Wondering what to make for dinner? Check out my family’s favorite crock pot recipes for great dinner ideas!
Update: If you have a minute, read through the comments, my readers have added some awesome tips and ideas for cooking whole chickens. I have also posted a whole chicken in a crock pot video tutorial for those who are interested.
I am convinced that buying a whole chicken is one of the best values for your grocery budget. I regularly see whole chickens on sale at various grocery stores for under a dollar a pound.
The problem with whole chickens is that no one wants to touch them, or mess with them once they are cooked. I was once like that too, but then I realized how much money I could save by buying whole chickens and I quickly got over my “whole uncooked chickens give me the heebie jeebies” thing and got cooking.
Cooking a whole chicken in the crock pot
After rinsing the chicken place in a crock pot that has been sprayed with non-stick.
You do not need to put any liquid in the pot, just the chicken.
Then sprinkle your favorite spices on the chicken. I usually sprinkle garlic and paprika.
Place the lid on the crock pot, set on low, and walk away for about 7 hours.
7 hours later you will have a beautiful cooked chicken ready to serve for dinner.
Remove the chicken from the crock pot, cut and serve. Do not throw away the liquid in the crock pot.
If you do not want to serve the chicken for dinner, allow the chicken to cool and then remove the meat from the bones. You can use the meat like you would any other cooked chicken, in casseroles, chicken salad, chicken pot pie, pastas, etc.
Once you have removed all the meat from the bones, put the bones back in the crock pot and add about five cups of water. I also put the skin back in the crock pot since my kids won’t eat it.
Set the crock pot
Strain out the bones and you have homemade chicken broth for free!
Not only is it free, it is free from all the preservatives, salt, and other junk you find in some of the store bought chicken broth. I store my broth in large yogurt containers.
I got about 50 ounces of broth from one chicken. After you put the broth in a container, place in the fridge to cool. When the broth has totally cooled a layer of fat will be on the top.
Scrape the fat off with a spoon and the broth is ready to be used or can be stored for up to six months in the freezer. Don’t throw away the fat, it can be used in other recipes.
Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot Meal Ideas
Meal #1 (served 7)
Chicken and Mashed Potatoes
- Chicken $4.00
- Mashed Potatoes $1.50
- Veggies $0.79
- Biscuits $1.00
Total cost $7.29 or about a $1 per person
Meal #2 (served 7)
Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Chicken Free from leftovers
- Rice $0.50
- Cream of Chicken Soup $0.75
- Veggies (I used chopped broccoli and carrots) Free from leftovers
- Spices $0.25
- Cheddar Cheese $.50
Cook rice according to the directions. Chop leftover chicken, and veggies. Mix with cream soup and add spices. (I used garlic, minced onion, and red pepper flakes). Combine the cooked rice with the chicken mixture. Spread in a 9×13 casserole dish, sprayed with nonstick. Bake covered for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, then uncover, top with cheese and bake until the cheese melts.
Tip: If you want to use brown rice for this recipe, replace half the water with your chicken broth. Even your pickiest eaters will love it.
Total cost $2.00 or $.30 per person.
By purchasing one chicken I was able to make two meals and get about $3 worth of chicken broth from a $4 chicken.
Save the “guts” and throw those in the pot too! Another good tip is to save the ends of carrots, onions and celery sticks in a bag in your freezer. Then when you go to make broth dump it in there as well. I usually fill my pot with cold water to get all the good stuff out of the bones and then turn the pot on after about 15 minutes and leave it for about 10-15 hours. mmmmm. So yummy!
When I cook chickens in my crock pot it only takes 4 hours on high and its done. 7 hours seems a bit overkill.
This is a great post. I’ve been wanting to try chicken in a crockpot but didn’t know how. Thanks for the broth tip. I’ll be back to read your reader’s comments! Lisa
When you put all the stuff back in the crockpot, you can add the “innards” back at this point for even more flavor.
My brain is fried. I always cook a whole chicken like this, but then I THROW OUT THE GOOD STUFF IN THE CROCKPOT. Thank you for minding us to keep going.
I would love to have some of your recipes too! They sound yummy and I could really use some new recipes to expand my chicken repertoire.
Hey Toni!
I do this too, only I just put a ton of Tony Cachere’s and about 5 drops of Tabasco. YUM.
I also make two foil balls and set them in the bottom – keeps the chicken from burning.
I’ve done this a few times and love that we get a few meals out of it. I will almost always use the broth and extra chicken to make Chicken Tortilla Soup…yummy!! I have a question though, why do you skim the fat off the broth? Isn’t that somewhat beneficial to have some fat in it? Also, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the idea about freezing cilantro in water in the ice cube tray! I love cilantro but I never use the whole big bunch and it kills me to throw it out. Now I won’t have to! Thanks to everyone for the great tips!
For those who aren’t sure what to do with the giblets (the gross little paper bag of chicken organs hiding inside your whole chicken…
You make gravy. Often, the giblets will include the liver, the heart, sometimes the gizzard, and if you are really, really lucky, the neck.
Take all these out of the bag, and rinse them off a little. Put them into a little saucepan, and add maybe 2 cups of water.
Add a few tablespoons of minced onions, or even better, a medium-sized minced shallot. Nothing beats shallots, and you don’t need as much as when you use onion.
Add a splash of wine. Don’t use “cooking wine.” If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it either. If you don’t like wine (you weirdo), use a tablespoon or less of worcestershire sauce instead.
If you like herby flavors, you can also add a little marjoram, sage, rosemary and thyme (or any combo you like). I also like to add a little bit of black pepper at the very end of cooking, but other herbs go in at the beginning.
Simmer (medium or low heat) them for a long, long time, until only about half the liquid or less remains. Strain out the solid bits, and discard them.
Turn the heat up so that the liquid will come to a boil.
Into a small cup, put a tablespoon or two of corn starch. Add a few tablespoons of _very cold_ water, and mix with a fork until the mixture is smooth (if you use warm water, you get lumps).
Stirring quickly, add the cornstarch mixture to the giblet stock. In a few moments, it should begin to seriously thicken. When it does, remove from the heat.
You will now have about a cup of one of the richest, most delicious, chickeny-est gravies you’ve ever had. Nothing beats giblet gravy.
And, needless to say, this is a good use for turkey giblets as well.
Gosh…here I am, an Irish-woman living in Scotland, and was trawling through the ‘net for slow-cooker ideas for chicken , and lo and behold I came across this for a whole chicken in a crockpot (as my US friends say). I’m delighted ! Hubby bought me a 6.5litre slow cooker for Xmas, to replace my old earthenware one, and I had thought it was too big for every-day use. Now, I have learned that I can slow-cook a whole chicken, with no fuss, no mess and no standing by the oven for ages watching that it doesn’t burn. Thank you so very much. You learn something new every day! I’m very grateful for the tip and even now have a chicken defrosting in readiness. I’m still a little bit scared to try and cook it from frozen. Many, many thanks….Margaret, originally from Co Cork but now living in Central Scotland.
I did this and I’m hooked. Thanks so much for posting this. I somehow only got about 8 oz. broth, maybe I overcooked, but this is my favorite way to make a whole chicken now.
Making the chickie today. I haven’t done it in the crockpot before, but when I’ve made broth I freeze it in muffin tins and ice cube trays then when its frozen solid take them out of the trays and store in freezer bags. That way the broth is pre-measured in amounts that you can vary more easily than the huge chunk from the yogurt cup.
My only problem is that a whole chicken only lasts about 1.5 meals. but it still is a wonderful easy way to cook a chicken.
By the way, I forgot to offer kudos to you for telling people about cooking the bones, bits and skin to make broth! Nothing beats stock you make yourself when other recipes call for it.
I’ve been having alot of trouble lately trying to get my meat in the crock pot not to be dry =( . I’m guessing by the reviews this recipe won’t cause the chicken to dry out? I bought my first whole chicken at the store this week. I’m really hoping this will turn out well…
I don’t think you will have any problems with the chicken drying out. It is always moist when I make it.
Toni
thanks for the affirmation! I’ll have to get back on and let you guys know how it turns out when I make it =)
Definitely- please keep us updated on how it turns out!
I just tried this and loved how it turned out. Question: Is it normal for the broth to become totally gelatinous upon refrigeration? Also, how long will the broth last in the fridge before it goes bad? Thanks so much!
Yes, that is normal. I usually add a cup of water for each cup of broth when cooking because it is much stronger than store bought broth. I am not sure how long it lasts in the fridge. If I am not going to use it within a week I usually freeze it.
Toni
so I just tried it and it turned out dry. I was very disappointed =(. Next time I try it maybe I can put the orange in it like the other girl suggested.
I am shocked, I have made this hundreds of times and it has never been dry. Does your crock pot run hot? Sometimes that can cause the meat to over cook.
I suspect that my crockpot runs hotter than normal, because I have done a few other things since making the chicken and they also have turned out dry. I’m going to try using the warm setting next time instead of low.
I just made this tonight. It was amazing! I did put a cut up onion in the cavity. I also put some EVOO on a paper towel and wiped it over the entire chicken. Then I added the spices-salt, pepper and paprika. When the chicken was put in the crockpot, I did then put enough water in the bottom to make about 1/4 inch. The chicken fell off the bone and I have the stock cooking right now with celery tops and ends of the onion. Smells terrific! Thanks so much for this.
When I have made chicken stock from a store bought chicken I wrap the bones and skin in cheesecloth. When you’re done simmering the broth just pull out the bones wrapped in cheesecloth and throw it away. I use butchers twine to wrap the cheesecloth up. There’s no need to strain the broth of bones. Using the crockpot to simmer the bones for broth is a great idea.
What a great idea Janice! Thanks for the suggestion!
Toni
I finally got brave enough to try this again and I put the crock pot on Warm for 6 hours instead of on low and it turned out perfect!! I’m so glad that it was my crock pot’s fault and not mine =)!! Thanks so much, Ladies!! =)
I have always ruined any bird I’ve tried to cook. If it has a carcas, I can’t cook it. Until now. I spent the better part of Friday reading your blog, watching your video, checking on all the comments people made and by 4:00pm I was ready to tackle it. I went to the store, bought the bird and decided to cook in the oven because I was too excited to wait over night to cook in the crockpot. It turned out delish! The best part, however, was that I rendered about 8 cups of chicken broth – NO SODIUM!! That bird was enought for dinner for the hubby and ds, lunch for me and now chicken salad for Sunday lunch…Thank you for sharing and thank you to all your readers that commented and made it feel so easy! I might even attempt the turkey this thanksgiving. I have been married 14 years and the first year I ruined the bird and I wasn’t brave enough until year 12 and I ruined that one…*maybe* this year.
Good Luck with your move “sister in arms”. One mil spouse to another!!
What to do with the inards?
ANSWER: dice them in to about 1/8 inch pecies fry them in a pan with a little butter. In the meantime make your favorite stove top stuffing, once they are done frying add them to the stuffing. I also like to add apples,spicy sausage, onions white and red to the other pecies while they are frying. Once this combination is done cooking add it to the stuffing season to taste then stuff the chicken, or surve as a side. This adds geat flavor and it is a quick and easy way to spice up any old stuffing mix.
I usually save the innards in a ziploc bag in the freezer…every time I use a chicken I collect numerous ones and when I make fried chicken I thaw the innards(gizzards & livers) and dip and fry them along with the other chicken they make nice snackers while we wait on the chicken and even the kids love them:-)
I use the inner baggies of goodies(lol) for my dressing….
Okay, read all the post and tried this. It turned out great except I put an orange inside and realized while taking the meat off the bones. I’m not a fan of the orange taste with chicken. It sounded good. You might want to think about if you think you will like that taste or not. Who knew? Otherwise, it smells wonderful and the couple of bites I took were moist and tender. I now have the bones and juices with some celery and onion cooking on low. I may add a bit of garlic too. Thanks for posting this. I’m reading your story of your first years together. Bringing back memories of our own start.
I use this recipe all the time! What a simple tasty healthy thing! I do the chicken the first night and then make soup the next night which is way more than we can eat so it ends up being at least 3 dinners! Thanks for the tip!
The “bag of innards” were once called “Giblettes”, thus, giblette gravy.
I boil all of the contents in water till it is all cooked. Except for the kneck, I chop it all up and find a dog owner, ang give it to them to add to the canines’ dinner. Cats love it, too. It must be minced for cats.
Save he knecks and freeze them until crabbing season, let them fester in the sun a couple of days, then go crabbing- same method works for catfishng, too.
The cooked giblettes are also good for mincing and adding them to stuffing.
Broth from the parts are also for gravy,soup,etc.
I always cut the orange or any citrus in half and put them into the chicken or turkey.
I always cut the orange or any citrus in half and put them into the chicken or turkey.D’t worry about peeling it, the peeling gives it x-tra flavor!!!
It’s also healthier to buy a whole chicken. Because of the way factory chickens are raised and treated, you are less likely to have a damaged chicken when you buy it whole. When you buy only the pieces of the chicken i.e breast, thighs, legs, etc. there is a greater likelihood that other parts of the chicken were damaged (sores, tumors) and even diseased. Pretty gross when you think about it. That and it’s just a heck of a lot cheaper to buy a whole bird. I can get 3-4 meals out of one.
Thanks for the post because I have never cooked one in the crock pot and wasn’t sure if I had to do anything special.
I am a big fan of cooking with a slow cooker and using the whole chicken. When a local grocer puts a whole chicken on sale for 66 cents a pound – well you gotta take advantage of it. Chop up some garlic and or onion….or some paprika as you suggest…..i mean really. It is so easy and it is a shame that the slow cooker has gotten a bad wrap in some circles.
I also use the cooked chicken to make chicken pot pie! Delicious and cheap!!
I need to be able to print recipes
Lordy, I’m late to the party on this one. ;D What an ingenious idea; I know what we’re having tomorrow. And the next day (pesto chicken salad sammiches). And the day after that (soup)! YAY!!!!
If you click directly on the post link, you will see a little black and white printer at the bottom of the article. If you click on that you will be able to print the article.
Toni
This is also how I make cat food. We eat what we want off the chicken, then I let it cool. Pull the rest of the chicken off the bones and throw the bones away. I put the chicken right back in to the pot with the liquid and add leftover rice and veggies. If I don’t have any leftovers to add, I will cook up some frozen veggies and rice. I tried sending it thru a food processor, but they actually didn’t like it as much. They absolutely love it. Even mister fussy-butt!
I recently bought my 1st crock pot & a little cook book. Most of the recipes in there require a lot of ingrediants I never have in my kitchen. I loved this recipe. Easy to follow and directly to the point, great idea w/the step by step photos. Thanks from San Diego!
You can boil your giblets(inards) until they are done, then chop them real fine, add back to the broth. Take about a eighth of a cup of flour add hot water and stir until you can get as many of the lumps out as you can. Then turn your broth and giblet mixture on medium / med high dep on your stove and slowly add the thickning(flour mixture) This will make a great gravy. may need to add more flour water mixture if you want it thicker. Also can chopp the giblets as fine as you wld like them in your gravy…almost forgot….salt and pepper to taste add sauteed onions and bell peper if you want to get jiggy.
Maybe I’ve overlooked it but I’m planning to cook a whole chicken I recently bought that is already cut up. Can I plan to cook it the same as you would a whole chicken in the crock-pot? I’m wanting to cook down the meat for a pot-pie.
Thanks!
Got a crock pot and used it for the second time today. I wish I had looked for a recip0e before I tried a whole chicken…. I put carrots, celery,. onions, parsley and bay leaf in the bottom of the pot with the chicken on top but added some stock and ended with a steamed the chicken. … will try it without the broth the next time. It did make good stock for soup. I always put the gizzard heart and neck in a pot with more of the same veggies with any of the fat, skin and occasionally add the wings (if I don’t want to present the chicken on a plate as a whole) add water and simmer to make stock for soup. When cooked cut the gizzards very small, clean the chicken from the bones.add rice or noodles to the broth with the veggies. (more veggies could be added) and a the soup is ready. If there is time cool the broth to remove the fat from the broth and the meat from the neck and wings. Some left over chicken is a nice addition.
I fry.the liver….my favorite part of the chicken. When we were younger and wouldn’t eat liver mother after roasting it with the whole chicken pushed it through a sieve added tomato paste and some broth and served it over noodles or rice.
When ever I plan on cooking a whole chicken, I clean my chicken and then dissolve 1/4 cup of salt in water and brine my chicken overnight. Then drain it well, put onions and garlic on bottom of crock pot and follow above directiions. Some times I use a rub on my chicken, whatever herbs and spices you like and just rub it on.
If you use cornstarch and COLD water you don’t get the flour taste and it thickens well.
Currently soaking my whole chicken in warm water to thaw the rest of it out that didnt in the fridge. I have a small crock pot so i use a small chicken. this was very nice to see. i never thought to use peprika on my chicken. i usually use my “usual” spices. i use a touch of garlic some mrs. dash table blend, seasoning salt, onion powder, and some pepper and rub that into the chicken. tonight i will try to rub some peprika instead. sounds like a wonderful idea.
I do always make sure to buy the biggest chickens they have. The carcasses are really not that much bigger, so all the extra weight you are getting (above that of the smaller chickens) is going to pretty much be just meat.
Rotisserie chickens from the deli weight about 2 1/2 pounds and cost at least five dollars. I can buy two of those for my family and be out ten bucks, or just buy a 5+ pound chicken (at .69/pound) for about $3.50. I actually cook two chickens at a time because I have six kids (plus hubby’s a big eater), but that gives us enough leftovers for chicken soup or chicken salad or whatever.
WHAT A GREAT TIP!! I’m always searching online for crockpot whole chicken recipes and absolutely love your tips to create chicken broth. Since I love soup from the Chinese restaurants, I usually save the quart plastic containters so I’ll use them to store the broth. Will try it tomorrow. Thanks!!
oh so did not think of that. I did that with my turkey this year at Thanksgiving (orange and apple in the cavity), but never thought about it with the chicken in the crock pot thanks for the awesome tip!