Slow Cooked Whole Chicken

I’ve finally hit that age where I don’t have the time or energy to make dinner or lunch every day. I was discussing this with my friend Stacey and she recommended a couple great crock pot recipes. Last Monday, when I had the day off, I decided to try her whole chicken recipe. I went to QFC to look for whole chickens, and learned the hard way, you should always buy one with the gizzards removed. When I got home, I attempted to remove whatever was in the chicken, got grossed out, and let it all roast. In the end, it wasn’t such a bad idea.

Chicken roasting in the cooker. It barely fit.

• 4 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large roasting chicken (with pop-up timer if possible)
• 1 cup chopped onion (optional)

Prep Time: 1/2 dayTotal Time: 1 dayIn a small bowl, combine the spices.  Remove any giblets from chicken and clean chicken. Rub spice mixture onto the chicken nice and good. Put the chopped onion in the bottom of the crock pot when you’re ready to cook it.  Add the chicken. No liquid is needed, the chicken will make it’s own juices. Cook on low 4-8 hours. I’ve read about different temperatures for the chicken to be fully cooked, and this is what I did: 170 for the breast, 180 for the rest of the chicken. Make sure your thermometer does not hit the bone and take the bone’s temperature. 

You can always put the chicken in the fridge and let the spices soak in overnight, or, if you’re impatient just like me, toss it in the crock pot and hope for the best. I started this at 2pm on low, and about 4 hours into it, I put the heat on high and it was finished at about 7:30 pm.

Finished product!

We roasted some red potatoes and grilled asparagus and shallot to finish it all of.

Olive oil onto the asparagus

Dinner