Slow Cooker Whole Chicken – Rotisserie Style

Published August 30, 2018. Updated December 8, 2023

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Slow Cooker Whole Chicken is a new go-to dinner at my house! It has the same delicious flavors as a rotisserie chicken: amazingly tender and it’s perfectly juicy. Aaaaand it’s super easy to make! All of that means this is likely to become a new go-to recipe for you too.

Slow Cooker Chicken

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

In the past, I’ve mostly just cooked chicken breasts or thighs in the slow cooker but now I’m totally loving the idea of just throwing in a whole chicken in—bones, skin and all. It adds so much flavor and I love that it makes a lot of servings so you might even be lucky to have some left over for a sandwich for lunch the following day.

It’s also great this is one of those dinners everyone can agree on. Nothing fancy here just homestyle chicken that everyone will love!

It takes about 10 minutes to prep it, then no browning or anything beforehand, just put it in the slow cooker and let it do the rest. So easy!

Slow Cooker Chicken slicing photo

Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe

  • Whole large chicken
  • Paprika (not smoked)
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Dried thyme
  • Dried rosemary
  • Celery seed
  • Turmeric (optional)
  • Salt and pepper

Scroll below for printable recipe.

Slow cooker chicken ingredients whole chicken paprika onion powder garlic powder thyme rosemary turmeric celery seed

How to Make Easy Slow Cooker Chicken

  • Remove giblets from chicken (turn upright if you can’t reach them, or use a fork). Transfer chicken to a 6 or 7-quart slow cooker.
  • In a mixing bowl whisk together all of the spices along with salt and pepper to taste (I use 2 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper).

rotisserie chicken spice blend

  • Sprinkle seasonings all over chicken as well as sprinkling some in the cavity of the chicken.

Seasoned whole chicken

  • Cover and cook on high heat 4 1/2 – 5 hours until thickest part of thigh registers 165 on an instant read thermometer. Remove and let it rest on cutting board 5 minutes before slicing.

Rotisserie Style Chicken finished cooking in slow cooker

What should I Serve with This?

Crockpot Whole Chicken

How Can I Get Crispy Skin on the Chicken?

If you’d want crispier skin on the chicken you can transfer the chicken to a small roasting pan or a baking sheet (transfer carefully it’s super tender) and broil for a few minutes until the skin starts to crispen up, just be sure to keep a close eye on it!

I don’t waste the time with the extra step though, I think it’s delicious how it is.

Rotisserie Style Chicken serving on plate with roasted veggies

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Slow Cooker Chicken
5 from 14 votes

Slow Cooker Chicken {Whole Rotisserie Style}

A super easy slow cooker chicken recipe, it's a new staple recipe! This is amazingly flavorful, so tender, and deliciously juicy. The perfect recipe for busy weeknights!
Servings: 7
Prep10 minutes
Cook5 hours
Ready in: 5 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Remove giblets from center of chicken (you may need to use a fork to reach down in or turn upright and let fall through).
  • In a small bowl whisk together paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, rosemary, celery seed, turmeric and salt and pepper to taste (I use 2 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper).
  • Transfer chicken to a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker, sprinkle all over with spice mixture including the inside cavity.
  • Cover and cook on high heat for 4 - 5 hours (or low heat for about 8 hours), until center of thigh registers 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer.
  • Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes then slice and serve warm.
  • Recipe source: Cooking Classy
Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Chicken {Whole Rotisserie Style}
Amount Per Serving
Calories 407 Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 139mg46%
Sodium 796mg35%
Potassium 371mg11%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 505IU10%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 28mg3%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.