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Slow Cooker Whole Chicken and Veggies
An easy and healthy weeknight dinner that can stretch a buck. Put this one on your repeat list.
Yield: 4 1x
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 6 hoursTotal: 6 hours 15 minutes
Units:
Scale:
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3–5 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (increase for more heat)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2–3 medium yukon gold potatoes, diced
- 2 cups carrots, diced
- 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
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Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Place the vegetables in the bottom of a large (6 quart) slow cooker.
- Remove the neck and other parts of the chicken that are inside the cavity. (Be brave!) Place the chicken, breast side down, in slow cooker. Rub the spice mix all over the bird, inside and out. Wash your hands well.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, until chicken is cooked through. (Chicken is done when it registers 165°F near the inner thigh, between the leg and breast.)
- OPTIONAL: To get a crispy skin, remove the chicken from the crock at the very end of the cooking time and place in a baking dish. Place under a preheated broiler for about 3-5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it so the chicken doesn’t burn.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before carving. (I recommend carving on a large wooden chopping board.
Notes/Tips
- Bonus: Save all the bones and leftover juices (and even the neck!) to make chicken broth in your slow cooker. Throw all the bones/leftover juice, along with some onion, celery, carrots, and a bay leaf back into the crock. Set to LOW and let cook overnight. Strain out the vegetables and bones. Cool and freeze the broth for later use.
- To ensure that the vegetables cook evenly, be sure to dice them the same size. I would also suggest cutting them smaller than I did in this picture! My carrots were still a bit too crunchy, but the potatoes were perfect.