresh oregano, thyme, and garlic. Add 1/4 cup vermouth to the bottom of the crock. Baste with honey before serving.
- Margarita Chicken: Insert 1/2 of a fresh lime into the cavity and add 1/4 cup tequila to the crock.
- Lemon-Rosemary Chicken: Fresh rosemary and 1/2 of a lemon go into the cavity.
- Mega-Garlic Chicken: Insert the cloves from 1 full head of garlic into the cavity. Not recommended the night before a big day.
- Mer’s Macho Chicken: Slice onions, garlic, and bell peppers into big chunks and place under the chicken, along with 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar.
YUM! The crockpot is the only way I ever roast a chicken anymore. And the simplest seasonings take on enormous flavor (seasoned salt, anyone?). Your margarita chicken sounds fabulous! But I think I’ll add lime slices under the skin over the breast.
Speaking of…here’s a KILLER roast chicken recipe. Separate the skin from the breast with your hands or a rubber spatula. Fold a piece or two of maple bacon over your spatula and slide it under the chicken skin. Then rub the whole bird with a generous amount of minced garlic. Toss in a dry crockpot until done (3-4 hours on high or 4-6 on low).
Trina, how does your chicken not turn into a dry raisin with that method?
Try it, Mer. Honest. It just doesn’t dry out. It’s as moist as roast chicken can EVER be.
My mom told me about this, and I didn’t believe her. I refused to try it. But I was at her house once when she served it, and it was the best roast chicken I’d ever had, bar none. Now this is the only way I make it.
Go figure!