Roasted Chicken in the crock pot

This was my first attempt at roasting a whole chicken. I've made quite a few turkeys, but never a chicken. I wanted to try it in the crock pot, since usually that method is quite fool-proof. And I can proudly say, it was! And the chicken was very good!

Just like when you cook a turkey, you have to get your hand inside the chicken and pull out the bag of giblets. Then rinse the chicken well inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Try to cut off as much skin and fat as possible. This is not easy, I found. I just had to keep working at it.

Next, make a paste of olive oil and spices to rub all over the chicken. I use my mortar and pestle to crush the rosemary (I love the smell!) and combine the other spices.



Rub the paste over the bird, inside the cavity and outside. Then chop up two small onions, and put them in the bottom of the crock pot. Throw a few onions inside the cavity of the chicken, then place the chicken atop the onions.



Do not add any liquid! Cover the pot and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3 hours until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.

What I love about cooking in the crock pot is how moist the meat is, and how it separates very easily from the carcass. I didn't have to cut the legs or wings off the body, they had already fallen apart!

In fact, I carefuly lifted the chicken out of the pot, and only got the center part! (and I took this picture AFTER I had taken a chunk out to taste!)



Serve the chicken right away, or cut off the meat to use in other recipes.

Next time I make this, I will experiment more with the spices (like add MORE garlic!) and I also will try putting the chicken breast down in the pot, so that it sits in the juices. I also may try leaving the skin ON - I think it might be easier to skin the chicken after it's cooked. In that case, I would rub the spices under the skin. Maybe that's more work than just skinning it?

For more great slow cooker ideas, visit Crock Pot Wednesday.

Roasted Chicken

1 4-pound chicken
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion

Remove the giblets from the chicken. Remove as much skin and fat as posible, then rinse the chicken well and pat dry with paper towels.

Mix all the seasoning together and add the olive oil to make a paste. Spread a little of the paste in the cavity along with few of the chopped onions. Put the rest of the onions in the bottom of the crock pot. Place the chicken atop the onions and spread the remaining spice paste all over the outside of the chicken.

Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours or on high for 3 until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. Serves 6.