Name: Crockpot Whole Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 lbs whole chicken; 1 tbsp garlic powder; 1 tbsp onion powder; 1 tbsp five-spice powder; 1 tbsp paprika; 1 tbsp red chili flakes; 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger; 5 - 6 green chilies ( optional); 3 green onions roughly chopped.; salt as per taste

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Last Updated on April 8, 2022 by Babita

Crockpot Whole Chicken is a recipe that I make where I dump all the ingredients, set the timer, and forget about it. The result is a tender, fall of the bone, juicy, yummy chicken ready for dinner without much effort.

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About the Recipe

There are tons of recipes for Crockpot Whole Chicken also commonly known as slow cooker whole chicken. However, this particular one is my recipe which I have improvised over the years depending on what ingredients I had available to me in my kitchen.

This chicken recipe is my version of dump the chicken and seasonings and forget about it. The slow cooker is designed to cook slowly for several hours and I just love the taste and texture of this chicken.

It is one of those slow cooker chicken dump dinners that will save your life and time. You don’t have to worry about sauteing, browning or baking before cooking the chicken. I dump everything into the slow cooker and don’t bother measuring the ingredients.

Ingredients & Substitutions Notes.

Whole Chicken: This recipe calls for whole chicken. You can use organic or regular chicken.

What size of chicken should I use for the crockpot recipe

For this recipe, I use a 5 lbs chicken. The chicken should be big/small enough to fit the crock of the pot. I find the 5 lbs chicken perfect for a 5 qt. slow cooker or crockpot.

Dry Spices: includes garlic powder, five-spice powder, paprika powder, onion powder, salt, and red chili flakes. If you see the video below, you will notice that I don’t measure any of the ingredients. However, I have included measurements in the recipe card below for your convenience.

Other ingredients: includes chopped ginger, green chilies and green onion.

Instructions to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Crockpot or Slow Cooker

Thaw chicken. Clean the chicken well under running water. Make sure to clean the cavity of the chicken thoroughly as well.
Place it directly inside the crockpot or slow cooker.

Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, five-spice powder, paprika, red chili flakes, and salt on top of the chicken.
Next, add the chopped ginger, green chilies, and green onion.

Place the lid and cook on high heat for 3 hours. Halfway through the cooking, baste the chicken with the liquid that is at the bottom of the pot. Repeat this process another 2 to 3 times at 30 min intervals.
Once done, unplug the crockpot. Remove the chicken carefully and allow it to rest for 10 mins before serving. See the video here or in the recipe card below.

How to Serve the Whole Chicken

This chicken will be super tender. If you are not careful, it will break when you remove it from the crockpot, like mine did… oops. So be patient and take your time removing it.

Dark Meat: I serve the dark meat pieces of the chicken (tighs, drumsticks, wings) for dinner.
White Meat: No one in my family likes breast meat so I save it for other recipes. I either cut the breast meat into small slices or shred them and use them for sandwiches, wraps, dumplings etc.
Rest of the chicken: all the remaining bone pieces are a treat for me. I like to mindlessly nibble on them. They are my comfort food.