Crock Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken
This is so easy and delicious.  After the first hour, you can go about your business and come back to sheer goodness 5 hours later!
Print Friendly and PDF
1 whole chicken (4 - 5 pounds)
1 large onion, sliced in large chunks
I lemon, sliced in eighths
1 tsp salt & pepper each
6 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp olive oil
  1. Rinse chicken, remove innards as necessary.  Leave the skin on for a juicy chicken; you can pull it off after cooking, if you wish.  Pat chicken dry, inside and out.
  2. Put onion chunks in bottom of slow cooker.  Mix all spices, garlic, and olive oil together in a small bowl.  Rub spice mixture all over chicken, inside and out and under skin.  You can adjust and also add other spices, such as thyme, rosemary, and oregano.
  3. Stuff inside of chicken cavity with lemon pieces.
  4. Place chicken on top of onions in slow cooker.  Turn cooker on high and cook for one hour.  Then reduce temperature to low and cook for about 5 to 6 additional hours or until juices run clear and leg easily pulls away from the chicken.  (The first time you cook this, check after the 5 hour mark. Timing will depend on your slow cooker and the size of the chicken.)
  5. Remove chicken from slow cooker carefully.  It may fall apart, so be prepared!  Remove skin, if you wish.  Remove lemons from cavity and discard. 
  6. I threw away all the onions and drippings too, because they seemed a little greasy.  If you like gravy, I guess you could strain the drippings, then make gravy from them.  Throw away the onions though, as they will be mushy.
Tips:  Sorry, the skin just won't crisp up, but the chicken will be great tasting!  I have seen some recipes that say to remove the chicken from the crockpot to a roasting pan, then slip it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown and crisp.  I didn't do this, but may try it next time.