Growing up in the South, Sunday Dinner was a weekly family tradition – a special time when the whole family gathered around the table to share a home-cooked meal, and even more important our lives! It was such a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with each other, and often get to know others too, as many a guest graced our table.
Of course, now that I have a family of my own, it’s one of the cherished memories that my husband and I have committed to passing down to our children too. And although we gather around the table as a whole family nearly every night of the week, there is still something extra special about Sunday Dinner together.
Perhaps it’s because it’s the one uninterrupted family day we have together – no work, no school, no bustling here-n-there to sports and activities. Just a day to enjoy intentional time together as a family.
Roasting a whole chicken is super easy in a crockpot. Just toss in the ingredients and go about your day. A delicious, juicy, tender bird will be waiting for you!
So in order to spend more time with my family (and less time in the kitchen), I try to keep our Sunday Dinner menu as simple and easy to prepare as possible. That’s why this delicious slow cooker roasted chicken is one of my favorites. It’s especially easy to prepare if you chop the veggies and make the seasoning ahead of time.
Bonus! A whole roasted chicken results in more than one meal!
Lots of Leftovers = Easy Meals on Busy Weeknights!
Another thing I love about this recipe is that there’s always plenty of leftover chicken meat that I can use to create other healthy meals later in the week when our schedules are crazy busy, such as easy Zoodle Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry, Creamy Chicken Soup and Chicken & Mango Lettuce Wraps, for example.
And if that’s not enough, once I’ve stripped the chicken bones of all the meat, I put the bones back into my crockpot along with some fresh chopped veggies to create a nutritious bone broth that can be used as a base for my family’s favorite soups and stews.
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 lb. whole organic chicken
- 1 large onion
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 small lemon
- 1 head garlic
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Lightly coat the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker with olive oil or coconut oil.
- In a small bowl, combine all of the Seasoning Mix ingredients; set aside.
- Cut the onion in half. Then cut each half into quarters. Cut the carrot and celery into 2 inch pieces. Cut the lemon into 4-5 thick slices. Smash and peel all of the cloves in one head of garlic.
- Place half of the onion into the bottom of the crockpot. Then add all of the chopped carrot and celery, along with 1/3 of the garlic cloves.
- Next, remove the giblets and neck from inside the chicken and reserve for making stock. Thoroughly rinse the bird in cool running water, trim away any excess skin. (If you are not planning to crisp the skin in the oven, I recommend removing the skin altogether as it will become rubbery in the crockpot). Once you’ve finished cleaning the bird, pat it dry with paper towels.
- Rub the seasoning mixture all over the chicken. Then stuff with the remaining onion and 1/3 of the garlic cloves, along with a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Place the bird breast side up in crockpot and top with the sliced lemon, remaining garlic cloves and a few sprigs of fresh thyme.
- Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. Chicken is finished when an instant read thermometer registers 165 degrees.
- To crisp the skin (if you’ve left it intact), carefully transfer the bird to a broiler pan. Set oven to broil and position the bird about 10-12 inches from the heat source. Broil for approximately 4-5 minutes, just until skin browns and crisps. Delicious and easy! (Remember to save the chicken bones to make easy and healthy homemade slow cooker bone broth!)
Notes
Recipe Variation: For a more traditional garlic-infused bird, omit the lemon and add 6-8 crushed garlic cloves to the top of the bird instead. Super flavorful and makes a wonderful gravy, as noted below.
How to Make Gravy: If you’d like to make gravy using the accumulated juices from the crockpot, remove any large pieces from the liquid. Place a fine mesh strainer over a heatproof 2-cup measuring cup, and carefully pour the liquids into it. Skim off the fat from the top, then transfer the liquid to a small saucepan. Dissolve one tablespoon of arrowroot powder in a small bowl with two tablespoons of water. Whisk thoroughly to form a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the juices while bringing the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn heat down to medium and continue to whisk until gravy thickens (about 4-5 minutes). Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Place gravy into serving dish and serve alongside the roasted chicken.
Hi!
You have such a wonderful blog and I love it very much!
I’ve download your Meal Planner template in Excel version. I tried to enter list of menu in the column ( let’s say I have 2 menu for dinner ) but I only manage to put one menu in it. How can I enter two menu as I wish?
Hope you can help me so that I can fully use your template. Thank you in advance. Have a nice day!
Hi, Farsham. I am by no means an Excel expert, but you probably need to add a new cell? Do you have a friend or family member who knows Excel, because that would be far easier than trying to figure it out via emails. 🙂 Thank you for your kind words! I hope you can get this figured out. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Kelly, This looks so delicious. I’m always looking for more ways to use my slow cooker and a whole chicken! Can’t wait to make it next week.
Thanks, sweet friend! So funny because I saw your backyard chickens post in my inbox today and popped over to comment on it. LOVED it! And then I came over here and saw you commented on my post. LOL!! I’m so thankful the Lord has crossed our paths!! Blessings to you and your precious family, Kelly 🙂
This looks lovely!! Look at that rosemary. I can’t wait to make this.
Thanks, Katie! You are such a blessing! 🙂
Because we’re empty nesters, a whole chicken is a bit much, so I use two cornish game hens, but love the idea of the broth, so going to try this! Blessings to you and love the practical ideas.
Great idea, Irene. Cornish game hens are so delicious. And just remember, with the whole chicken, you can freeze the leftover meat for easily making soups and casseroles later. Thanks for taking time to leave a great idea. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
I really need to buy a new slow cooker! I’ve always done my whole chicken in them and love the way they turn out. But after 13 years, and what looked like scratches all over the bottom of it, I didn’t feel safe using it anymore – didn’t know what was leaching out of it. 😉
I can totally understand that. I hope you get a new one for Mother’s Day (or sooner!!!) Thanks, sweet friend! 🙂
This is a great idea. I love using my crock pot and was looking for healthy, affordable meals that I could stretch for my family of 6! Thank you so much! p.s. Do you ever freeze your broth to use for a later soup if not how long with it stay in the fridge? Thanks again!! Great website!!
Hi, Elizabeth. Glad you’re finding this site helpful. Here’s a link to the homemade bone broth I make using leftover chicken bones, I’ve included storage info in this recipe. Lots of blessings, Kelly 🙂
http://thenourishinghome.com/2014/02/slow-cooker-bone-broth/
Hi Kelly
I am making the chicken for dinner tonight and am going to make the bone broth this week too. I am wondering if I can save the liquid from tonight to add to the broth. We won’t be using it for gravey. I probably am asking an obvious question but just want to make sure!
Thank you! Dawn
That’s actually a great question/idea, Dawn. I haven’t tried it, but I bet it would really make for a flavorful broth. I would spoon out all of the solids though, just leaving the liquid, then add some fresh veggies of choice and the bones from the roast chicken. Yum! I’ll have to try this myself. 🙂 Thank you!
Why do you recommend spooning out the solids when using the liquid to make broth? Is it because they take up too much space that should be given to fresh vegetables?
Hi, Kim. If I’m understanding your question (let me know of course if I am not), I recommend using fresh veggies when making stock because they will impart the most flavor. By the time your whole chicken has cooked and been seasoned by the veggies in this recipe, they won’t have as much rich flavor to provide to your stock. I also recommend removing the solids before making gravy so it’s smooth. Of course, you’re welcome to leave them in when making stock, but as you noted, they will take up space in the crockpot which means less room for water and fresh veggies. 🙂 Hope this helps better clarify. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
I made this last night. I strained the broth and since it has a nice lemony flavor, I’m going to make a greek lemon soup with it.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Greek-Lemon-Chicken-Soup/?scale=8&ismetric=0
that’s a great idea, Martha! thank you for sharing! 🙂
I love how nonchalantly you say “remove the neck and giblets…” – I’m a novice and as I hesitantly reached my hand in and almost threw up, I decided to use a spoon… LOL! It was quite comical 🙂 it’s in the crock pot now though, yay, I survived! I had to keep telling myself that at least I didn’t have to kill and pluck the thing hahaha 🙂 thanks again for the great blog. God bless 🙂
You just made my day. LOL! I guess after you roast your upteenth bird, you might get more nonchalant about it. But then again, there is nothing wrong with using a spoon and turning your head as you do! Good for you, for sticking with it. Remember … mind over matter, mind over matter! LOL! 🙂
I’m so happy that someone directed me to your meal planning for this week. Just made this today and cannot get over how utterly fantastic it is!! I have my slow cooker bone booth going now and can’t wait to whip something up with that too!!! Thanks so much. Can’t wait to try something else
Hi, Brittany. Welcome to The Nourishing Home. I’m glad your friend directed you here as well. So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a kind note! 🙂 Blessings, Kelly
Day 1 of whole30, made this for diner it was fantastic, adding it to my list to make over and over. Made roasted veggies and side of salad to go with this good meal.
Thank you Kelly.
You are so welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed this dish. Thanks for taking the time to leave a kind note! 🙂
Hi Kelly,
I’m making the broth from my chicken bones an was reading about perpetual broth. Have you ever done this and can we drink broth during the day when doing whole30?
Thanks
Jo-Anne
Yes, drinking bone broth during the day, is an excellent source of nutrition and also promotes gut health. Jenny at Nourished Kitchen has a great post on how to make perpetual broth. Perhaps that’s the post you’re thinking of? It’s a great way to have broth continually on hand. 🙂
Hi Kelly,
I’m just wondering what sides you usually make to go with your “Sunday dinner” chicken? Do you have tasty yet not so time consuming sides that you can recommend? Thanks so much! I really enjoy your blog!
Hi, Jenny. Mashed sweet potatoes or regular potatoes are always a hit with a side of green beans or broccoli. You can make mashed potatoes (sweet or white) ahead of time too and reheat them. So sometimes I do that on the weekend to make dinner easier if I’m doing the chicken on a weeknight. You could also grill a few veggies for a side. Do a cauli-rice or rice side dish, depending on whether you’re GF or not. You can find side dishes located in the recipe section of my site as well. Hope this helps! 🙂
I am worried about transferring the falling apart bird to a pan to broil and crisp the skin. Otherwise looks lovely!
I’ve done this numerous times and the bird will hold together if you watch it during the last part of the cooking time so as not to over cook. 🙂 But it truly is delicious without the skin crisping step as well! 🙂
Thanks for another great recipe! This was perfect for Sunday dinner. It fed my family and my husband’s small Youth Group. We had it with roasted potatoes and strawberry spinach salad.
That is so wonderful to hear! I really appreciate the time you’ve taken to leave such sweet notes today! You are a blessing! 🙂
Made this last night but in the oven since I didn’t thaw my chicken in time to do in slow cooker. I’m wondering about washing the chicken. If heard mixed things about the safety and necessity of this practice.
thanks
I follow this advice (see link below) and just pat dry my chicken and then pop it right into the crockpot (or oven). Hope this helps! 🙂 http://www.realsimple.com/magazine-more/inside-magazine/ask-real-simple/rinse-chicken-or-not-rinse-chicken
la receta perfecta. Gracias
eres muy bienvenido 🙂