Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken

Slow Cooker Recipes

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Lemon Garlic is quick to prepare, hands off as it cooks and smells delicious. For an easy lemon chicken Crockpot recipe you have come to the right place!!

Be prepared when you make this for family and friends, that they will ALL ask you for the recipe!

Whole Chicken in Slow Cooker is a family friendly, week night possible dinner that will save you stopping at the shops on the way home!

This is an easy lemon chicken crockpot recipe and you literally cannot go wrong with it.

If you have ever wanted to cook a whole chicken in slow cooker but were too scared, trust me, my friends, it is super easy to do.

How to cook whole chicken in the slow cooker

To cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker, you will need a rack for the base to lift the chicken off the surface. I don't have one, so I make my own with alfoil. You have a few options to do that. Making a ring with the foil is popular as is making balls to place under the chicken. I use both to achieve my Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken (see picture below). 

After the rack is inserted into the slow cooker, you place your chicken on top and season it.

For our recipe, we use a small bowl and add a few key ingredients:

• olive oil
• lemon juice
• garlic
• thyme
• bay leaves
• salt
• pepper

The process is as simple as mixing the oil, lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper together. Filling the cavity of the chicken with the bay leaves, lemon and garlic. Then brushing the lemon mix all over the chicken to coat.

Simply set the slow cooker to high and place a timer on for 3-4 hrs.(Imagine all of the things you can get done during this time! I do however, have a habit of checking the chicken every hour on the hour as well, I can't help myself!! It smells SO good and you can literally hear the juices dripping and sizzling away!) 

This is seriously such an easy lemon chicken crockpot recipe, you will start making it every week.

Can you put raw chicken in a slow cooker?

The answer to this question is yes. For this recipe, we do. You might remember from the Slow Cooker Mushroom Chicken Thighs that we braised the chicken thighs before we put them in the slow cooker.

This recipe is different and calls for us putting the raw whole chicken into the slow cooker. It will cook nicely in there after a few hours.

Is is safe to cook chicken in a slow cooker?

Absolutely it is. I totally understand that it might seem risky to set and forget when it comes to your slow cooker. Leaving the house with something cooking can fill us with panic as we wouldn't be there if anything happened.

I recommend if you are new to slow cooking, use it for a few times whilst you are home till you get used to it and feel confident with how it works.

In terms of ensuring that the meat is cooked properly, you can either test the chicken with a thermometer till it is 165° Fahrenheit (75° Celsius). Or pierce the meat with a skewer near the bone and see that the juices run clear (not pink) before eating (my preferred method).

Do you put water in slow cooker chicken?

Slow Cookers are great for recipes that use a lot of liquid, like a soup or stew. They are also great for recipes like this that don't require vasts amounts of liquid for them to cook.

We do not use any water to cook our Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken.

Can I put frozen chicken in the crockpot?

I would not recommend putting a frozen chicken in the crockpot. It would be very difficult to work out how long to cook it for and the water would run into the slow cooker bowl as it cooked.

Instead, I recommend using a fresh chicken, or defrosting a chicken overnight and then using that.

What to serve with Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken?

I recommend serving up this chicken with some freshly roasted brussel sprouts. They are crunchy and delicious and don't take long in the oven. Recipe is >> here.

To serve, I like to place the slow cooker whole chicken in a baking tray, surround it with roasted brussel sprouts, fresh lemon slices (or wedges) and thyme.

Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken questions answered:

About the recipe:

• This recipe takes less than 10 mins of prep before cooking
• The chicken is seasoned with lemon juice, thyme, oil, salt and pepper
• Place the leftover lemon into the cavity of the chicken with the bay leaves and garlic
• It takes 3-4 hrs on high or 8 hrs on low to cook
• The recipe is flexible and can be done in the oven as well 

Your quick questions answered:

1. You can freeze the chicken (cut up) after cooking
2. We use raw chicken
3. Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best
4. You can serve this dish with roasted brussels sprouts
5. This is an EASY slow cooker recipe 

Winter Warming Recipe Ideas

1. Slow Cooker Mushroom Chicken (easy slow cooker recipe) 
2. Chicken Thighs in Creamy Garlic Wine Sauce (one pot recipe)
3. Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese (vegetarian recipe)
4. Beef Bean Pasta Bake (family favourite)
5. Meatball Tomato Soup (one of my favourites) 

Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken shown in picture below, after broiling for 10 mins to crisp up the skin. We use this method also in our Honey Soy Chicken Wings. It works to bring that crispy skin to our table perfectly.

Serve with brussel sprouts, lemon quarters and fresh thyme!

The photo below is to show you the slow cooker whole chicken lemon in the cavity of the chicken. You can see how it is visible and hasn't fully opened up during the cooking process.

I love stuffing a roast chicken, but for this recipe, I am mindful of creating a simple roast chicken albeit, cooked in the slow cooker and broiled to crisp up the skin. You will note from this lemon roast chicken recipe that not stuffing the chicken and serving it with brussel sprouts is an fact a healthier version than you would get at the supermarket. And guess what, it still tastes delicious!

I am also not knocking a good rotisserie take way chicken, as quite simply they are necessary some times. But for those other times, healthy chicken and vegetable recipes like this one tick a lot of boxes.

I cook the brussel sprouts in the oven in the last hr of the slow cook time, this way the oven is on and hot so that I can change the setting to broil for the crispy skin. 

You can serve this recipe by carving the chicken, placing on a serving dish and adding the brussel sprouts, thyme and garlic from the cavity of the chicken.

The garlic we used in the cavity of the chicken can then be plated along with the brussel sprouts and thyme. The bay leaves and lemon from the cavity are dis-guarded.

Hope that you love this recipe and I am confident you will. Enjoy it!

Adrianne xx

📖 Recipe