Food
Jump to Recipe
by Amy @ Mom Spark on January 17, 2016//This post may contain affiliate links.
This super easy Crockpot Slow Cooker Whole Chicken or Turkey Breast recipe is the juiciest, most flavorful dish you’ll ever have!
NOTE: This recipe works for a whole chicken OR turkey breast!
Holiday Turkey Breast
Contents show
Last week, I posted a pic on Instagram of a slow cooker(need a new slow cooker?) turkey breast that I made for Thanksgiving and THE INTERWEBS WENT WILD.
This is, by far, the juiciest turkey that I’ve ever had. To be honest, I’m not usually a big turkey fan because it’s so often dry and flavorless, but this one? SO MUCH FLAVOR AND TENDERNESS.
Why Turkey Breast is Better Than a Whole Turkey
Picking a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals has a bunch of good points.
- Fast Cooking: Turkey breasts cook quicker than whole turkeys. This is great, especially when time is tight during the busy holiday season.
- Even Cooking: Turkey breasts cook more evenly. You won’t struggle as much to get both dark and white meat just right since turkey breasts are mostly white meat.
- Just the Right Size: If you’re having a smaller group or want a more manageable amount, a turkey breast is perfect. You still get the traditional holiday dish without dealing with too much food.
- Easy to Handle: Dealing with a turkey breast is easier than a whole turkey. It takes up less space in the oven, making it simpler to manage side dishes and cooking times.
- Can Mix Things Up: A turkey breast lets you try different seasonings, marinades, or stuffing options. You can create a unique holiday meal that suits your taste.
- Not Too Many Leftovers: While leftovers can be nice, not everyone likes dealing with a ton of them. A turkey breast gives you a more moderate amount of leftovers, so you’re not stuck with too much extra food.
In the end, going for a turkey breast for your Thanksgiving and Christmas meals is a practical choice that fits your preferences, time, and the size of your gathering. It lets you enjoy the holiday meal without the extra fuss of handling a whole turkey.
Crockpot Whole Chicken
I just knew that I had to try it again, but this time on a whole chicken. I assumed that it would perform the same as the turkey, but I wasn’t 100% sure. Would it create its own juice as before? Would it be just as flavorful and tender?
The answer was YES! It was absolutely delicious.
This chicken (or turkey) is the easiest and most delicious one that I have ever made. I seriously could not get over how yummy it was and the amount of juice that was created without any addition. Another bonus was that it created a ton of leftovers for chicken salad, shredded chicken tacos, and the most savory juice for gravy!
Okay, let’s just get onthe recipe, shall we? 🙂
Crockpot Whole Chicken or Turkey Breast Recipe
CrockPot Whole Chicken or Turkey Breast
Yield: 1 whole chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 6 hours hrs
This super easy Crockpot Slow Cooker Whole Chicken or Turkey Breast recipe is the juiciest, most flavorful dish you’ll ever have!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Leave a Review »
Ingredients
- one whole chicken thawed
- medium yellow onion
- head of garlic
- 1 tsp dried rosemary or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme or 5 sprigs of thyme
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- drizzle of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Slice yellow onion into fours and halve garlic head, then place on the bottom of the slow cooker. Remove any bags of gizzards, etc. from inside of the chicken.
Mix all dried spices in a small bowl and then sprinkle all around the chicken (top, bottom, and sides). Place chicken on top of onion and garlic and throw in any fresh spices. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top of the chicken, then cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The vegetables and chicken will create its own juice, but feel free to add a tiny bit of stock if you like.
Video
Friends, make this chicken or turkey soon. You will be so impressed and never use the baking method again, I promise! Need a new slow cooker? CLICK HERE!
Also, if you like this recipe, please pin the image below. Thanks for reading!
Pin This Recipe
posted in: Christmas, Crockpot Slow Cooker, Dinner + Main Entrée, Food, Popular, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving
102 comments
« Previous PostDIY Ombre Cotton Piping Rug
Next Post »Mini Tortilla Cherry Pies Recipe
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
-
Ellie Wright — Reply
I just bought a whole chicken yesterday. I was going to bake it, but now I’m going to try this. Thanks for the recipe!
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Yes, you must! Let me know how it turns out!
-
-
Jean McD — Reply
This looks so delicious and nutritious and easy, I made a grocery list and can’t wait to try it. Thanks.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Let me know how it goes!
-
-
Barbara Gilbert — Reply
I’m sure this is delicious and tender, I have a very similar recipe that I have used previously!
-
mike s — Reply
What weight chicken did you use?
-
Gail — Reply
what weight chicken did you use and did it come out moist and not dried out?
-
Mom Spark — Reply
I didn’t check, but I believe it was around 6 pounds. Not dried at all. Super moist, which is why I prefer this method over baking.
-
-
Mary lou halla — Reply
Can you use a 9 pound chicken
-
Mom Spark — Reply
You can if it fits into the slow cooker nicely. You may need to cook longer than 6-8 hours. I’d experiment and just check it after 6 hours to see if it seems tender enough.
-
-
Glori — Reply
Can I add lemon slices to the veggies under the chicken and can I add lemon wedges inside the chicken cavity?
-
Mom Spark — Reply
You can certainly try it, but I personally found it too bitter.
-
-
Ingrid — Reply
I loved the look of this so am making it for dinner :-). My chicken is only 3.8 pounds – do I need to worry about it drying out if I leave it in 6-8 hours? Thanks so much!
-
Mom Spark — Reply
I would check on it after 4 hours or so to see! It may be ready to serve or could use more time to tender up. 🙂
-
-
Sue sole — Reply
And this will brown as pictured?
-
Mom Spark — Reply
If you add the spices and olive oil as the recipe describes, yes!
-
-
Ingrid — Reply
Thanks for the suggestion of watching it after 4 hours! For those with smaller chickens, 5 hours cooked a 3.8 chicken on low 🙂 It was DELICIOUS!
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Oh, yay! So good to hear!
-
-
Gail Ratko — Reply
do you recommend breast side up or down?
-
Mom Spark — Reply
I don’t have a preference. I’ve done it both ways with the same results. Both sides are juicy!
-
-
Gayle — Reply
Can you put the whole chicken in frozen?
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Readers have told me that they have with success, so I know it’s possible! I’m not sure if the spices will stick as well, but you can certainly try! You would need to cook longer, of course. Good luck!
-
-
john dannewitz — Reply
make sure you take the bag containing the liver, gizzard, heart and neck out of the inside then rinse it out—they sometimes do not do a good job on chickens and turkeys.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Yes, I’ll make sure to add that!
-
-
Dawn Dimitrijevic — Reply
You put the vegetables in the crock pot with the skin on them?
-
Mom Spark — Reply
I left the skin on. 🙂
-
-
Dawn Dimitrijevic — Reply
Have you made it without the skins of the vegetables? I have never seen leaving the skins on.
-
JVTN — Reply
Making this now…actually, the crockpot is doing all the work. House smells good. Didn’t have any lemon pepper, so I threw a little lemon juice on the chicken.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Even if you don’t have all the spices, it will still taste yummy! I hope you have the best dinner!
-
-
Carolina — Reply
I threw the chicken in the pot, following directions. Worked at the computer all day while the house was filled with the rich aromas of onion and garlic infusing the bird. Eight hours later, chicken was cooked perfectly, i.e., moist and tender and full of flavor. This recipe is a keeper for the long winter days sure to come. Thanks.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
I’m so happy to hear it! It’s one of the easiest dinners to put together!
-
-
Carolina — Reply
For those wondering about leaving the skin of onion and garlic on: those vegetables will be discarded anyway if you decide to strain the juices for making gravy.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Yes, exactly!
-
-
Carolina — Reply
I’m having some trouble emailing recipe to a friend. H-E-L-P! 🙂
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Hi there! It may be easier to copy the link and email that to her. The link is: https://momspark.net/the-easiest-slow-cooker-crock-pot-whole-chicken-recipe/
-
-
Amy Brown — Reply
What if you add potatoes and carrots for a whole meal in one?
-
Mom Spark — Reply
I haven’t tried it yet, but I have been toying with the idea myself. I think it would be an awesome meal!
-
-
Pam Phillips — Reply
I made this today for our dinner tonight. It was delicious. The hardest part of the whole recipe is the cooking time. My chicken was 4.9 lbs and I went with 6 hours. It was just a little over cooked and I should have checked it sooner. Even my youngest one (14 months) loved it.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Ahhhh, yes, yours was a bit smaller than mine. It will take some practice, but it sounds like you have a good plan.
-
-
Arlene — Reply
I have used the crock pot method and never thought to use onion and garlic and olive oil. I will be trying this tomorrow morning.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Good luck!
-
-
mike s — Reply
How do you get it to brown? We did exactly what the recipe said. Cooked it for 8 hours in the slow cooker. It was juicy and tasty but when it was done it was the same color as it was when it went in.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
The spices and drizzle of olive oil. 🙂
-
-
Betsy — Reply
Making it now. Just put it in a little while ago. Hardest part is waiting to eat it. Thanks for the recipe. I pinned it on Pinterest.
See AlsoShepherd's Pie Recipe-
Mom Spark — Reply
Oh yay! Thanks so much for pinning, too! It will fill your house with the most delicious smells!
-
-
Amy — Reply
Yes, this was tender, but the chicken lacked flavor. Maybe I should have taken off the skin first since nobody eats skin here. ?
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Oh really? Did you add the spices in the amounts I mentioned? Also, were you able to add any fresh herbs? That surprises me because mine always has a ton of flavor.
-
-
Trish Jenning — Reply
Made this yesterday using a 3 # chicken and cooking for 5 hours on low. The aroma was wonderful, however, next time I will use less garlic (used whole head and only half stayed unpeeled the rest broke apart-peeled but threw it in anyway–whole head much to much for my taste. The chicken was very moist and tender.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Yup, it’s all trial and error to our personal taste. Glad it worked out for you!
-
-
Betsy — Reply
Mine is 4.79 pounds should I cook it for 6 hours or what?
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Another reader did 6 hours for a 4 pound. I would check it after 5 hours and go from there. 🙂
-
-
Betsy — Reply
Ok thanks so much. 🙂
-
Christine pratt — Reply
Why is the chicken cooked upside down. I have always done it breast side up.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Feel free to do as you always do. No rules on crockpot cooking, I always say.
-
-
Robb — Reply
I made this yesterday! I put a 4lb chicken (give or take) on low at 7am, went to work, got home around 4pm, switched the cooker to warm, and left the chicken in the slow cooker until my gf got home at 7:30pm. The chicken was soooo good, moist, fell right off the bone making it incredibly easy to debone afterword. Thanks for the Video, i’d been wanting to do this for some time, but this video put me over the edge. This is a reat way to clean eat and make your house smell incredible. Oh yeah, and it doesn’t get much easier than this. Prepped in about 5mins.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
I’m so happy to hear this!! It sounds like it was a huge success! Isn’t it the easiest dinner ever? Pair with veggies, rice or potatoes and you have one easy meal! I use the leftovers for shredded chicken tacos or chicken salad!
-
-
Betsy — Reply
It was amazing!!!!!! Flavor was awesome!!!!! Next time I fix it I will do different spices just to switch it up. Thanks again for the amazingly good recipe!!!!!
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Yay!!! Yes, you could absolutely change up the spices! So happy to hear that it worked out for you. 🙂
-
-
Heather — Reply
Smells delicious. Can’t wait to eat it.
-
Jackie — Reply
I’m making this recipe for the second time in less than a month. My husband said it’s the most tender, moist chicken he has ever had. I have to agree. The flavoir is amazing. The last time I strained the liquid & put in the freezer. It will be great to use in soup!
-
Mom Spark — Reply
I’m so happy that you both loved the recipe so much! I plan on making it tomorrow for my family as well. 🙂
Great idea on the liquid for soup!
-
-
kathy shaw — Reply
Sounds great!!! How do you think it would do with turkey thighs? How long would you cook?
-
Mom Spark — Reply
I’ve never tried turkey thighs, but I would think that it would work beautifully! I wouldn’t think you’d need to cook them nearly as long, perhaps check after 3-4 hours?
-
-
valiant in New orleans — Reply
I placed the garlic and the onion in the cavity of the chicken. The recipe was good.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
That’s a great idea! I’m so glad to hear that it turned out yummy. 🙂
-
-
Janet Blair — Reply
What kind of chicken? Is it a baking chicken? Sorry, feel so stupid!
-
Mom Spark — Reply
No worries! It’s just a raw whole chicken. 🙂
-
-
Derek - Aberdeen UK — Reply
Looking forward to trying this meal. It is in the slow cooker now, ready at 17.30. It is a 4.5lb chicken but I will leave it for the full 8 hours for beautiful pulled chicken. The juices will make a lovely gravy to compliment the chicken. Can’t wait, thank you so much
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Fabulous!
-
-
Moira Ashton — Reply
I can’t wait to try this dish, looks so easy and tasty!!
-
Moira Ashton — Reply
Can’t wait to try it, looks easy and delicious!
-
Chuck Matthews — Reply
Very impressive and simple recipe! I think what impressed me most is that the skin was browned quite well. Although I have been cooking various meats in my crock pots for years, I don’t recall getting this much browning, but I am going to try this recipe. Thanks.
-
Brian Jamieson — Reply
Just a bit puzzled–did you throw the onion & garlic away? It’s not peeled or anything in your video, so what do you do with it? I hate to waste anything “food”, so I’ll probably peel them tomorrow before the cooking…just curious.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
I usually toss the garlic and onion, but you could totally peel it and keep it for a sauce, gravy, or anything you like. 🙂
-
-
Deannz — Reply
OK I am actually making it for dinner tonight. Currently in my crackpot. Yumm…I didn’t do the onions as I am allergic. But I did all the spices and the garlic with a can of chicken broth. I can’t wait to try it.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
I hope it turned out yummy!!!
-
-
Jane Anderson — Reply
The amount of liquid from a cooked chicken might not be what you think. Sometimes I can get good sales on chicken and I cook it up for my dogs (more healthful for them and cheaper than premium not healthy dog food). I don’t add anything at all, no seasoning, no water, nothing. I usually slow cook. When the chicken is done there is a huge amount of liquid too. Chicken is packaged after being injected with whatever it is. Look on the package for sodium content. One time I was going to get a frozen turkey. The package said 480 mg of sodium per serving! This cannot be healthy for man nor beast. And I have tried, there is no way to get chicken in a grocery store without all these sodium injections.
-
susan — Reply
I place baby carrots , a few small red potatoes and sliced onion on the bottom of crock, place chicken on top of veggies. Meal in a pot !
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Yum!
-
-
Liz Hill — Reply
I made this yesterday with a 6 pound chicken, cooked it 8 hours. It was perfect and delicious.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Fabulous news! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
-
-
Sandi — Reply
I’ve made this 3 times now, the first time with a whole chicken and the last 2 with chicken breasts. Fresh rosemary & thyme from the garden. Delicious every time!! This is one of my all=time favorite recipes.
-
Mom Spark — Reply
I love hearing this! Thanks so much for sharing it. 🙂
-
-
Sooz — Reply
Sooo- did you put it under the oven broaster to get the skin crispy?
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Nope! The olive oil makes the skin crispy on top just like the photo shows. 🙂
-
-
Toni — Reply
My chicken didn’t come out brown on top. Any suggestions?
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Hmmmm, did you drizzle olive oil on top?
-
-
rhonda johnson — Reply
i love this recipe i have made it several times it’s quick and easy comes out so tender but i didn’t use the onion and garlic i took 4-5 sheets of foil waded them up and put in the bottom of the crockpot laid the chicken on top it came out great ..
-
Suzanne Hennessy — Reply
This looks wonderful, but what size chicken is it?
-
Vickie Jones — Reply
I’m going to try this for Sunday dinner tomorrow. Looks delicious! I’ll let you know how it goes.
-
FirstSuzanne — Reply
I see you don’t monetize your blog, don’t waste your traffic, you can earn additional cash every month because you’ve got high quality
content. If you want to know how to make extra bucks, search for:
Mrdalekjd methods for $$$ -
Justine — Reply
How big of a turkey can be used, need to feed 10 to 12 and how much time would i then need?
-
Lesley — Reply
I am going to try this Sunday when my son comes for dinner. Looks absolutely delicious. Thanks
-
Carlos — Reply
When the insta pot is set to slow cook do we vent?
Thank you.
Ps
It’s in the pot now. Looking forward to the meal -
Patricia Visconti — Reply
and the skin browns as in the picture?
-
Patricia visconti — Reply
and skin browns as in picture?
-
Lisa — Reply
You can leave the garlic, onion and juices in the crockpot, throw the bones back in with some veggies, fill with water, set to low and in the morning you’ll have wonderful broth.
-
Robert busch — Reply
I peal garlic cloves and make a few pockets under the skin,it adds a great flavor,and no it’s not strong,so soft and mild to make gravy,add your favorite thickener for gravy,I use potato flour and that adds more flavor
-
Mom Spark — Reply
Great idea, thanks!
-
-
Sheri Gordon — Reply
I am doing WW. In order for me to figure out the points, I need the caloric, protein etc….. info. Do you know if that info is available?
-
Pingback: 26 Delicious and Easy Slow Cooker Dinner Recipes Your Family Will Love
-
Kathie — Reply
A thumbs down chicken did not brown even after 7 hours of cooking. I do not recommend.
