A Whole Chicken in the Crockpot

I was very wary of cooking an entire chicken in the crockpot. But as the sweltering summer approaches, I am always looking for ways not to have to use the oven. This dish is amazingly easy and provided great results. The chicken is so tender that it falls apart, no need for carving (which I am horrible at!) I read a ton of whole chicken recipes online and sort of took that knowledge to come up with this recipe.

Whole Chicken in a Crockpot
printable recipe

1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 lbs
3 sprigs fresh thyme
4 to 6 red potatoes, quartered
1 lemon, halved
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
3 teaspoons cornstarch

Place the potatoes in the bottom of the crockpot. Rinse the chicken, removing the neck and organs, pat dry with a paper towel. Generously season with salt and pepper inside and outside the chicken. Place the sprigs of thyme in the chicken cavity and put the whole bird into the crockpot. Pour the onion and garlic over top of the chicken. Squeeze the lemons over the chicken and put the halves into the crock pot. Cook on high for 6 to 7 hours.

Whisk the cornstarch into the chicken broth to create a slurry. Remove the chicken from the crockpot, the chicken will nearly fall apart into its pieces, there is no need for carving. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon. Ladle the liquid into a small saucepan and cook over medium high heat. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil to thicken. Ladle the warm gravy over the chicken and potatoes, serve.

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