Slow Cooker Spiced Whole Chicken is exceptionally juicy and moist and has a nice kick from a spice rub made from paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chipotle chili powder, and poultry seasoning.
Until about a year ago it never occurred to me that you could cook a whole chicken in a crock pot. Not only is cooking whole chicken in a crock pot exceptionally easy, but it is very healthy as well. Because so much moisture builds up in the crock pot, there’s no need to add any fat.
I just place the spice-coated chicken on top of a bed of sliced onions for extra flavor, put the lid on the crock pot and let it cook away while I go about my day. Six hours later I have the most tender and juicy chicken. This Slow Cooker Spiced Whole Chicken is great on its own or you can use it in a wrap, a quesadilla, or on top of a salad. 
Note: If you have a newer crock pot which tend to cook hotter on LOW, your chicken may be done well before 6 hours. It is harder to dry meat out in the crock pot, but it is possible if you cook it way too long, so be mindful. My crock pot, which I have had for at least 15 years, just developed a crack. 🙁 Looks like I am going to be cooking with a newer model from now on and I’m not happy about it. 
Slow Cooker Spiced Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 sweet onions, sliced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (5 to 6 pound) organic chicken,, rinsed and patted dry
Instructions
- Line bottom of slow cooker with onion slices.
- In a small bowl, mix all spices. Rub spice mixture over the whole chicken.
- Place chicken on top of onions. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Source: adapted from Everyday Paleo Cookbook
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Hi, christin, I cooked up your chicken yesterday, and I just wanted to let you know, that there’s no way you could get everything ready to go in five minutes; it took me fifteen minutes just to catch the darn chicken!
I will say that things went smoothly after that, but I still had feathers that I missed. And leave it up to my wife, to keep bringing the feather thing the whole meal.
But even though you fudged a little on the time, I think its about the easiest, and best chicken yet, and I thank you, for your effort.
Jim
Hi all.
I just got my Crock pot and I love it. I search a lot for good recipes and I always end up on american sites. I love the southern spicy cooking, but I have no idea of what to serve on the side of this chicken. I am from Norway and we have totally different food traditions. Can someone point me in the right direction?
I tried this today and it was great! I put the spices underneath the skin and put the chicken breast-side down in the crock pot. Cooked 6 hours on low and was perfectly done, tender moist, definitely not mushy. It’s definitely a keeper! Since there’s only two people here, I like using some of the leftovers throughout the week (working full-time and grad school part time) and freeze some for a quick meal. I would definitely recommend!
Would like to try making this. My slower cooker is the standard pot size, not shallow oval shaped. Do you think cooking the chicken ‘standing’ in the crock pot will work?
Hi Gloria- As long as the chicken fits in the crock pot and you can get the lid closed, I don’t think the shape or size of the crock pot matters that much. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I am going to try tgis recipe but I have what I hope is not a stupid question. Can I stuff the chicken ? I suspect so since I do it in the oven and also in my one pot cooking pot.