Lemon Garlic Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

Whole chicken sitting on a platter topped with fresh rosemary.

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Making a rotisserie style whole chicken in the slow cooker has never been so easy! This lemon garlic chicken is cooked on low for 6-8 hrs and results in the most flavorful fall off the bone chicken! And, the leftover meat can be used in a variety of different casseroles and soups!

Prep Time10

Total Time6 10

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 360kcal

Author: Amanda Mason

Equipment

Slow Cooker

Ingredients

4-5 lb whole chicken
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup celery, quartered
2 cups carrots, quartered
32 ounces chicken broth
10 garlic cloves, whole
1 teaspoon rosemary, dried
1 lemon, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3-4 fresh rosemary sprigs

Instructions

To Make The Wet Rub

Finely chop the onions, garlic, and fresh rosemary. Place in a medium size bowl.
Slice the lemon into 6 wedges and squeeze the lemon juice into bowl. Add the salt and pepper.
Using a spoon, mix the ingredients until they are well combined. Set aside.

Preparing The Chicken

After washing the celery and carrots, chop them into quarters and place them at the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour the chicken broth over the vegetables.
Generously apply the wet rub onto the whole chicken, ensuring the rub gets under the wings and into all the crevices.
From there, place the whole chicken into the slow cooker so that it sits on top of the celery, carrots, and chicken broth. Add in the lemon rinds along with 2-3 sprigs of rosemary.
Now that the chicken is prepared, place on the lid and let the slow cooker roast chicken cook for 6-8 hours on low.
You'll know the chicken is done when it starts to pull away from the bone. While the chicken should be starting to fall apart at the touch, it's always a good idea to check the internal temperature with a digital thermometer. To do this, insert the probe into the thickest part of the breast. When the thermometer reaches 165°F, it's done.

Notes

Before making this whole chicken in the slow cooker, make sure it is completely thawed. While you can slow cook a frozen whole chicken, it takes twice as long time wise. And to me, the texture is off and it just doesn't taste the same. The best way to thaw a chicken is by letting it defrost slowly in the refrigerator.
Don't overcook the chicken. If it is overcooked, it's going to be dry and no one likes dry chicken. I start checking the meat at hour 6 by inserting a digital thermometer into the deepest part of the breast. As soon as it registers 165°F in two different locations, it's done.
When adding carrots to the slow cooker, don't peel them. All the nutrition is in the peeling. Plus, you'll never be able to tell if the carrots are peeled or not. It doesn't taste any different. You can use orange or multi-colored carrots. There is additional nutritional value in multi-colored carrots.
I use an oval size slow cooker for making this chicken because it has plenty of room for a 4-5lb chicken. When using a round slow cooker, you should use a smaller size whole chicken, around 2-3lb.
If you slow cook the chicken on low, it will take around 6-8 hours. If cooking on high heat, it should be done in 3-4 hours.
You're going to have leftover chicken so let's talk about what you can do with it. You can freeze it for up to 3-4 months. Place the leftover meat in a Ziplock baggie and write the date on the outside of the bag.
To store leftovers in the refrigerator, place the meat in a container that has a lid. It will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.

Nutrition