Slow Cooker Garlic Rosemary Whole Chicken

This slow cooker whole chicken is easy and full of awesome flavors. Made in the ease of a crockpot, it is a simple dinner staple and the leftover chicken can be used in so many other ways.

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We’ve all thought it. We might have even grumbled it under our breath on our way out of the grocery store. Perhaps we have even wondered if it is really worth it. So, let’s just go ahead and say it out loud.

Real healthy food can be so dang expensive!

See, I told you we have all thought it. Myself included. Many times, in fact. I truly love and believe in the value of eating and raising my family on a whole food, back-to-the-traditional-basics diet. However, when I first set out on my real food journey, the unsettling total at the end of my grocery bill has made me question how sustainable this kind of eating lifestyle could be.

Then, I learned a few tricks. Key tricks, in fact, for making real food on a budget work!

And this recipe is one of those tricks.

Actually, it is more like 3 tricks wrapped into one neatly packaged, easy and oh-so delicious recipe. Slow Cooker Garlic Rosemary Chicken.

A whole chicken, to be exact. You can certainly make this recipe with bone-in chicken breasts or thighs or whatever part of the chicken you want….but a whole chicken is where it’s at! Why? Because a whole chicken costs way less per pound than one that has been de-boned and you get way more bang for your buck in the meat department.

And (here comes real food on a budget trick #2), you cook this amazingly delicious, cost efficient chicken to perfection in your slow cooker. No rushing around after work to get dinner into the oven. Just pop that bird into the slow cooker before you head out the door and you come home to an amazing smelling house and dinner is done done done! Slow cookers are totally my kitchen wingman and I can’t emphasize enough how useful they are for making nourishing home cooked meals happen for busy families. If you don’t have one, buy one! And if yours is collecting dust, bust it out and make this chicken.

Lastly, a whole chicken made in the slow cooker is an EXTRA amazing recipe to make because you can turn around and use the bones to make easy-peasy delicious and nourishing homemade bone broth IN your slow cooker….directly after making this chicken (and there is trick #3 for ya). Bone broth is an amazing thing to have on hand for so many recipes (soups, stir fries, rice/quinoa) and you can make it yourself out of stuff that is literally destined for the trash can. It’ll be like found money in your grocery budget since you won’t have to buy stocks or broths again!

This recipe will become a staple in your house for sure. It absolutely is in mine. It’s not just the wonderful flavor and ease of the recipe that has me making time and time again…but how far my hard earn dollars go to feed my family in a truly nourishing and healthy way.

Tips for making slow cooker whole chicken

• Make sure the internal temperature of your chicken is 165℉ at the end of cooking. That is when the meat is cooked through and safe to eat. I highly recommend getting a digital meat thermometer (affiliate link) since every oven cooks a bit differently and every chicken is a different size.
• If you like crispy skin, throw it under the broiler for a few minutes. Since a slow cooker cooks with moisture, you cannot achieve a crisp golden skin in the crockpot. But if that is something you enjoy, just pop your whole chicken into a baking sheet and under the broiler for a few after it is done cooking in the slow cooker.
• Turn the bones into bone broth! I love using the whole animal when cooking and the bones of a slow cooker whole chicken are wonderful for homemade stock! Plus, it is a great way to save money on a real food budget. You can make homemade bone broth in your slow cooker too, making life extra easy.

Other crockpot recipes you are going to love

• Slow Cooker Chicken Bone Broth
• Mexican Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
• Slow Cooker Chicken & Butternut Squash Stew
• The BEST Slow Cooker Black Beans
• Slow Cooker Almond Butter Beef Stew