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!
Read how a crock pot came in very handy during my first days in Uruguay: "The Real Pioneer Woman of Uruguay."
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 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 |
- 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.
- 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.
- Stuff inside of chicken cavity with lemon pieces.
- 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.)
- Remove chicken from slow cooker carefully. It may fall apart, so be prepared! Remove skin, if you wish. Remove lemons from cavity and discard.
- 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.
