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Home » Main Meals » Slow-cooker roast chicken dinner

Slow-cooker roast chicken dinner

Author: VJ Published : January 2022 Modified : November 2022 / Be the first to comment!

Recipe
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This recipe for slow-cooker roast chicken dinner is mainly hands-off. The chicken cooks by itself with the vegetables in the slow-cooker, and all you have to do is pop it into the oven or air-fryer to brown. You end up with the juiciest and most tender chicken ever and perfectly cooked vegetables – with minimum effort on your part. What’s more, you can thicken the cooking juices for a really tasty gravy!

A partly carved slow-cooker roast chicken on a plate with Yorkshire puddings and stuffing balls.
The meat on this chicken is so moist and tender.

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Table Of Contents
  1. A one-pot roast dinner – yes really!
  2. Why you’ll love this slow-cooker roast chicken dinner
  3. What you will need
  4. How to make slow-cooker roast chicken
  5. Make the gravy
  6. Freezing and storage
  7. What to do with leftover roast chicken
  8. Save for later
  9. Other slow-cooker recipes
  10. The recipe
  11. Slow-cooker roast chicken dinner

A one-pot roast dinner – yes really!

Did you know that you can make a complete roast chicken dinner, complete with tasty vegetables and a deliciously thick gravy, in your slow-cooker?

I have to say that when I decided to make a roast chicken dinner in my slow-cooker (or crockpot) I was a bit sceptical. I thought I’d end up with a chicken stew! But I have to say that cooking a roast chicken dinner in the slow-cooker is one of the best things I have ever done. I can’t believe how well it turned out.

The chicken was moist and tender, and once I’d browned it in my air-fryer oven for 10 minutes I was hard-pressed to see any difference between this easy slow-cooker roast chicken and a chicken that was roasted entirely in the oven.

The vegetables were soft and perfectly cooked. And the gravy was packed full of flavour thanks to the chicken juices and the spices I rubbed onto the chicken before cooking it. All I had to do was thicken the gravy while the chicken was browning.

Normally a boiled chicken looks very white and unappealing, so to give it a bit of colour (and lots of flavour) I rubbed it with a mixture of salt, garlic granules and paprika before putting it in the slow-cooker. If you prefer, you could also rub a packet of cup-of-soup mix onto the chicken for extra flavour. I like mushroom flavour, but you can use the flavour of your choice.

I put the vegetables in with the chicken, turned the temperature setting to low, and left the slow-cooker to work its magic for 6 hours. What I ended up with was a delicious and complete meal – all in one pot.

I actually made this meal twice in 2 days, because the first time I accidentally tore the skin on the breast of the chicken, so the photos didn’t come out too well. Hubby was delighted – and I didn’t mind because I had lots of leftover chicken to make my favourite chicken and mushroom pie, which I’ve packed into the freezer for another easy meal.

Why you’ll love this slow-cooker roast chicken dinner

I’m sure this is going to become one of your favourite recipes.

  • There’s hardly any work involved. Just prep the vegetables and put them in the slow-cooker with the chicken and let the slow-cooker do all the work.
  • Because it’s all made in one pot there is hardly any cleaning up to do afterwards.
  • You don’t need any oil, so it’s a relatively healthy way of cooking chicken.
  • There are no pans of vegetables boiling away on the stove, so you use less electricity.
  • The gravy virtually makes itself – all you have to do is thicken it.
  • You won’t believe how tender and juicy the chicken is.
  • You get a complete roast dinner, all cooked in one pot.
A roast chicken on a plate alongside a dish of vegetables.

I have to admit, I cheated a little bit and used store-bought Yorkshire puddings. If you want to make your own you can use this recipe for homemade Yorkshire puddings.

I also made my own pork sausage stuffing balls and popped them into the air-fryer for 10 minutes to cook, but you could just as easily bake them on a baking sheet in the oven.

What you will need

Equipment

Of course, you will need a slow-cooker. This particular model has a timer, which is handy if you want to go out and have the slow-cooker switch itself off once the time is up. My model doesn’t have a timer, so I have to remember to set an alarm to remind me to switch it off.

I use an air-fryer oven but you can use the normal air-fryer with a basket, or even a conventional oven.

Ingredients

**You can get full instructions for making this slow-cooker roast chicken dinner on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

These measurements are not precise. This is more of a method than an actual recipe.

Ingredients for slow-cooker roast chicken.

You will need a chicken. It doesn’t matter what size chicken you get, as long as it fits into your slow cooker. The cooking time will remain the same, so get a chicken that will be large enough to feed your family. You can buy either fresh or frozen chicken. If you have frozen chicken, let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator.

For coating the chicken you will need:

  • salt – this is to your own taste obviously, but I like to use about half a teaspoon of salt
  • paprika – this not only adds colour to the chicken but also imparts a delicious flavour.
  • garlic granules – not garlic salt (this will make the dish too salty). You could use garlic powder instead.
  • dried soup powder (not pictured) – this not only adds more flavour to the chicken, but also to the gravy. I used a packet of Heinz mushroom flavoured cup-of-soup but you can use your own favourite flavour. If you can’t get cup-of-soup then you could use 2 tablespoons of any dried soup powder.

The stock is made by dissolving a chicken stock cube in one cup of boiling water and adding a tablespoon of tomato puree (or tomato paste).

And finally a mixture of vegetables. Here are my suggestions – you will need about 1 to one and a half cups of mixed vegetables per person.

  • Potatoes (left whole or quartered depending on size)
  • Onions (quartered and separated into petals)
  • Carrots (thickly sliced)
  • Green beans (topped and tailed)
  • Celery (cut into 1″ pieces)
  • Parsnips (core removed and sliced)
  • Swedes (cut into largish cubes)
  • Cabbage (coarsely shredded)
  • Mushrooms (I used baby mushrooms)

If you want to use more delicate vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli you should add them halfway through the cooking process to ensure that they don’t overcook.

I would recommend adding shredded cabbage and onions for the following reasons:

  • You can scoop some of the cabbage and onions out of the stock and serve them together as a side dish. They taste soooooo good together!
  • The remainder of the cabbage and onions are blended into the stock to make the most delicious gravy. If you are not a fan of cabbage, I promise this doesn’t make the gravy taste like cabbage at all.

How to make slow-cooker roast chicken

An uncooked chicken on a bed of vegetables in a slow-cooker.

Peel and chop the vegetables and arrange them on the base of your slow-cooker. If you are using cabbage, shred it finely.

Pat the chicken with paper towels to remove any moisture from the skin and remove any visible fat which is normally found tucked inside the neck cavity.

Mix the dried soup powder, garlic granules, paprika, and salt together, and then rub it all over the chicken, taking care to get it all over the skin.

Place the chicken in the slow-cooker on top of the vegetables.

An uncooked chicken on a bed of vegetables in a slow-cooker, covered in gravy.

Pour the prepared stock into the slow-cooker around the sides of the chicken.

Be careful not to let the stock remove the seasoning from the chicken.

Put the lid on the slow-cooker and set it to low.

Leave for 6 to 7 hours.

Alternatively, cook on high for 4 – 5 hours.

The exact time depends on the size of your chicken.

Note – the chicken should have an internal temperature of 73C / 165F. If you don’t have a thermometer, pierce the chicken on the thickest part (either the thigh or the breast) and make sure that the juices are running clear.

A slow-cooker roast chicken before being browned in the air-fryer.

Remove the chicken from the slow-cooker and place it breast-side up into a baking dish. If you line the baking dish with aluminium foil first it will make cleaning up afterwards much easier.

A slow-cooker chicken after being browned in the air-fryer.

Place the chicken into a hot oven (200C / 400F) for about 15 minutes to brown the skin.
You can also brown the chicken in an air-fryer.

Once the chicken has browned, remove it from the oven, cover it loosely with a sheet of tinfoil and leave it to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Note – only the skin on top of the chicken will brown, so if you want brown skin on the bottom, turn the chicken over for another 10 minutes or so.

Close up of a slow-cooker roast chicken with a slice carved out of the breast.

Make the gravy

Make the gravy while the chicken is browning in the oven.

  • Turn off the slow-cooker.
  • Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables to a serving dish and keep them warm. I like to leave a potato and some of the cabbage and onions in the stock for thickening and flavouring.
  • Use a stick-blender to blend the stock until it is smooth. Alternatively, pour the stock through a fine sieve to remove any bits.
  • If the vegetables haven’t thickened the gravy sufficiently, you can thicken it in one of these ways:
    1. Make a slurry with one tablespoon of cornflour mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and then mix it into the juices in the slow cooker. Set the slow-cooker to high and leave it for about 10 minutes while the chicken is browning.
    2. Mix in one or two tablespoons of instant chicken gravy granules – depending on how thick you like your gravy, and also on how much liquid is still in the slow-cooker. Set the slow-cooker to high and leave it for about 10 minutes while the chicken is browning.

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Freezing and storage

Any leftover chicken can be shredded and frozen in a plastic container for 3 months.

Leftover chicken can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

What to do with leftover roast chicken

Leftover chicken makes delicious sandwiches, or you can use it to make one of these recipes:

  • Chicken a la king
  • Chicken and mushroom quiche
  • Cheesy chicken and vegetable pasta bake

Save for later

If you’d like to make this slow-cooker roast chicken dinner, why not pin the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily. Just click on the image below.

Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

Other slow-cooker recipes

If this recipe isn’t quite what you are looking for, why not take a look at some of my other slow-cooker recipes:

  • Slow-cooker beef trinchado
  • Slow-cooker beef silverside
  • Slow-cooker oxtail stew
  • Slow-cooker beef and kidney stew
  • Slow-cooker pork casserole with honey and mustard

The recipe

A partly carved slow-cooker roast chicken on a plate with Yorkshire puddings and stuffing balls.

Slow-cooker roast chicken dinner

This recipe for slow-cooker roast chicken dinner is mainly hands-off. The chicken cooks by itself with the vegetables in the slow-cooker, and all you have to do is pop it into an air-fryer or oven to brown. You end up with the juiciest and most tender chicken ever and perfectly cooked vegetables – with minimum effort on your part. What's more, you can thicken the cooking juices for a really tasty gravy!
Recipe by: Veronica
Main Course
British
Calories 681
Prep 15 minutes
Brown chicken and rest 35 minutes
Cook 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
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5 from 1 vote

(Click the stars to rate this recipe)

Equipment

  • Slow cooker
  • Sharp Knife
  • Chopping Board
  • Baking dish
  • Stick blender optional
  • Air fryer optional

Ingredients

  • 1 medium-sized whole chicken fresh or frozen
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic granules
  • 2 tablespoons dried soup powder (your flavour of choice) or 1 packet cup of soup
  • 4 medium potatoes quartered
  • 2 medium carrots sliced
  • 2 medium onions quartered and separated into petals
  • 1 cup green beans
  • 1 cup button mushrooms
  • 1 chicken stock cube dissolved in 1 cup of boiling water
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree / paste
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour / cornstarch or 2 tablespoons instant chicken gravy granules

Instructions

  • Peel and chop the vegetables and arrange them on the base of your slow-cooker.
    4 medium potatoes, 2 medium carrots, 1 cup green beans, 1 cup button mushrooms, 2 medium onions
  • Pat the chicken with paper towels to remove any moisture from the skin and remove any visible fat which is normally found tucked inside the neck cavity.
    1 medium-sized whole chicken
  • Mix the dried soup powder, garlic granules paprika, and salt together, and then rub it all over the chicken, taking care to get it all over the skin.
    ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, 2 tablespoons dried soup powder (your flavour of choice), 1 teaspoon garlic granules
  • Place the chicken in the slow-cooker on top of the vegetables.
  • Dissolve the stock cube in one cup of boiling water and stir in the tomato paste.
    1 chicken stock cube, 1 tablespoon tomato puree / paste
  • Cook the chicken on low for 6 – 7 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
  • Remove the chicken from the slow-cooker and place it breast-side up into a baking dish. If you line the baking dish with aluminium foil first it will make cleaning up afterwards much easier.
  • You can place the vegetables in the baking with the chicken if you want them to brown, or you can just transfer them to a serving dish and keep them warm.
  • Place the chicken into a hot oven (200C / 400F) for about 15 minutes to brown the skin. You can also brown the chicken in an air-fryer.
  • Once the chicken has browned, remove it from the over, cover it loosely with a sheet of tinfoil and leave it to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.
  • Blend the gravy (along with any onions and cabbage) with a stick blender until it is smooth. Alternatively, pour the gravy through a fine sieve to remove any bits.
  • Thicken the gravy by either making a slurry with 1 tablespoon of cornflour and 2 tablespoons of water and adding it to the liquid in the slow-cooker, or stirring 2 tablespoons of instant gravy granules into the liquid.
    Set the slow-cooker to high and leave for 10 minutes until the gravy has thickened.
    1 tablespoon cornflour / cornstarch

Notes

Vegetables – the vegetables suggested in the recipe are intended as a guide only.  Use a mixture of vegetables according to your own taste..  Allow 1 to 1.5 cups of vegetables per person.  Use root vegetables or harder vegetables like cabbage, celery, and beans that hold their shape.  I would avoid softer vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, and marrows as these would not hold up well to the long, slow cooking process.
The chicken should have an internal temperature of 73C / 165F. If you don’t have a thermometer, pierce the chicken on the thickest part (either the thigh or the breast) and make sure that the juices are running clear.
Freeze any leftover chicken for up to 3 months.
Nutrition has been calculated without any vegetables as this is a matter of choice.

Nutrition

Calories – 681kcal | Carbohydrates – 5.7g | Protein – 53.7g | Fat – 42g | Saturated Fat – 12.5g | Cholesterol – 250mg | Sodium – 921mg | Potassium – 18mg | Fiber – 0.8g | Sugar – 0.1g | Calcium – 61mg | Iron – 4mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I’d love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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Filed Under: All Recipes, Main Meals

About VJ

In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

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In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

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