Slow Cooker Chicken Dinner

This all-in-one slow cooker chicken dinner includes a whole chicken cooked to perfection with tender carrots and potatoes. It’s a low-effort way to make the most delicious chicken dinner!

Hey friends! Today, I have a super easy chicken dinner idea for you – a complete chicken dinner on the CrockPot! There are so many recipes, but this is one of my favorites. It’s perfect for all you busy parents, working individuals, students, or small households. It’s the ideal in-between holiday meal as well. You know, when you feel like you’ve been cooking for a week straight and have minimal energy to make a tasty dinner. 

Those few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are the perfect time to have a few slow cooker chicken recipes ready to come in clutch. For this crazy simple chicken dinner, you season the chicken, toss it into the slow cooker along with some veggies, and let it cook! Before you know it, you have yourself a complete meal ready to go. 

Why You’ll Love This CrockPot Chicken Dinner

There’s a whole lotta reasons to love an easy dinner recipe, especially a slow cooker dinner! You’d be surprised to learn just how low effort it is to cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker. Here are some of my favorite reasons why an easy slow cooker chicken dinner is a go-to meal: 

• Low-Effort: no crazy prep time needed! With just minutes of prep, dinner is cookin’.
• Complete Meal: whether you’re cooking for a small family of 4 or entertaining for 6 or more, you can have a whole meal made in just a few hours in ONE pot. Tender chicken and perfectly cooked veggies are all you need!
• Leftovers: if you’re making this tasty chicken dinner in what we like to call “the in-between times” of the holidays, you can make this meal last for days.
• Holidays Made Easy: maybe you’re looking for an easy, no-fuss holiday meal. You still want to serve something nice, but you’re running low on time. Enter the complete slow cooker chicken dinner!

If those reasons haven’t convinced you yet… well then, fam. Let me stop yapping and jump on into the recipe! 

Ingredients for a Whole Slow Cooker Chicken Dinner

Now you might be wondering, “Just how much can I really fit into a slow cooker, Cousin Rosie?!” And I’m here to tell you, you’d be surprised! With the right size slow cooker, you can make a whole meal and then some. To find the ingredient measurements, scroll on down to the recipe card at the end of this post. Here’s everything you need to make your very own slow cooker chicken dinner. 

• Whole Chicken: I picked a 4-5 pound chicken for this chicken dinner, which is the perfect size for about 4 people. 
• Seasonings & Spices: here’s where all that flavor comes in! I used fresh herbs, but if you only have dried on hand, that works too. You’ll need sage, rosemary, thyme, minced garlic, onion powder, black pepper, and kosher salt.
• Butter: I make a tasty herb butter with all those herbs and spices to cover the chicken. The herb butter infuses so much moisture and flavor into the bird; it’s a must!
• Baby Carrots, Potatoes, & Onions: these are the vegetables I prep and cook in the slow cooker along with my chicken. Of course, you can customize what you use (more on that in a bit!). 
• Fresh Lemon: to add some extra moisture to my chicken, I stuff one whole lemon (sliced in half) into the cavity. While it cooks, it releases its tangy, tart juice into the tender meat. 

I can’t fit a whole chicken in my slow cooker; can I use chicken pieces instead?

I used a whole chicken for this CrockPot chicken recipe, but you don’t have to! You can use legs or thighs if you’re more comfortable with cooking a chicken in pieces. To make it a real tasty chicken dinner, get chicken legs or thighs with skin on – the flavor is oh-so worth it! I also love the citrus flavor that fresh lemon adds to the recipe. If you’re not feelin’ it, leave it out or stuff the chicken with other aromatics, like onions, garlic, or celery!

What size slow cooker do you need to cook a whole chicken dinner?

Most slow cooker recipes are written for 5-7 quart slow cookers, and that should be plenty big enough to fit a 4-5 pound chicken along with some vegetables. However, if you’re worried about space, even cooking, or you’ve bought a larger bird, you might want to size up to an 8- or 10-quart slow cooker (the largest size made). 

How to Make a Slow Cooker Chicken Dinner

Okay fam, it’s time to get to the good stuff – how to make a complete chicken dinner in the CrockPot! As per usual, you know Cousin Rosie’s got you covered with an easy-to-follow video tutorial showing you exactly how I make this simple slow cooker meal. You can watch it below or click on over to I Heart Recipes on YouTube! Be sure to subscribe while you’re there to catch all my videos.

Here’s how to make an easy chicken dinner using your trusted slow cooker: 

1. First, make the herb butter by mixing together room temperature butter and your seasonings. 
2. Clean out the chicken cavity and pat the skin dry with paper towels. 
3. Rub the herb butter all over the outside of the chicken, and even under the skin if you can squeeze it in there. 
4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. 
5. Prep your slow cooker by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray (or use a handy-dandy slow cooker liner for a completely mess-free cleanup).
6. Place the chicken in your slow cooker, then add your washed and chopped carrots, red potatoes, and onions around the chicken. 
7. Set the slow cooker to high, cover, and cook your chicken dinner for three hours.

And there you have it, folks! The magical slow cooker does it again with a perfect chicken dinner made easy. This recipe makes such flavorful, tender chicken and perfectly cooked veggies. Not only is it a great holiday dinner option, but an easy weeknight dinner too! Doesn’t matter when you make this CrockPot recipe; it will turn out delicious every time.

Tips and Tricks for Making a Whole Slow Cooker Chicken

If this is your first time cooking a whole chicken in the slow cooker, you might have some questions. I’m here with some Cousin Rosie tips and tricks, and answers to the most frequently asked questions I get about making a slow cooker chicken dinner. 

• I keep the seasonings pretty simple with my tried-and-true herb butter recipe, but you can always add more flavor if you want! Add garlic powder, poultry seasoning, or smoked paprika to your spice blend.
• You can cook whatever vegetables you want with your slow cooker chicken! If you’re not feelin’ carrots and potatoes, swap ‘em out. You could use green beans, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes… the options are whatever y’all want them to be. 
• You do not need to add any liquid to the slow cooker for this recipe, since the chicken will release plenty of juices while cooking. However, if you’re worried about burning, add a cup of chicken broth to the bottom of your slow cooker to help.
• You can keep all the juices and goodness at the bottom of the slow cooker to make a chicken gravy, or grab a chicken gravy mix from the store.

Is it safe to cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker? 

Yes, it is! We wouldn’t have gotten this far if it weren’t 😉 For safety, you should cook the chicken on high heat for at least one hour. Since we cook this whole recipe on high heat, we’re covered! Just make sure your chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees before serving.

Can you cook frozen chicken in the CrockPot? 

Some brands of slow cookers specifically say that it is safe to cook meat from frozen in their equipment. However, a whole frozen chicken is a BIG task and will greatly extend the cooking time. So, if you’re time-crunched or don’t want your chicken cooking for 8 hours, start with a thawed bird. 

How do I prevent my slow cooker chicken from being rubbery and soggy? 

The trick here is to put something under the chicken so it doesn’t cook directly in its own juices. In this recipe, you can easily make a bed of vegetables under the chicken – the juices will drain down into the veggies and cook them with tons of flavor. Another way is to ball or roll up some foil and put it on the bottom of the slow cooker.

What else can I serve with my slow cooker chicken dinner? 

Any of your favorite side dishes! If you’re serving a slow cooker chicken for a holiday meal, you can serve any of the traditional must-have holiday sides, like mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, or mac and cheese. If this is just a typical Tuesday dinner, stick with something simple like homemade dinner rolls.

More Simple Slow Cooker Dinners from I Heart Recipes

That’s all, Cousins! If you have any more questions, let me know in the comments! If this is your first time making a tasty slow cooker chicken dinner, leave a comment below telling me how your meal turned out. 

Want more easy slow cooker meals? Try some of these favorites!

• Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings Soup
• Green Beans, Potatoes, and Smoked Neck Bones
• Slow Cooker Beef Brisket Chili
• Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew
• Best Mississippi Pot Roast

Loved this recipe? Share a photo of your slow cooker chicken dinner by tagging me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, and subscribe to I Heart Recipes on YouTube! Don’t forget to check out I Heart Soul Food, Super Soul Food with Cousin Rosie, and A Cousin Rosie Holiday, with many recipes you can’t find anywhere else.