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Update: If you have a minute, read through the comments, my readers have added some awesome tips and ideas for cooking whole chickens.
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 is super easy. First unwrap the chicken, remove the bag of who knows what from the cavity and give the chicken a quick rinse. I have not gotten to the point where I can do something creative with the innards in the bag, but if you have any ideas feel free to post them in the comments.
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 dump 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 on the low setting and cover. Leave overnight. In the morning you will have a crock pot full of bones and chicken broth, and your house will smell like Boston Market for the next day or two.
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.
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.
Sorry, no pictures, the kids devoured this casserole before I could get the camera.
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.
This post is linking to $5 Dinner Challenge, Tasty Tuesday, and Tempt my Tummy Tuesday.
For great meals for less you can purchase at your local store visit $5 Dinner’s new feature, Bargain Meal of the Week. Bloggers around the country create a bargain meal based on their local store sales.
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I do this all the time- cheap and easy- i usually make chicken salad with the leftovers- just add mayo- perfect for lunch the next day and yummy.
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I love to make chicken tacos with the leftovers. Geri
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I think you’ve convinced me to give it a try.
Since I’ve never picked a whole chicken out — is there something I have to look for when I buy it from the store?!
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TheHappyHousewife Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
I don’t think so, I try to buy ones that are free of hormones and such, but other than that they are about the same. I would just look for a good sale.
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Awesome! I love making my own broth too. I haven’t done it is so long though, now I’m inspired to do it again.
The wheels of pondering are starting to turn in my head. . .we have thought about hosting the family (extended) Thanksgiving this year. . .I wonder if I could do the Turkey in the crockpot. Hmmm. Something to ponder and measure.
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I do this a LOT. Sometimes once a week, especially in the winter.
When you scoop off the fat, don’t throw it away; use it to make gelatin, which is ultra healthy.
Yes, I often cook a whole chicken, and save back a cup or two worth of meat back, and we have the rest of the chicken for supper.
I then make the stock – the same way you do, but I also throw in a little bit of carrots, garlic, onions, and celery, and they add more flavor and nutrients to the stock/broth.
The next day, I use a cup of cooked chicken, and the homemade broth, and make up a big crock pot of chicken and rice soup. I chop up some more veggies, and sometimes add peppers, and it’s GREAT. REAL chicken soup, LOL.
Day three – I use the left over soup (if any) and the remaining cup of chicken, and I use the crock pot ~again~ and make black beans and rice. I cook it with whatever is left of the chicken soup, and throw in the rest of the leftover chicken.
One chicken – three meals – all in the crock pot – YEAH!
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Lynn Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Please don’t mind my asking. How do you use the fat to make gelatin? And what is the gelatin used for? I just don’t know if it is something that is in the prepackaged kinds of foods that I have been using. I am really loving making most everything homemade and blessing my family and myself with nutritious and even delicious food.
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Thanks. Fry’s (Kroger) has whole chickens for $.49/lb this week. I’ve never made broth, I’ll try it.
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Bree Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I am stocking up on this sale too! I go and get the limit 4, then send my husband to get 4. I am usually happy when it is .69 1b! but .49 WHOO HOOO!
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I’ve never bought a whole chicken before- because they scared me, yes! Thank you so much for this post- I am buying one the next time I go to the grocery- you can’t get any easier than the crock-pot!
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I do this all the time since I bought a crock pot. Love it!
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Great idea. I’ve never cooked a chicken in a crockpot. I usually boil a whole chicken then set aside, using the broth to start a soup. I put about half of the chicken in the soup toward the end and use the other half for chicken salad.
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JennaG Reply:
October 31st, 2009 at 11:38 pm
This is exactly what I do!
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EXCELLENT advice! I do this a lot, but had never known to cook the bones on low overnight for extra flavorful broth. Great tip!
I am also glad you posted the cost per person for the meals. I was just thinking today that when people eat out, they probably don’t think much of spending $10 for their meal, but do they realize they could make the same thing for $1?!
Thank you for this!
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If you add a splash of vinegar to the bones in the crockpot, you will extract more minerals from the bones, making for a richer, healthier broth. It makes the BEST soup.
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When I do the chicken in the crockpot, I prop it up on some balls of aluminum foil. It ends up tasting more like a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store! You can affect the crispiness of the skin by drying it off and then rubbing it with (a healthy) oil.
Be careful with the whole drying/rubbing procedure though as it can be a great way to spread germs all over the place!
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The timing of your post couldn’t have been better!
I just bought a whole chicken because it was 69 cents/lb., and we are completely out of money for the month. (That’s another story: hubby’s tooth broke in half unexpectedly, my car tire was punctured, and I got my first traffic ticket in years, all the same month.)
Anyway, I bought this chicken, having no idea what to do with it, just knowing it was cheap. I googled whole chicken recipes and wasn’t finding anything that caught my attention.
Then I went through my blog RSS feeds, and saw your post. Now I know what to do! Thank you!
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This is so much better than buying the precooked chickens because you get the broth as well. And its almost effortless.
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This is great…thank you so much for posting it! I’ve never purchased a whole chicken because I had no idea how to cook it. And I guess I wasn’t motivated enough to figure it out myself (i.e. use google). But this looks so easy to do!! I’ll definitely be trying it!
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I have started doing this as well. In fact I will gross myself out and cut up the chicken into it’s respective parts and use them in a recipe and then make broth with the uncooked carcass. Last week I bought a 7 lb. chicken for $5 and made chicken pot pie, chicken soup, chicken sandwiches and 10 cups of broth…that’s 5 cans! It was fantastic
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Maybe I should have checked my feed reader BEFORE I started my day by putting a chicken in the oven :/
I’ll still do the bones and broth this afternoon in the crockpot…sounds better than doing it on the stove top
Thanks Toni!
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I make whole fryer chickens alot but have never tried it in a crockpot, Im going to try this very soon. Thanks!
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That is awesome. Thanks for the really clear directions! – Jules
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This is exactly what I do with my whole chickens and I also make my broth in the crockpot (I add carrots, onions and celery for extra flavor)!! I was so delighted a year or so ago when I realized I could make the broth overnight in the crockpot and not have to worry about it simmering all day on the stove!
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We raise and butcher our own chickens. One year the freezer quit working right after we butchered. I had to cook off 14 chickens in a hurry. We picked them all and froze the meat in 1 lb. bags. Loved having the pre-cooked meat available for soups and casseroles. Best mishap I ever experienced!
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Thanks for the reminder. I have 2 whole chickens in my freezer. One of them will get cooked like this for sure. Plus broth.
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I just gave this a try on Friday, and it worked so well I’m planning on doing this every week. I was struggling with storage for the broth, but I have a ton of yogurt containers that size – great tip!
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I love roasting chickens in the crockpot.
I normally add an orange inside the chicken while cooking. It adds great flavor and makes it juicier.
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MJ Martin Reply:
October 21st, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Do you add the orange whole, or peel it first? I’m such a loser when it comes to cooking meat! My hubby is a vegetarian! lol
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TheHappyHousewife Reply:
October 21st, 2009 at 2:31 pm
I think it is a whole orange, but I could be wrong….
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Rachael Reply:
October 21st, 2009 at 8:46 pm
I slice it in half, but don’t peel it.
I do mine this way, as well. Except, I do not spray my crockpot–I just throw the chicken in.
I’m really weird about bones in my food, so I always strayed away from whole chickens. When I realized just how frugal they were, and how much I could get from them–I gave it a go. Now, if I could only be more effective in getting the small bones out of my food! Finding one in my mouth is enough for me to be done with dinner, right then!
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TheHappyHousewife Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Have you tried pulling the meat off when the chicken is cold. I find it is easier, and I don’t have a problem with bones. The one time I did it when it was hot, I did find a bone later…
Although I was also in a hurry…
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Hi!
Great ideas and recipes! Thanks for sharing. Have a great day!
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I use my roaster and cook two at a time. I figure that way I will have plenty of leftovers. I need to see if I can use the roaster to make the broth, also. Any ideas if it will work in there, too? The roaster makes the meet incredibly most, also.
A few years ago we tried several different ways of cooking our Thanksgiving turkey including brines, oven bags, and the roaster. We found the roaster makes the best flavor of anything, so that is how we cook our turkey, too.
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I’m wondering what size of chicken this was? I often see chickens on sale though it’s rare that I see a whole chicken for around $4 (usually I only see them for around 6, and when you compare that to the pre-cooked roasters for $7… i often will just get those).
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TheHappyHousewife Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
The chicken was a little over 4 pounds. I think the price at the commissary was $0.89 a pound, so I paid $4 for the chicken.
Toni
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This is about the only way we do chicken, except for when we are craving chicken wings. A whole chicken has a thousand uses. I love to add some apples into the cavity when cooking either in the crockpot or the rotisserie (a gift). Very good, especially when you make some of the chicken into a good old southern chicken salad.
Amanda
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I used to avoid whole chickens too, until about a year ago, when my husband was laid off. I started doing this because it was cheap and you could get so many meals out of it. I have more broth/stock in my freezer than I can come up with uses for! With the leftover chicken I usually make chicken pot pie, chicken noodle casserole, chicken burritos, or some kind of soup such as chicken chili monterey-yum!
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monica villarreal Reply:
January 27th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
I really want to start doing this too! I think I have the crockpot part down…wondering if you could give me some of those recipes for the chicken afterwards!? I could use as many chicken recipes as possible. Thanks!!
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Thank you for posting cooking a chicken in a crockpot. I am trying to be more frugal, this is going to help.
Thanks,
Joyful
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I agree, I buy them because of the cost. I use one chicken for about 2 dinners. I also always cook them frozen.
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Sarah Reply:
October 30th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
How do you cook them frozen, do you take the bag out before you freeze (the giblets, etc)
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Ashly Lowe Reply:
October 30th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I don’t take the bag out first. I freeze them right from the store packaging. Take it out of the packaging place in the crock pot w/ no water. Season like you would if thawed. It is amazing how it cooks the same.If I’m cooking chicken breast I put them in frozen. I also do this w/ my roast. I’ve been cooking your shredded beef tacos. When I cook the roast, pour everything over top of the frozen roast (don’t add water)and let it cook away!!! BTW, my family LOVES them!!! OH, when cooking them frozen I always cook on high. Let me know if you try it, and how it works for you!!!
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Angela Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 1:14 pm
I’m cooking my first frozen chicken in the crock pot right now on low. I started it at 7am and I will get back home around 5. I hope that it is as good as I’m hoping it will be.
I’ve never cooked a chicken in the crock pot and am looking forward to trying now. I love the tip about making the broth next. I often use leftover chicken to make white chicken chili and with your crock pot recipe I could also use the broth in the chili the next day too.
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Great tip about making your own chicken broth. I like the chicken in a crock pot too!But, I have been wasting that good juice. I will start making my chicken broth too! Thank you!
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Thanks for the tips about the broth. I love throwing a whole chicken in the crockpot and usually save the left over broth, but I’ll try it this way now. I enjoyed reading all the reader tips too.
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I just started cooking whole chickens recently, but I haven’t tried it in the crockpot yet. This sounds so simple and mess free! Thanks for sharing!
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I always make my whole chickens in the oven, I will have to try the crockpot next. I use my broth to make rice all the time, adds some extra flavor.
I also use that tiny bit of leftover chicken that doesn’t seem like enough for a meal in chicken quesidillas. Tortilla with refried beans, chicken, veggies (whatever you have), cheese- fold in half and heat in oven or microwave. This is a great meal for those nights when everyone is in and out with activities. Make them early and everyone can heat their own when ready. My littles like to dip them in sour cream or guacamole.
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Very good tips. I don’t like picking crabs or other kinds of foods, but the benefits of cooking whole chickens has had me picking chickens for a long time for my large family. If you have never tried it….go for it.
One tip-take out the paper baggie thingie before freezing. It helps to thaw faster and more evenly. Sometimes I preseason the outside and inside of the chicken and vacuum seal it.
Good eating!
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I love my crock pot to cook whole chickens! I use this recipe, it’s called Rubber Chicken because you can stretch 3 meals out of it. Roast chicken one day, chicken and bean enchiladas the next and finally soup. It’s great stuff. I also like how it suggests to stuff the inside with carrot, celery and onion. It’s unbelievable how much flavor the chicken picks up from the veggies. Of course, the veggies are then bland and just get thrown away. lol
http://www.leanneely.com/2009/rubber-chicken/
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Susie G. Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
I believe you, Wendy, about the vegetables, because I recently boiled chicken and added veggies for the stock and it was SO MUCH BETTER than when I had done it without. I am excited to try the crockpot techniques from HHW!
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While reading this, I have chicken cooking in the oven for tomorrow night’s dinner. I’m cooking it almost completely tonight then finish when I get home so I won’t have to wait almost an hour before I eat dinner after work.
I cook whole chicken in a crockpot but have always put water in it. I thought you had to or it’d burn without water. I’ve since learned that I can make more broth by cooking the bones later. Adding veggies sounds good as well.
I’m half a notion to buy a bigger crockpot since the older one has problems getting whole chickens to fit any more.
Take care and thanks for all the ideas!!!
http://grandmabeckyl.blogspot.com
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Jamie Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:15 am
I love the old 1970’s orange crockpot. I too wanted a larger one so now I have two and often use both at the same time. Big crockpot for meat, and the smaller for beans.
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i started cooking chicken like this about a year ago. what i usually do though is, throughout the week as im cleaning veggies for meals, i keep the stray carrot peels, celery ends, zucchini bits and whatever else i have and shove them in a bag in the freezer.
by the time im ready to make the chicken broth, i have a bag of veggie scraps to throw in with it to give it a little flavor. you can also just use the veggies by themselves to make a veggie broth.
frugal and healthy ^_^
cheers!
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lindy Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
I was going to say we do the same thing! Glad I’m not the only one
We keep celery ends, onion tops, etc in a bag in the freezer and use them when I’m making chicken stock – it works GREAT! Thanks for the crock pot chicken idea…I’ll be using it next time we have whole chicken…I had been using the oven – but the crockpot would save so much electricity. And making the stock in there is brilliant too – cheaper than the stovetop! Thanks for helping us all save money!
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I have been wanting to do this and with the weather starting to change and get colder was getting ready to search for a recipe! Now I don’t have to!! THANK YOU!!!
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I do this at least once a week.
I will also cut up potatoes and carrots and put those on the bottom.
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I’m inspired to do more of this.
I hate picking the meat off the bones, but tolerate it by using gloves. I put on thick rubber gloves (not disposable) and begin by washing them with antibacterial soap, just as I would my hands. If the phone rings or I need to do something else in the kitchen I can just slip off the slimy gloves to change tasks, then put them back on when I return!
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Thanks for the great idea! I usually cook my chickens in the oven but they make a huge mess and then to make stock I have to dirty other pans. I am so ready to try cooking my chicken in the crock pot next time around.
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I have also put in a frozen chicken at night before I go to bed and in the morning it is done! It usually just falls off the bones and I lift out the little bag of “stuff”. It’s been a little while since I did it, and I can’t quite remember if I put it on HIGH or LOW. I probably put it on HIGH at first then turned it down to LOW a little later. I think you could do it on LOW and in the morning if it isn’t done yet, crank it up to HIGH for a little longer.
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I do this all the time. I even buy chicken thighs and debone them and save the bones, in the freezer) until I have enough to boil them down. There is still a little meat on the bones so it adds to it. Once it is chicken broth I use a large muffin pan (the ones used to make really big muffins) and put the broth in there and freeze it. The fat comes to the top so it can be taken off. Then I end up with 1 cup portions of chicken broth to use in other recipes.
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I LOVE the muffin pan idea!
If I have to wait to thaw an iceberg (or remember to do it ahead of time) I’m more likely to reach for a can instead of what I stored. I do that with cilantro and water in ice cube trays to keep it on hand for a favorite soup recipe — but never thought to translate that to broth!
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I LOVE THIS!! I’ve always felt overwhelmed with the thought of cooking a whole chicken. Our local grocery store had chickens on sale this week for .59/lb., so I decided to give your crockpot recipe a try. I just finished cooking the chicken & it is delicious!! Thanks so much!!!
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I Loved the way you take the pictures of each step, it is so clear and understandable. I LOVE to shop at the commarrisary (Please excuse my spelling!!) but I’m always looking for cooking ideas on what would work for my family and My Husband loves chicken and this is just another way for me to try to cook chicken!!!
Thank you so very much!!! 
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