Recipe—Whole Chicken in a Crock-Pot

I absolutely love roasting chicken in the oven but I just don’t usually have time during the workweek. Using a crock-pot is a wonderful alternative way to cook an entire chicken. This recipe is super easy and the chicken comes out incredibly moist and is pretty much falling off the bone. Just be sure to be very careful when removing the whole chicken from the crock-pot because it will be on the verge of falling apart. Serve this up with a side of mashed potatoes and your favorite veggie for a dinner made of comfort foods. I even used the drippings from the crock-pot to make a quick and easy gravy which went great with mashed potatoes and chicken.

Note: If you are really short on time in the mornings prepare the entire chicken in the ceramic crock-pot insert the night before and just place the entire thing with the lid on in the refrigerator. Then in the morning you just drop the insert into the crock-pot and turn it on. Wellah! Dinner really can be this easy!

INGREDIENTS
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large chicken

STEPS

• Combine all the spices in a small bowl.
• Place the chopped onion and celery in the bottom of the crock-pot.
• Remove any parts from inside the chicken.
• Rub the seasonings all over the chicken. (I like to rub some of the seasonings under the skin covering the breasts. This allows the flavors to really seep into the meat.)
• Place the prepared chicken in the crock-pot on top of the onions breast side up.
• Cook on high for 4–5 hours or on low for 8–10.