Lemon Herbed Roasted Chicken

A whole chicken in the slow cooker is the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it dinner. Rubbed with butter, showered with lemon juice, and seasoned with thyme, parsley, and paprika, this bird cooks low and slow until the meat practically slides off the bone.

Stuffing the cavity with chopped onion does two things: it steams from the inside out, keeping the breast meat juicy, and it releases savory moisture that flavors the drippings pooling at the bottom of the crock. Those drippings make a fantastic base for gravy.

The butter rub under and over the skin is what gives the chicken its flavor since a slow cooker can’t brown the skin the way an oven does. The paprika helps with color, giving the finished bird a warmer look than the pale, steamed appearance you sometimes get from crockpot chicken.

Pro Tips

• Pat the chicken completely dry before rubbing with butter. Excess moisture creates more steam and dilutes the drippings.
• Don’t add extra liquid. The chicken releases plenty of its own juices during the long cook, and added broth just makes the bird boil instead of braise.
• If you want crispy skin, transfer the cooked chicken to a baking sheet and broil for 3 to 5 minutes after the slow cook.
• The drippings at the bottom of the crock are liquid gold. Strain, skim the fat, and use them for gravy or freeze for soup stock.

Variations

• Add quartered potatoes and carrots around the chicken for a complete one-pot meal.
• Use rosemary and garlic in place of thyme and parsley for a Mediterranean flavor.
• Squeeze the juiced lemon halves into the cavity alongside the onion for extra citrus aroma.