For being a food blogger, I’m a sucker for finding ways to not really having to cook.
Well, I guess slow cooking IS cooking, but it certainly isn’t anything like our great-grandmothers went through to get an amazing dinner on the table. Those ladies would be hanging out in a hot kitchen for hours and hours, working tirelessly to prepare a healthy nourishing home-cooked meal for their families. Great-grandmas were pretty hardcore amazing ladies. I also bet they all had great skin from all that steam constantly opening up their pores. Hmmm, perhaps I need to slave over a stove more for that reason alone.
But I digress. Back to slow cooking.
I love my slow cooker in a deep and profound way. This is not the first time you guys are hearing this. It’s pretty evident in all my slow cooker recipes. Here is the thing: I don’t have a lot of time to make dinner. I work full-time, have a gnarly commute to and from work in Southern California traffic (if you guys have ever visited/lived in Southern California, I’m confident I have your sympathies), and generally enjoy spending time with my family and holding onto my sanity. However, I refuse to let all those factors impact the quality of a meal I put on the table at night. So, I’ve just adapted….with the help of my trusty slow cooker.
I love any recipe you can make in a slow cooker, but a good main dish that can be made in the crock pot is as good as hitting the lottery. Whole chicken in the slow cooker is easily one of my favorite main dishes to serve on busy nights when my time in the kitchen is especially crunched.
Why a whole chicken? For a couple of reasons.
1) It’s cheaper and you get more bang for your buck. When you buy a boneless chicken breast, you are not only paying for the meat but for the processing of cutting it off of the bones and wrapping it up all nice for you. When you buy a whole chicken, you pay much less per pound since you aren’t paying for the extra labor and you get both dark and light meat. Plus, once you are done getting the meat off of the bones, you can throw your whole chicken carcass back into the slow cooker with some water, onion, and other veggies for homemade bone broth.
2. Slow cookers cook, well, low and slow. A whole chicken won’t dry out as fast as chicken breasts will and the bones will infuse the meat with extra lovely flavor.
The lemon juice in this recipe gives the chicken just a hint of tang (and some added moisture) and the thyme adds some earthy flavors to the dish. Make this lemon thyme chicken during your meal prep for easy, throw-together lunches (it’s amazing on salads) or toss it in the slow cooker before you dash out the door in the morning so that dinner is ready and waiting for you and the family at the end of a busy day.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken (3-4 pounds)
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 5 springs of fresh thyme OR 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 3-5 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
- Remove giblets from the chicken and rinse under cool water. Place in slow cooker.
- Pour lemon juice over whole chicken and sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Place garlic cloves and bay leaves in the slow cooker around the chicken.
- Cover slow cooker and cook the chicken on low for 9-10 hours OR high for 4-5 hours.
- Once the chicken is done cooking, the meat should easily come off the bone and you can enjoy it immediately or store in fridge for up to 4 days.
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Elannah
June 7, 2016 at 9:42 pmIs there no water needed to cook the chicken in a crock pot?! (I am knew to cooking meat in the crockpot.)
Thank you!
Elannah
Taesha Butler
June 21, 2016 at 4:11 amNope! Not when you do a whole chicken! There is lots of moisture in the chicken and the lemon juice offers all the liquid you need!
Josh
October 5, 2016 at 3:20 pmThe smallest chicken I could find is 8lbs. Is it better to cut it in half or double the recipe?
Taesha Butler
October 8, 2016 at 3:24 amIf you can fit that whole bad boy in your slow cooker, just double the rest of the ingredients and enjoy some seriously tasty chicken for days to come! It’ll freeze great if you aren’t feeding a crowd!
Katie
December 31, 2016 at 11:45 amI have boneless, skinless chicken thighs on hand. Could I use this recipe for those?
Dana
January 8, 2017 at 5:05 pmCan I use skinless chicken breast? I have plenty on hand.
Taesha Butler
January 9, 2017 at 3:19 amYou sure can! I’d probably only cook it for about 4 hours on low or until the chicken easily falls apart.
Enjoy!
Leila
January 9, 2017 at 2:35 pmI am making it tonight. What is the calories per serving for both white and dark meet?
Leah
August 24, 2017 at 4:32 amThis came out awesome! So easy and yummy!!
Shelley
October 13, 2017 at 5:05 pmCan I make this in an Instant Pot?
Taesha Butler
October 17, 2017 at 6:57 pmYes! I often make it that way! Usually 25 minutes on manual high pressure and then natural pressure release.
Kipp
January 3, 2018 at 6:41 pmThis is super delicious and easy. I modified the recipe just a tad by rubbing the bird with a tablespoon of ghee. I also added sliced onion to the pot. It’s amazing!
Taesha Butler
January 4, 2018 at 8:34 pmI’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Heidi
January 23, 2018 at 7:35 pmi never have good luck with my crock pot. Things come out tasting bland or overcooked. I am afraid to try a whole chicken without liquid. do you have any suggestions for me?
Heidi
Taesha Butler
January 25, 2018 at 8:39 pmThe slow cooker can be intimidating. But it can also be a great way to get dinners on the table during a busy day.
The onion and the lemon in the recipe provided the chicken with all the moisture it needs (chicken itself has quite a bit of liquid too). You could add a cup of broth or stock to the slow cooker if you are feeling nervous, but not too much or the wonderful flavor of the chicken will all go into the broth instead of staying put in the meat!
Ann
February 2, 2018 at 4:22 amOnion? Where’s the onion in the recipe?
Taesha Butler
February 2, 2018 at 4:33 amWhoops. My mistake. I was thinking of another whole chicken recipe that I have that does have an onion in it.
Your are correct, this recipe does not have onion in the recipe. The 1/4 cup lemon juice + the natural juices of the chicken are enough to keep the meat moist during cooking.
Stephanie
January 24, 2018 at 1:58 pmDid you leave the skin on the chicken, and if so, would there still be enough moisture if I took the skin off? Would cooking times need to be adjusted? Thank!
Taesha Butler
January 25, 2018 at 8:37 pmI do leave the skin on. If you remove the skin, I would suggest adding a bit of broth or stock tot he slow cooker to help the chicken to stay moist. But the cooking time should remain about the same.
Debra
February 24, 2018 at 1:49 amWhat do you serve with the lemon chicken for a main meal/dinner?
Brenda
May 31, 2018 at 6:55 pmWhat did you do with the giblets?
Taesha Butler
June 11, 2018 at 2:22 amMy butcher often takes the giblets out for me. Growing up, I remember giving them to my dog, though!
Anna N.
January 6, 2019 at 10:37 pmHello, did you do anything beforehand such as apply a rub or olive oil to chicken skin to achieve browning? Most slow cooker recipes suggest browning or searing meat before cooking or it won’t brown or look appetizing. Thanks!
Taesha Butler
January 8, 2019 at 9:51 pmI did not, but you certainly could do that! I know some people like to throw a slow cooker under the broiler to crisp up the skin, as well!
Melissa
February 5, 2019 at 11:44 pmDo you place chicken breast side up or down??