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    $5 Dinners | Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals

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    How to Cook Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker

    October 1, 2014 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 22 Comments

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    Stretch your grocery dollars when you learn how to cook whole chicken in the slow cooker to make shredded chicken and homemade chicken broth.

    Learn how to cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker, and you’ll end up with a double dose of $$ savings and chicken for dinner or your freezer! 

    Welcome to the first post in the “31 Days of Freezer Cooking Recipes” series!

    This is our 4th “31 Days” series and I love that we are going to share what feels like a bazillion recipes, concepts and ideas with you this month!

    I am a ‘freezer shopper’…meaning that I often times shop from my freezer when it comes time to prepare dinner. I am quite the bargain grocery shopper and prefer to never pay full price for anything at the store.

    And as a result, I’ve learned the fine art of stockpiling food in the freezer…just about everything goes (minus a few things!)…from sandwich bread to fresh fruit to blanched broccoli heads to meat sauces to meatballs to shredded chicken (more on that below) and lest we not forget the cookie dough.

    (Freezing cookie dough is generally a failed attempt at keeping myself from eating it. Because I think I prefer to snack on it right out of the freezer. I’ll just keep trying to fool myself!)

    The reason that I wanted to start with the ‘cooked, shredded chicken concept’ is because I always have some on hand in the freezer because it can be used in so many different recipes, doesn’t add any prep time to meals on busy weeknights and really has a small ‘hands-on’ time when you’re picking the meat off the bones.

    AND…because you get homemade chicken broth from the chicken too. (See below for the deets.)

    Let’s get to it shall we…

    How to Cook Whole Chicken in Slow Cooker

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker

    Drop the nekkid bird into the base of the slow cooker. No need to add any liquid…it will release plenty of juices and we will dilute them later for homemade broth!

    Season as you wish.

    I usually use garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, whatever!

    Add some onions, garlic, carrots, celery…which will give the broth more flavor. 

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker 2

    Slow cook on low for 8 hours.

    See how much liquid it releases. Don’t discard that, you can use it for broth! 

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker 3

    Remove bird, onions and garlic.

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker 8

    Pull skin off, pull drumsticks off, pull meat off.

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker 9

    Run your knife down the center breast bone and pull the breast and tenderloin off. Pull off as much meat as you can.

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker 10

    Flip the bird and pull off the thighs and any meat from the back.

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker 11

    Pile the meat you want to shred all up!

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker 12

    Toss in the onions and garlic for added flavor. They are really soft and will almost ‘melt’ in with the chicken!

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker 13

    Using 2 forks or your stand mixer, shred the chicken.

    Kaboom.

    You have shredded chicken to use in any of the recipes below. 

    I can usually get 2 or 3 meals worth from 1 whole chicken, depending on the meal!

    To Freeze: Let the shredded meat cool completely before adding in 2-3 cup portions in a plastic freezer baggie or container.

    Thaw in a bowl of warm water before reheating or using in the recipe.

    Recipes Using This Shredded Chicken

    • 4 Ingredient Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas
    • Cast Iron Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
    • Baked Chicken & Spinach Flautas
    • Chicken Fajita Nachos
    • Chicken & Wild Rice Soup with Pearled Onions
    • Black Bean & Chicken with Salsa Soup
    • Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Slow Cooker
    • Italian Chicken and Bowtie Pasta
    • Cajun Chicken Fettuccine

    How to Make Chicken Broth

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker 4

    Strain liquid.

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker 5

    Let sit for a few minutes.

    Skim off the fat, and then…

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker 6

    Dilute with about the same amount of water that you have liquid.

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker 14

    Let it sit for a bit and then skim off the fat again, and dilute to your preference/taste. I generally dilute to get about 5-6 cups per whole chicken.

    To Freeze Homemade Broth: Pour the cooled broth into a plastic container or freezer baggie in 2 cup portions to use in recipes that call for chicken broth.

    Recipes that Use Chicken Broth

    • Oven Baked Brown Rice – chicken broth adds so much amazing flavor!
    • Chicken Fricassee
    • Corn Chicken Chili
    • Slow Cooker Chicken & Sausage Stew
    • Slow Cooker Sesame Ginger Chicken
    • Slow Cooker Curried Chickpeas & Chicken

    There you have it…a whole chicken becomes multiple meals of shredded chicken and homemade broth!

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    Whole Chicken in Slow Cooker

    A simple, seasoned whole chicken cooked in the slow cooker - makes the best shredded chicken and homemade chicken broth.
    Prep Time10 minutes
    Cook Time8 hours
    Servings - 4 servings

    Equipment

    • slow cooker, 6 quart or larger

    Ingredients 

    • 1 whole chicken
    • 1 small white onion sliced
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • 1 tsp onion powder
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • Salt and pepper
    • celery, carrots optional

    Instructions

    • Place the whole chicken in the base of the slow cooker. Add the sliced onions on top.
    • Sprinkle the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and a few pinches of salt and pepper.
    • Set on low and cook for 8 hours.
    • Once cooked, remove the chicken from the slow cooker carefully.
    • Let cool and then pull the white and dark meat from the bones. Place in a bowl and shred.
    • Add the liquid from the slow cooker into a measuring cup or small bowl. Skim off the fat.
    • Dilute with water to taste.
    • To freeze broth: let cool completely and freeze in 1 or 2-cup portions, or add to ice cube tray and make homemade broth ice cubes.
    • To freeze shredded chicken: let cool completely and add to freezer baggie. Label and freeze.

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    Filed Under: Batch Cooking, Budget Friendly Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Crock Pot Recipes, Freezer Recipes and Freezer Meal Plans, Homemade Recipes, How To Cook, Slow Cooker Recipes Tagged With: 31 Days of Freezer Cooking Recipes, Cooking Tutorial Techniques

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    Comments

    1. Pamela Gardner says

      October 2, 2014 at 1:06 am

      I never thought to put a whole chicken in the slow cooker then shredding it for a couple of dinners.

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        October 6, 2014 at 4:02 pm

        Try it and you’ll love it! NO better way! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Carmen O says

      October 2, 2014 at 1:53 pm

      Love this idea. I noticed that you cooked the chicken breast up. Does this method lend itself to carving the breast into slices, and would it still be moist?

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        October 6, 2014 at 4:01 pm

        You probably can’t carve a chicken from the slow cooker. It works much better to cut into chunks or shred.

        Reply
        • Mary P says

          September 20, 2017 at 12:55 am

          In my town a whole raw chicken costs as much as a rotissery chicken already cooked. the slow cooker does tend to over cook the meat. you can slice a rotisery chicken breast and if you see them after 7pm they are 1/2 price here in St Louis Mo But I love your sight so many great ideas

          Reply
    3. Cindy M. says

      October 3, 2014 at 12:23 pm

      Just a question…Can you cook the chicken frozen, or do you have to thaw it in the fridge first?
      Thanks for a quick and easy way to get that bird done!

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        October 6, 2014 at 3:57 pm

        It’s going to take a lot longer to cook frozen which could possibly dry it out as well as keep it at an unsafe temperature for too long in the slow cooker.

        Reply
    4. Alethea Crossman says

      October 3, 2014 at 10:51 pm

      Ditto….can I cook it frozen?

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        October 6, 2014 at 3:56 pm

        It’s going to take a lot longer to cook frozen which could possibly dry it out as well as keep it at an unsafe temperature for too long in the slow cooker.

        Reply
    5. Dianne l says

      October 5, 2014 at 6:11 am

      I always cook my chicken frozen as long as you have washed it before freezing

      Reply
    6. Sabrina Hill says

      October 12, 2014 at 6:01 pm

      Thanks for the idea! I don’t know why I had never thought of that before, but I’m constantly buying those rotisserie chickens to cut up for other meals. This would be much more cost effective.

      Reply
    7. Barbara says

      October 13, 2014 at 11:02 am

      What kind of slow cooker do you use? Mine cooks everything very hot, even on low. If a recipe calls for cooking something 6-8 hours, I usually can figure about 4-5 hours. Frustrating, to say the least.

      Reply
    8. Jo says

      January 6, 2015 at 2:48 pm

      What a brilliant idea – cooked today – got a meal tonight, sandwiches for tomorrow and a curry for my childminded kids tomorrow – amazing and so cost effective!

      Reply
    9. Cindy says

      January 8, 2015 at 3:17 pm

      How the heck do I get rid of the whole”pinteres, facebook, tweeter etc. icons on the side. It is so frustrating and so many sites have these now, instead of just having them on top on the page. It is the most frustrating thing to me. Or if someone knows how to move it or hide please let me know.

      Thank you.

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        January 9, 2015 at 2:30 am

        Cindy, I’m sorry they annoy you! Unfortunately, it’s part of the how the site is set up and they cannot be hidden by readers.

        Reply
      • Michele says

        January 29, 2015 at 4:56 pm

        Hover over the bottom icon and a set of double arrows will appear. Click on them and it will hide the row of icons.

        Reply
    10. Cindy says

      January 8, 2015 at 3:18 pm

      Sorry for the typos, but I was trying to type this while trying to work around the icons. *Pinterest

      Reply
    11. Sarah says

      January 8, 2015 at 8:55 pm

      I often will put foil wrapped potatoes under the chicken and then the bottom of the chicken isn’t soggy with fat. The potatoes are nicely roasted inside.

      Reply
    12. Nancy says

      January 11, 2015 at 11:07 pm

      Don’t toss the bones! Put them BACK in the slow cooker with the drippings. Cover with water and add 2 T Apple cider vinegar (no, you won’t taste it!). Add more onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Set your crock pot on low and leave it 12-24 hours. NOW you have the best chicken broth…full of the minerals from the bones, wonderful gelatin, and guy healing properties. Waste not, want not! 🙂

      Reply
    13. Amanda says

      April 4, 2015 at 8:41 pm

      I just made this. I’ve been starting slowly with making meals for the freezer and this I knew I defitnely had to do. I was so skeptical at first..actually the first 4hrs, j kept looking at it wondering if it was okay. I’m so used to roasting and taking only a few hours 😊. Thank you for the step by step. Was so helpful. I’m going to go follow you on pinterest now!!

      Reply
    14. BJ says

      October 14, 2018 at 9:23 pm

      I’m a novice so please forgive the question-
      A whole chicken was donated to me. It was already frozen so I put it in the freezer. When starting with this recipe- do you start with chicken frozen or dethaw?

      Reply
    15. Barth says

      October 14, 2018 at 9:36 pm

      I’m a novice and had a whole chicken donated to me but have never dealt with anything whole. It’s frozen now- do I need to defrost before putting in crockpot

      Reply

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    I’m Erin Chase…

    Also known as the
    $5 Dinner Mom.

    I have a little problem. I cannot make a meal that costs more than $5.
    It’s a fun challenge,
    and my pocketbook
    thanks me.
    Want to join me?

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