Easy Slow Cooker Whole Chicken and Chicken Stock from the Leftovers {One Chook, Many Meals}

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Save money, time and fuss with a slow cooker whole chicken. Then make many meals from the meat and slow cooker stock as well!

slow cooker whole roast chicken
Slow-cooked whole chicken in the slow cooker.

I think we need to be up-front about what a slow-cooker roast chicken is, and what it is not.

What it is: it is an amazingly easy way to cook a chook. It will save you time, save you fuss and save you money.

Now what it isn’t; it’s not the same as a roast chook in the oven. It doesn’t have golden crispy skin (although you can crisp it up after it has cooked), it doesn’t have the same texture as roast chicken (although it is mouth-wateringly tender!) and if you like your bird stuffed, there’s no stuffing.

But you CAN throw a whole chicken in the slow cooker, walk away for a few hours, and come home to chicken that’s perfectly tender.

You can then make THE BEST gravy with all the cooking juice. Just follow the directions in the post linked below, but cook it in a saucepan (unless you have a slow-cooker that can go on the stovetop or a multi-cooker). And finally, with the leftover bones, you can make stock to use in soups, stews and other dishes.

Read further: Authentic Old Fashioned Gravy – So Good You’ll Want to Lick The Pan

How Long Do You Cook a Roast Chicken in the Slow-Cooker?

A slow cooker is pretty forgiving, so if you leave your chook in a bit too long, it will be fine.

However, chicken can go dry if it’s overcooked, so you don’t want to leave it too long.

For a chicken of about 1.8kg, it will take about four-six hours on HIGH or six-eight hours on LOW.

To test that the chicken is done, cut into the thickest part (thigh or breast) and check that the meat is white and the juices run clear.

Alternatively use a meat thermometer (I use this one (affiliate link) and love it – our meat turns out perfectly juicy and tender (and safe) every time).

A chicken is cooked when its internal temperature is 75°C. To test the temperature, insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the bird (thigh or under the breast) and avoid bone, gristle, and fat.

How to Get Crispy Skin on Your Slow-Cooker Chicken

The key to getting brown crispy skin is a little oil and dry heat, either from a griller/broiler (ideal) or oven.

Once the chicken is cooked, very carefully remove it from the slow cooker and place it on an oven-safe baking tray. Make sure the tray has a rim so that the juices don’t drip. The chicken will be fall-apart tender, so take care scooping it out of the slow cooker. If you start your chicken in the slow cooker in a foil ‘sling’ it will be easier to lift out.

Preheat your grill to high.

Spray the chicken with a little oil and the grill/broil for a few minutes until browned. You don’t want to cook it until the chicken has dried out.

If you have a separate grill as I do, and you’re not sure the chicken will fit, you can try taking out the shelf and placing the pan on the bottom of the grill.

Alternatively, you can cook the chicken in the oven at 240°C for about 10 minutes. If it fits in your air fryer, use that instead. The key is high heat for a short time so the flesh doesn’t dry out.

Adding Vegetables to Your Slow Cooker Chicken to Make a Complete Meal

If you chop up some vegetables to cook under the chicken, you’ve got a complete meal in the pot and they help elevate the chicken so it doesn’t stew in its juices.

Ideal vegetables include potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, and other firm vegetables like parsnip if they are available.

You can even include some herbs like rosemary or thyme to flavour the gravy you make afterwards.

The vegetables will be soft. If you want to dry them out a bit and get some crispy edges happening, put the vegetables under the griller/broiler for a few minutes to crisp up.

Meal Ideas For Slow Cooker Roast Chicken – Ways to Stretch One Bird to Make Many Meals

You can eat the chicken as is with vegetables and gravy and that makes a lovely, easy meal.

Or you can shred the chicken and get many meals from one bird. Here are some leftover roast chicken recipes:

  • Chicken pasta
  • Chicken risotto
  • Chicken pizzas
  • Chicken soup
  • Mexican inspired chicken (chicken tacos, burritos, nachos etc)
  • Chicken and veg casserole (shredded chicken, frozen veg mix, can soup, breadcrumb topping – bake until golden)
  • Chicken toasties, wraps, sliders, chicken and gravy rolls
  • Chicken curry
  • Chicken salad
  • Chicken rice paper rolls
Yield: 6 serves

Whole Roast Chicken in the Slow Cooker

slow cooker whole roast chicken

While you don't get the same crispy skin as you do if you roast a chook in the oven, cooking a whole chicken in the slow cooker can be convenient.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 2 garlic cloves, bruised
  • 1/4 lemon (optional)
  • paprika
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Pat the chicken dry. Stuff the cavity with the onion, garlic and lemon if using. Sprinkle the chicken skin with the paprika, salt and pepper.
  2. Place the chicken in the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours. (The time will depend on the size of your chicken. Test your chicken by cutting into the thickest part of the thigh - the juices should run clear. Or use a meat thermometer (75C)
  3. Carefully lift the chicken out. For crispy chicken, spray lightly with oil and place under the griller/broiler for a few minutes until golden.
  4. Save the chicken bones, onion and garlic to make stock.

Notes

You can add cut vegetables to the bottom of the slow cooker for a complete meal. Use vegetables like potato, carrot, sweet potato, parsnip, onions, garlic. You can also add some thyme or rosemary twigs for extra flavour.

    Nutrition Information:

    Yield:

    6

    Serving Size:

    1

    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 249Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 132mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 28g

    Nutritional information is calculated automatically using the Nutritionix database. Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, serving size or the source of nutrition data. We strive to keep the information as accurate as possible but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. We encourage readers to make their own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Facebook

    How to Make Chicken Stock in the Slow Cooker from the Leftovers

    Once you’ve cooked the chicken, don’t throw the bones out! Make fresh, delicious, and inexpensive chicken stock.

    Strip the chicken from the bones, throw the bones back in the slow cooker with water and maybe some salt, and cook it on LOW for eight hours or overnight.

    You can add some veggies for extra flavour – I like to collect vegetable scraps in the freezer which makes this stock even cheaper. Scraps to collect include onion tops and peels, carrot tops and peels, celery leaves, parsley stalks, and garlic.

    You can also include aromatics like peppercorns, a bouquet garni, or a bay leaf, but these are optional.

    Let the stock cool. If you refrigerate it, any fat rises to the top and is easy to skim off but this is also optional.

    Pour the stock through a sieve to strain off the bones and vegetables. Divide into portions and freeze. Now you have a ready supply of high-quality chicken stock for soups, risottos, stews, and sauces.

    You might also like: How to Make Chicken Stock (With Pictures)

    Yield: 2 litres

    Super Simple Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

    homemade chicken stock

    Make your own delicious chicken stock easily from scraps in the slow cooker. You really only need bones and water, but I've added some optional ingredients you can use to deepen the flavour.

    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 8 hours
    Additional Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes

    Ingredients

    • Leftover bones of a whole roast chicken
    • 2.5 litres of water
    • 1 tsp. salt (optional)
    • vegetables or vegetable scraps (optional, see notes)

    Instructions

    1. Strip the meat from the cooked chicken bones and place the bones into the slow cooker.
    2. Top with water and add salt and vegetables if using.
    3. Cook on LOW for eight hours or overnight.
    4. (Optional step) Refrigerate and skim the solidified fat off the top.
    5. Strain stock through a strainer. Divide into portions, label, and freeze.

    Notes

    Because stock is the base of other dishes, you don't want to over-salt it. Instead, season whatever dish you add it to to get the perfect flavour.

    If you want to add vegetables, add a couple of roughly chopped carrots, a chopped onion or two, maybe a couple of garlic cloves and some parsley stalks.

    For an even cheaper version, use vegetable scraps. I put scraps in a bag in the freezer when I'm preparing meals, so there are scraps ready to go when I want to make stock. Scraps to use include carrot and onion peelings, celery leaves, parsley stalks, and garlic. Just make sure to wash your veggies before you keep the scraps.

    For traditional French stock, add a bouquet garni and/or a bay leaf and a few peppercorns.

    You can freeze the stock in containers, zip-lock freezer bags (these are great because they stack once frozen) or jars. Just make sure to leave plenty of headroom in the jar because liquid expands when frozen and you don't want exploding jars!

    Nutrition Information:

    Yield:

    8

    Serving Size:

    1

    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 38Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 319mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g

    Nutritional information is calculated automatically using the Nutritionix database. Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, serving size or the source of nutrition data. We strive to keep the information as accurate as possible but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. We encourage readers to make their own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Facebook

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    7 Comments

    1. Hey Melissa, you might also like thermal ‘magic cookers’. They’re similar to slow cookers but don’t require a constant electricity supply. You heat up the ingredients and then put it into this thermos-like container; the food continues to cook inside for several hours. I use it to make chicken stock and duck soup.

    2. Oh i love it, i usually use powdered stock but this is so easy and i can freeze it in ice cubes for later use as well!
      I used to throw out the stalks from broccoli and other veg things that i would have never thought of using in meals. Once i got my slow cooker i started dicing things like broc stalks and popping them in the freezer, when hubby wasn’t looking i would add them to some of his favourite casseroles etc i was making in the slow cooker and he would never know the difference. Recently he caught me and asked what i was doing, how long i had been doing it for and then asked me in all serious if i could continue to hide things like this from him.
      I’d love some more ideas of things i can keep and freeze like this for different uses… I have to admit i haven’t searched the blog extensively (which i do plan to do!)
      Now to get add some chooks to the next menu plan and add the stock as well! Thanks

    3. Hi Must be Thifty. I’ve read a lot about the thermal cookers. Here in QLD they would be brilliant! I really want to try one, the angle of our unit means we don’t get any sun in our yard pretty much all year though….

      Leila, I’m just getting into slow cooking, so more recipes to come. As far as recipes that can freeze, there are quite a few on the blog: soups, stews etc. Also things like rissoles can be frozen uncooked and then cooked once defrosted. I had to laugh at your story abou the broccoli stems, they say a little mystery keeps a relationship strong! :)

    4. Hey Melissa, I’m thinking of another type of thermal cooker. There’s a pot on the inside, which you heat the contents of the food on the stove (usually half an hour so that it has boiled and simmered for a bit). The pot goes inside the thermal insulation and the food continues to bubble away. It takes about 4-6 hours to cook, but you don’t have to worry about the house burning down, etc. It’s a Japanese (?) contraption, I think, and you can get them at various Asian whitegoods stores.

    5. I haven’t heard of those, will have to look into it – sounds good. Anything that involves no electricity would be good to try. I wonder if it would be easy to make??