Moist and Delicious Crock Pot Whole Chicken

Introduction

This chicken is not the prettiest chicken, but it is very tasty. It has great flavor and falls apart even before you can serve it. It is great for sandwiches, salads, or just by itself.

Crock pot cooking is called "braising" in the culinary world. It is a long and slow cooking in liquid that breaks-down the fibers in the meat to make it soft and juicy. That is not to say that crock pot cooking is time-consuming. Most of the time spent is just waiting. In fact, it is simpler than most cooking methods because you don't have to set a timer, check it, or watch it cook. Because of this, it's easy to make delicious crock pot meals, even for if you have little experience in the kitchen. In addition, the preparation can be done days in advance, with very little effort required on the day the meal is to be eaten.

Because a crock pot cooks using a low temperature over a long period of time, meat cooked in a crock pot doesn't have the browned edges that are usually associated with tasty meat, but that doesn't mean you can't get a tasty cut of meat from a crock pot. In fact, most of my family's favorite meat dishes are cooked in a crock pot. The best part about crock pots is that it's really hard to mess up food cooked in a crock pot. There is no need for timers, temperature adjustment, or watching.

For this recipe you will need:

One whole chicken (frozen or fresh)

2 Tbs garlic paste (or 4 medium garlic cloves peeled and minced)

1 Tbs salt

1 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp lemon zest

WARNING: the subsequent slides contain images of working with raw chicken which you may find totally gross!

Step 1: Prepare the Rub

First, thaw your chicken, if needed. The best way to thaw a frozen chicken is to leave the frozen chicken in the refrigerator for about 3 days. If you don't have that long, you can soak it in COLD water (leave a small amount of water running) in the sink for about 4 hours. Most chickens don't come with anything inside, but some will contain a packet with the giblets inside which you will want to remove.

Next, gather your other ingredients. In a small bowl, mix them all together.

Step 2: Skin Separation

With one hand, pull up the skin on one side of the chicken and slide the other hand inside to separate the skin from the meat of the chicken. We're going to infuse the meat with flavor and the skin will help keep the flavor from just dripping off when we start to cook.

At this point, your chicken should be mostly thawed (it's ok if the inside is still frozen). Wash your hands thoroughly.

Step 3: Fork It!

Take a fork (like the one you used to mix the rub) and perforate the meat while pulling back the skin with your other hand. Again, try not to rip the skin, but don't worry too much if you do. It will still be fine.

Next, grab about 2 teaspoons (see picture) of the rub and get ready to rub down the meat!

Step 4: Rubdown

Slide the rub inbetween the skin and the perforated meat and spread it around as much as you can, attempting to cover every part of the meat (see pictures). Use about 3/4 of the rub in this manner.

Step 5: Inside

Use the remaining rub on the inside of the bird.

Step 6: Pack It Up

Put that bag in one or two other plastic bags (just in case the first one leaks), and place the chicken in your refrigerator.

If you are NOT planning on eating today, put the chicken in a sealed plastic bag. If you are planning to eat today, skip this step. (Next time prepare at least one day ahead, as this step helps the flavor get infused into the meat).

Step 7: Cook!

Drop the chicken into your crock pot. Discard the plastic bags it was in.

Optional: Add 2-3 carrots, 2-3 celery stalks, and 1 medium onion (or dried onion if you have it). Peel the onion, wash and cut off the ends of the carrots and celery, and break or cut into pieces that will fit in the crock pot with the chicken (see picture). The flavors of the vegetables will enhance the chicken, as well as creating a wonderful homemade chicken broth for use in a gravy or other recipes.

Step 8: Set It And Forget It ;-)

Add about 4 cups of liquid to the crock pot (canned chicken broth adds more good flavor).

Step 8: Cook Something Else!

I like to flip the chicken about 1/2 or 3/4 of the way through the cooking process. This helps to make sure the chicken is uniformly moist and gives you a chance to see how the cooking is going. Turning it over may be difficult because the chicken may fall apart--no problem-if it does, it just means you're on the right track and mostly done.

Plug in the crock pot and set it on "High" if you are eating in 4-8 hours, "Low" if you are eating in 8-12 hours. When it's done, it will look something like these pictures. You should be able to tell that the meat has turned from the raw chicken color to a nice solid white.

While you are waiting you can make the rest of the meal (and do a lot of other stuff!).

Step 9: Carve

Remove the chicken from the crock pot onto a plate and cover with aluminum foil. It will probably come out in several pieces. (This is a good time for the cook to sneak a taste, as nobody will notice a piece missing because it's all falling apart anyway!). Let the chicken sit covered for 5 minutes before carving so it can retain the juices at room temperature.

Pull back the skin and cut the chicken however you like. I like to slice up the breasts across the grain and just pull the other meat off the bones.

Step 10: Redux and Adjustments

Now that you've enjoyed your chicken--be sure to save the bones and scraps of meat. Break the bones with kitchen shears or a cleaver and put them back into the crock pot overnight (or a whole day) on low. Pour what's left in the crock pot through a strainer into a large container which you can seal. Press as much juice as you can from the mush. Add about 2 cups of ice (to prevent other items in the refrigerator from getting too warm), mix, cover, and refrigerate (overnight again). When you are done, skim the fat off the top (it should solidify in the refrigerator). What's left is the best chicken broth you've ever had. Just add chopped vegetables, leftover chicken, and noodles for chicken noodle soup. You could also reduce it (cook on medium until it's only about half or a quarter as much), add a little salt and roux (four-cold water mixture), and cook for about 10 minutes for a very tasty gravy.

If you are in a rush, are too busy for all that prep work, or are uncomfortable with the whole "rubbing" process, skip it and instead just add about 4 Tbs salt and 10-20 cloves of garlic to the unprepared chicken in the crock pot. The broth will be saltier (so reducing it for a more intense chicken flavor isn't possible), but the chicken itself will still be very tasty.

I hope you've enjoyed my crock pot chicken. If you have your own ideas for alterations, post comments on the lesson details page, or create your own lesson!