Slow Cooker Roast Chicken is the juiciest, most forgiving and easiest whole chicken recipe I know. It’s such a great way to cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker that’s incredibly quick to prepare with beautiful flavours reminiscent of Greek food!
This roast chicken recipe can be slow cooked OR pressure cooked. You can serve up a Sunday Roast Chicken dinner any day of the week!
Slow Cooker Roast Chicken – A Gold Nugget Recipe
If you’re new to making a whole chicken in a slow cooker, this is going to be life changing.
No false promises! This crock pot whole chicken recipe is truly one of my gold nugget recipes. That elusive combination of quick and easy, incredibly forgiving, but in no way a compromise of a great classic Roast Chicken. Here’s why:
✅ The flesh of this chicken (even the breast) is so juicy, you’d swear it’s been brined;
✅ Ultra forgiving – Even if you go 2 hours over the cook time, it’s still juicy. The magic of slow cookers!
✅ It looks and tastes like a traditional oven roasted chicken – albeit (I kid you not) the breast meat is more tender and juicier;
✅ Various cooking options with exactly the same outcome. Slow cook on low (5 hours), high (3 hours), or pressure cook for 24 minutes.
✅ It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare to get it in the slow cooker, and you can prep ahead. Plus, the Lemon Sauce is effortless – just add cornflour/cornstarch into the slow cooker juices.
Crock pot whole chicken recipe ingredients
This is all you need for this recipe:
How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker
This Lemon Garlic slow cooker whole chicken starts with an olive oil paste that’s made with lemon, garlic, salt, pepper and dried herbs of choice (I use thyme, oregano and parsley).
For maximum flavour, I put most of the paste under the skin of the chicken. This is not hard to do – and doesn’t need to be “perfect”!!! Watch the video. 🙂 Just loosen the skin using a dessert spoon (hugs the curves, avoids piercing skin).
Then spoon the paste under the skin.
Roughly spread the paste using your hands or the spoon on the surface of the skin. Doesn’t need to be perfect, the paste will slide and naturally spread as it cooks.
Pop the used lemon inside the chicken.
Place the chicken on a rack in the slow cooker (or use balls or a ring of scrunched up foil). This keeps the underside of the chicken from being submerged in liquid which makes it cook faster.
Slow cook for 5 hours on low or 3 hours on high.
Brown the skin – When the chicken comes out of the slow cooker, it will smell gorgeous but will look thoroughly unappetising – pale and colourless. Just a quick 5 to 10 minute broil/grill fixes that – you will be amazed how quickly the skin goes from bland to crispy golden brown!!!
How long does a whole chicken take in the slow cooker?
A 2kg/4lb whole chicken will take 5 hours on low, or 3 hours on high. This will be a juicy and carvable, chicken like a traditional oven Roast Chicken.
If you want one where the meat is more tender and can basically be pulled off the bone with little effort, slow cook for 7 to 8 hours on low.
Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Option!
This Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken can also be made in a pressure cooker. It comes out exactly the same – just a heck of a lot faster! 😂 Just add 1/2 cup of water and pressure cook for 24 minutes on high. Let it depressurise naturally for 10 minutes then release the valve.
Lemon Sauce
I used to call this a gravy, but it somehow seemed odd to have a lemon flavoured gravy. So I reverted to just Lemon Sauce!
You’ll love how straight forward this is compared to usual gravies. No messing around with oily pans and cooking flour and straining. Just add cornstarch / cornflour then simmer until thickened. That’s it!
Oh the possibilities!!!
The beauty of recipes like this is that it’s easy to adapt this cooking method to make it your own. I’ve kept it straightforward because it’s an everyday roast chicken recipe.
Here are some ideas for variations:
Other dried herbs – or use fresh instead;
Add spices – or skip the herbs and use a rub instead;
Add a quartered onion and halved head of garlic (or smashed garlic cloves) under the chicken (it will make the gravy even tastier! Strain out of sauce)
Add fresh herbs and a halved head of garlic inside the chicken (you need lots of garlic to be able to taste it)
Use butter instead of oil (use more!)
OK, so that’s it from me! Longer than usual post, but I have a lot to say when it comes to this Slow Cooker Roast Chicken. 🙂 Hope you enjoy. And I’d really love to hear what you think if you try it – or how you make it your own! – Nagi x
Lemon Garlic Slow Cooker Roast Chicken
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Lemon Garlic Slow Cooker Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 kg / 4 lb whole chicken , patted dry (Note 1)
Rub (Note 2):
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2.5 tbsp olive oil (or melted butter), plus extra for drizzling
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 large lemon , all zest + all juice
Lemon Sauce:
- 1 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
- 1 extra lemon , just in case
Instructions
- Rub – Mix Rub ingredients. should be fairly thick and sludgy. Adjust with extra oil if too thick.
- Loosen Skin: Use upside spoon to loosen skin of chicken (see video). Spoon most of the Rub under the skin, leaving about 1 tbsp mostly oil for the skin. Use hands or spoon on skin to spread the paste – doesn’t need to be perfect.
- Stuff used lemon inside the chicken.
- Put rack inside slow cooker (Note 3), place chicken on top. Spread with remaining sludge, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Slow cook 5 hours on low or 3 hours on high, or until juices run clear or internal temperature is 75C / 165F using a meat thermometer. (Note 4 for other cook methods)
- Brown skin: Remove chicken from slow cooker, drizzle with a bit of extra oil. Grill/broil on medium high for 5 to 10 minutes to brown the skin (~25cm /10″ from heat source). Or oven 240C/450F for 10 min.
- Spoon over pan juices, then serve with Lemon Sauce! (No need to rest chicken)
Lemon Sauce:
- Pour all slow cooker liquid into a saucepan, add cornflour / water mixture. Mix.
- Bring to simmer over medium high and cook until liquid thickens to thin syrup (depends how much liquid you have, usually 3 min or so). Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add more lemon if desired (the extra lemon). Pour into jug.
Recipe Notes:
Pressure cook – Add ½ cup water and pressure cook for 24 minutes on high (depressure naturally 10 min before releasing valve).
Oven – Follow directions in this juicy Roast Chicken recipe. 5. Slow Cooker Cook Times:
1-1.5kg / 2-3 lb – 4.5 hrs on low
1.75-2.25kg / 3.5-4.5 lb – 5 hrs on low
2.5kg / 5lb – 6 hrs on low
For almost “all apart” meat, add 1 to 2 hours onto the cook times. Flesh is still juicy! Pressure Cooker: 6 minutes per 500g/1lb of chicken. 5. Prep Ahead / Storage: Prepare chicken with rub under and on skin. Refrigerate up to 48 hours then slow cook per recipe. Cooked chicken keeps for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. 6. Nutrition per serving assumes all sauce is consumed.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published August 2014. Updated January 2019 – recipe improved, everything completely rewritten, new photos, new video. Most importantly, Life of Dozer section added! 😂 Just in case anyone is after the original recipe, here it is.
More whole chicken recipes
Life of Dozer
He was captivated by the video for this slow cooker chicken…. 😂😂😂
Made this for my Dad whose the king of roasts-everyone loved it. So moist! Kids enjoyed it too and even my 3 year old loved the lemon sauce. Dad is excited to have discovered your website and is trying your butter chicken tomorrow…stay tuned!
WOOT!! That’s so good to hear Rachel! N x
This chicken is so good. Juicy and so moist. I have made a few times and it never disappoints.
Another winner so thanks Nagi.
That’s awesome Jackie, thanks so much for letting me know ❤️
The MOST moist chicken ever! I have never had such moist flavourful breast meat in my life. Sharing this recipe with everyone. Thank you Nagi!
If I brine a chicken using your brined chicken recipe, could I then use the rub from this recipe to roast it?
Hi Jo, you sure can, just cut back on the salt 🙂
Ooooh, this one was good! So easy to prep and then throw it in the slow cooker and forget about it. Delicious flavour and super tender meat. And it’s always nice to have something to cook in the slow cooker that isn’t a stew!
Your recipe performed a miracle. If chicken is not fried, smoked teriyaki or made into chicken and dumplings, he does not eat it. He actually ate seconds!
Wahoo!!! Totally converted!
Scrumptious thanks! Nervous making a roast with a slow cooker…I have actually never made a roast before would you believe at 35 years of age! Used a coles fresh roast veg pack & grilled some broccolini. So easy! I was so intimidated for so long and now…as I tell my kids…I can do hard things! Thanks Nagi!
Wahoo! Go you!!!
Trying this Tuesday.
I hope you love it Lawrie!
Oh my gosh this is delicious. I made this last Sunday and it was a huge hit with the family. The lemon sauce was perfection. It looked a bit weird putting it in the slow cooker with the foil at the bottom but the aroma filling the house as it cooked was fantastic. Thanks Nagi – another great receipe
That’s so nice to hear Michelle ❤️
I cooked with this recipe today. My GOD. The Chicken was great. Delicious. My husband is going to propose to me again. LOL
You nailed it Shifa! – N x
This was a hit last time I cooked it. Trying it again today. btw there’s a timing error in the recipe section – it says 8 mins instead of hours.
I just put this in my crockpot! Can’t wait…🤞
I hope you love it Elizabeth!
Would avocado oil work?
I haven’t tried to be honest Reenu, I don’t see why not!
Best “roast” chicken I have ever made, hands down! Thanks Nagi, this is going to be a regular for me.
Thanks so much Carla – N x
Wow Nagi,
That chicken is crazy good!!!
Super easy to do and definitely got the Mmmm factor 😄 Definitely going on my in house menu board lol.
Thank you Nagi,
Enjoy your day!!
Phil x
I’m so glad you loved it Phil!!
I am coming late to slow cooking (74 y/o ) as I’m newly widowed and friends all said you need a slow cooker. Lemon chicken is an all time favourite of ours so it sounds just perfect. I wish I had discovered this years ago.
That’s so fantastic to hear Jennifer!
I’m am just making the rub for this chicken and it isn’t pasty at all. Was I meant to add all the lemon juice? It is more if a liquid so hopefully I can get enough of it under the skin.
Hi Anna, it’s the zest and juice of a whole lemon, it should be slightly runny ❤️
Hi Nagi,
I will be trying your Lemon Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken tomorrow as it looks so delicious!
Unfortunately my slow cooker does not have High / Low settings which leaves me wondering how long I should cook this chicken for?
Hi Marie – you might be better doing the oven version – I hope you love it!
What is the oven version? I want to make this for tonight’s dinner
Liliana – here it is: https://promotown.info/roast-chicken/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
This was a winner with my family so thanks for creating the recipe, Nagi. The flavour was subtle yet tasty and the meat was really tender. I used fresh herbs from my garden as I prefer them to dried. I thought the sauce might be too lemony but after reducing it was delicious as well. My nephew wanted to know if I will be making it again which is a not so subtle hint 😄👍.
Delicious!! I roasted the chicken rather than cooking it in the slow cooker. Sooo tasty.
I’m so glad you loved it Kathleen!!