Whole Chicken in the Crockpot

I was a little wary of trying a whole chicken in the crockpot- would it taste bland and boring like a boiled chicken?  Would the skin get all oozy and gross?  Would it dry out and be totally flavorless? 

No, no, and no!!!  Another win for team crockpot!  I don't know why I was so chicken in the first place, har har.  Stupid, sorry.  Ok anyways- I know it seems a little strange to cook a whole chicken when you can probably get a rotisserie chicken for pretty cheap- costco has 'em for $4.99.  But rotisserie chicken and homemade whole chicken that hasn't been sitting out for hours and hours under a heat lamp, and made with god knows what ingredients, are really not comparable.  This is a different situation altogether.  The meat falls off the bone, you really don't even need a knife to cut it- and you get the bonus of tons of chicken broth too.  Does it get crispy?  No.  Duh- a crockpot needs moisture to work.  But its great.  So if you see whole chicken on sale- jump on it.  Buy two and freeze them, whatever. 

Whole Chicken in the Crockpot
1 whole chicken- mine was roughly 3lbs
3 carrots, halved
2 celery stalks, halved
1 lemon
1/2 an onion
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp dried herb poultry seasoning (rosemary, oregano, sage)
1/4 tsp cayenne

In the bottom of your crockpot, position your carrots and celery, then throw in half of your chopped onion.  Place your raw chicken on top of the veg.  In a small bowl, mix the juice of half a lemon with your EVOO and mix in your seasonings.  Stuff the cavity with most of the other half of your onion and your lemon.  Pour EVOO mixture over chicken and rub it all over.  I seasoned mine a bit more afterwards because I have a major salt-tooth, but you don't need to.  Cover with lid and cook on low for 7 hours.  You will have tons of food and also some great broth.  The carrots are almost the best part!  This is a great base recipe that you can get creative with. 

M is at a bach party in New Orleans this weekend, so grammy GFG is here for awhile.  The three of us enjoyed this super yummy and almost no prep dinner together.  I think it took me about 7 minutes to get this ready this morning, and I did it while S was having breakfast.  If you haven't tried this cooking method yet, give it a shot!  XoXoGFG