Slow Cooker

Slow-Cooker Rotisserie Chicken

by:
January 28, 2020
4.3
6 Ratings
Slow-Cooker Rotisserie Chicken
Photo by Rocky Luten. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog. Prop Stylist: Sophie Strangio.
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 5 hours
  • Serves 3 to 4
Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: Slow-Cooker Rotisserie Chicken Is Peak Comfort Cooking. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 3 ½- to 4-pound chicken, giblets removed and discarded
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
Directions
  1. Create a makeshift rack for your chicken by crumbling foil into a long snake, then loosely wrapping it into a coil. Place in bottom of a 4-quart Crock-Pot.
  2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season well with salt and pepper.
  3. Mix together paprika, brown sugar, and garlic powder in a small bowl, then rub all over the chicken. If you want, truss the chickens legs together with kitchen twine (this will keep the bird more neatly together, but won’t change anything about flavor or cooking time).
  4. Place chicken breast-side up on the foil coil. Cook on high for 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours or low for 4 to 5 hours, until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.
  5. If you like your chicken skin crispy (duh!) transfer it to a sheet pan, drizzle with the olive oil, then broil on high for 4 minutes. Remove chicken to a cutting board. Let chicken rest for at least 10 minutes, then carve.
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  • FrugalCat
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    Rebecca Firkser
  • brushjl
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7 Reviews

brushjl
brushjl July 5, 2022
This was fantastic. I tried to lift the chicken out of the slow cooker and it fell completely apart; so tender and juicy! Completely trumps store-bought rotisserie.
 
Linda D.
Linda D. February 15, 2021
Thank you so much, Rebecca. I have never bought a cooked chicken that was a juicy as this was.
 
FrugalCat
FrugalCat October 21, 2020
I did this in my small slow cooker with a cornish hen. I cut the seasonings down proportionately and used butter flavored oil (popcorn oil) instead of olive.
 
alisonkm
alisonkm March 30, 2020
So.... I have only tried slow cooker chicken a handful of times to dismal results. Will this recipe result in moderately crisp skin?
 
Rebecca F.
Rebecca F. March 30, 2020
hi! If you look to step 5 in the recipe you'll see instructions to pop the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes to add some color and a bit of crisp. However, no slow-cooked chicken (in the oven or the slow-cooker) will yield shatteringly crispy skin. I even find that's difficult to achieve with whole birds cooked at a very high temp. For truly crispy skin, I always recommend searing parts in a very hot pan.
 
Ed
Ed January 22, 2023
I assume this means sear the parts after it comes out of the slow cooker? Thanks!
 
Rebecca F.
Rebecca F. January 22, 2023
If you're referring to the comment above, no—for chicken with very crisp skin, I mean one would need to cook it in a completely different method: searing pieces of raw skin-on chicken in pan, so the fat can best render and turn crisp. (The ultimate goal with this recipe above is for super-tender meat, not super-crisp skin!)

For this recipe, I have only tested the whole slow-cooked bird under the broiler for a few minutes, to add some color and a bit of crispness. You could certainly try breaking down and pan-frying the chicken parts after slow-cooking, but as I haven't tested it I can't guarantee it'll work.