Crockpot Roasted Chicken

Approximate Time – 3 hrs on high or 8 hrs on low 

Serving Size – 2 ½ pound chicken makes about 6- 8, 1 cup servings

If you are like me, your life is probably spent on the run. When it’s time to eat, you need something that is ready and easy. This recipe is one of my favorite tricks. About once a week I make a chicken in the crockpot then break up the pieces into individual portions. All week long I take these portions to grab and go. I throw it on salads, mix it in soups, and sometimes eat the chicken cold with olives or avocado. An added bonus is that it forces me to eat smaller portions of protein and focus my meal around the bigger importance, veggies.

When shopping for a whole chicken make sure it is organic and small enough to fit in your crock pot. I usually buy a chicken that is between 2 and 4 pounds. My grocery store sells chicken that already has the giblets removed. If that’s not an option for you, they can be removed later before cooking.

The price of a whole chicken can seem expensive, but the amount of meat you get per price is actually better than buying the chicken already separated.

Ingredients

1 whole organic chicken giblets removed

2 carrots roughly chopped  (Optional) 

1 onion roughly chopped  (Optional) 

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp paprika

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp ground turmeric

1 ½ tsp all seasoning mix ( My favorite brand is Bragg’s 24 herb and spices seasoning)

A drizzle of oil (avocado oil is my favorite but you could use grapeseed, olive, or coconut oil)

When ready, remove your chicken from the package and rinse the inside and outside with water then place it in the crockpot. Wash your hands with soap and water.

If you like the flavor, add onions and carrots to the crock pot. I leave them out when I’m doing Keto or when I want a more pure chicken flavor for bone broth later. Drizzle some oil over the top of the chicken, this will help the skin to crisp. Last, sprinkle the seasonings over the crock pot aiming mostly over the chicken.

Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 8 to hours, any longer would dry it out in my crock pot.  I usually start the cooking process in the morning before work, or at night before bed. On weekends I might do a 3 hour cooking process right before church so it’s ready when I get home. When you think it’s done, remove the chicken with tongs and place it in a glass pan, be careful, this process is hot! If you see any juices that are red, the chicken probably needs more cooking time. Try a meat thermometer if you are nervous. The smell of chicken in the air usually tells me it’s almost ready for my belly!

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin on top of the breast. I like to eat it right away, but also meal prep for later in the week! To do this, begin gently removing the chunks of chicken from the bones and setting it aside for later. I like using 1 cup, glass storage containers so they are easy to grab quickly throughout the week. The bones can either be discarded or set aside for bone broth.

When breaking apart the chicken for storage, I try to follow a pattern: breast, wings, thighs, then back. It’s easier to focus on one section at a time. It also allows you to store the chicken placing white meat on bottom and dark meat on top. This helps keep the chicken moist.

Finally, I spoon about 2 tablespoons of broth from the crock pot onto each cup of chicken. The chicken with soak up the moisture and flavor for later.

Refrigerate and keep up to a week in the fridge. It’s also great to freeze it for recipes later.