How to cook a whole chicken in a crock pot!

CHICOPEE, Mass. (Mass Appeal) - Slow cookers are a great way to make an elegant meal easily. Chef Bill Collins is a Personal Chef and he showed us an easy way to roast a whole chicken in your slow cooker!

“Roasted” Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker

Ingredients:

• 1 4 - 5 pound chicken
• 3 - 4 carrots, peeled and cut in 4 pieces, length-wise
• 2 - 3 celery stalks, cut in 4 pieces, length-wise
• Approximately 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Paprika
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 lemon, cut in half

Directions:

1. Remove the neck and giblets from the chicken.  Rinse the chicken, and dry it with paper towel to remove any excess water.
2. Spread the carrot and celery pieces in the slow cooker.
3. Spread olive oil over the chicken, and sprinkle throughout with salt, pepper, and paprika.
4. Place the cut onion into the cavity of the chicken, and place the chicken into the slow cooker.
5. Squeeze the lemon over the chicken, and place the squeezed lemon halves into the slow cooker.
6. Cover the slow cooker, and cook the chicken on low, for approximately 6 hours.

NOTES:

• The timing of the cooking will vary based on your slow cooker and the size of the chicken.  It may be a bit more, or less, than 6 hours.
   
• If you’d like crispy skin on the chicken after it’s cooked, put the chicken in an oven-proof pan, and place it under your oven’s broiler for 5 minutes.  Do not put it on the highest rack-level in the oven, or it might burn the chicken.

Yield: 4-6 servings