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.

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59 Comments

  • Shawnee

    Hi Jaclyn,
    Help! What did I do wrong??
    The only part of the chicken that came out of the slow cooker was the breast!
    Everything else fell completely apart and stayed in the broth.
    And….It was tasteless!
    The only seasoning change I made was using 2 teaspoons of celery salt instead of salt because I can’t use seeds in my recipes.
    I used a 7 lb chicken and left it cook the full 5 hrs.
    The other reviews are so positive, I really want to be able to figure out where I went wrong.
    Thanks!

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      Sorry to hear that! You slow cooker must cook higher than most so I suggest checking around 4 hours. Then be sure for flavor your seasoning with enough salt. You could even add spices under the skin if desired.

  • Tina

    Made this in my slow cooker and was amazed at how good it turned out. My chicken took all of 5 hours but I used a 4 qt slow cooker. It took a little longer to cook but was luscious. Had mashed potatoes w it and the day after deboned chicken and made chicken pot pie and made some biscuits. Keep this recipe. U will use it again and again.

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      No. Just the chicken, it does seem strange without liquid but several cups of broth will cook out of the chicken.

  • Carol A Bell Filas

    This is absolutely a keeper. Doing a whole chicken in my slow cooker on the past was always bland. This recipe produces an a very tasty chicken and is so easy even a new cook could make this easily. I give it 5 stars

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      Thanks fo leaving a review Carol! I’m happy to hear think it’s a keeper :).

  • Lauren

    I’m in a pinch, what would happen if I used smoked paprika? Would it alter it for the worse?

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      I think it would still be good, it would just add that lightly smoky flavor. Hope you enjoy!

  • Jocelyn

    This was my first time cooking a whole chicken, and it was so easy and delicious. I was a bit alarmed when at the 4 1/2 hour mark the chicken’s internal temperature was well above 165 degrees, but the meat was not one bit dry. Next time I will check it a little earlier in the cooking process. Thank you for a keeper.

  • Tippi

    This was perfect! I used my oven’s slow-cooker feature, and the skin was crispy; no broiling required (4.25 hours on HIGH). And wow, the flavor! I’ve tried whole chicken in the slow cooker in the past–it’s been a bland failure, despite whatever seasonings. Not sure why this was so different, but it’s a keeper! Juicy, too. Thanks a lot!

  • Stephanie

    I made this recipe on Sunday night for dinner, and it was delicious. I was skeptical, at first, b/c my chicken didn’t produce any juices until after the second hour. By the time it was done, the chicken was falling off the bone, and it was so juicy. I served it with a side of mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. My family said it was one of the best chicken dishes I’ve made. This is definitely a keeper!

    • Suzie in the kitchen

      We do chicken this way a lot, and change up the sides. Sometimes I make bow tie pasta and use the left over chicken over it and thicken up the broth, add your favorite veggies on the side.
      Make a soup the next day! Sometimes with roasted veggies on the side ….and rice. Great recipe for little prep, and you sure know when its done because the house smells delicious!! ??